Doug and I took a drive out to the G2G last week. A beautiful summer evening – humid, a warm breeze. We were just outside of West Montrose and set our much-loved Osprey knapsack carefully beside the trail. I had it in my head I would have my model of the Starship Enterprise coming out of the top of the sack. Doug was game, but I don't think he ever really believed it would come off too well.
I had spent the day trying to get the damn decals to stick in the right places (something I had attempted unsuccessfully a few years back when I got the model for Christmas), but I had a horrible time. I must be especially clumsy – I can't imagine anyone anywhere applying one of those things and getting it right. You soak them in water and then, with tweezers, pull off the little plastic bits; but if you don't do it quickly enough, they start to lose their important parts – like their colour – and you're left with a flimsy piece of useless, clear plastic. They're also somewhat like Saran wrap – they fold in on themselves when you least expect it and you find yourself hopelessly tangled until they rip into pieces like toilet paper. I honestly don't get it. With folds and missing parts of numbers, I had managed to get the top decal sort of in place and then completely butchered one of the decals for an engine before giving up entirely.
Anyway, about half an hour into our photo session that evening and after moving the sack from one side of the trail to the other, positioning and repositioning the Enterprise, two Mennonite children came riding towards us. Doug discretely took a few shots knowing we couldn't use the images because their faces would be in the photo and Mennonites are not overly fond of having their pictures taken. He was staring down the trail after them, a wistful look on his face, and then he suddenly brightened. They were headed back! He had only a few seconds to get the camera ready and then noticed my shadow was across the path. He nearly sent me into the bushes with a shove and a scream to get out of the way and then he took his remarkable cover shot.
I'm so used to being lightly abused when he has his camera in hand that it doesn't really phase me anymore. I've been stepped on, kneed, pushed, and elbowed so many times it almost feels natural to find myself face down in the dirt. But these are the shots I get a little excited about. In our day-to-day life, Doug would never put his foot on my ass and send me flying, so I always know the image is going to be worth the humiliation. And, man, was it worth it!
