While kayaking in search of dolphins this morning, I tossed my beloved Canon camcorder into the Atlantic. (The F-bomb that followed could be heard in South Africa, a fact I am not proud of.) Since I can’t share the osprey, seagulls, terns and jumping fish we encountered, I’ve dug through my Avalon archives and found another critter to talk about, the horseshoe crab. Since I’m feeling a bit crabby and in need of some fresh, new luck, this seems appropriate.
We found these horseshoe crab shells on the Jersey Shore in early September last year. (Click each photo for a larger image.) Initially, my nephew, nieces and I thought the crabs had died. It wasn’t until an educational boat ride through the salt marsh that we learned these guys and gals were still alive – somewhere. (If only the same could be said for my camcorder.) They had simply molted and left this one-size-too-small armor behind.
Horseshoe crabs molt at least 10 times in their 20+ year lives. In fact, they go through 4 of these molts within the egg. While the crabs look as if they are related to crustaceans (think shrimp and lobster), they are, instead, closely related to ancient and extinct trilobites. Growing up in Western NY, my friends and I often found trilobite fossils in 18 Mile Creek. I’m as fascinated with these modern day relatives as I was the long gone ancestors.
Taking a lesson from the long-lived horseshoe crab, I’ll be sure to get my next camcorder protective, waterproof armor. While searching for a photo of a drowning camcorder to include in this post, I discovered a cool new contraption. See the video below. Next year, I’ll be prepared to film the crabs underwater. For now, I’m off to gargle salt water – to clean my filthy mouth out.
I'm so sorry to hear about the camcorder! And it sound like you're having a fantastic vacation – I hope you continue to enjoy it.
Thanks, Amy. The vacation is awesome, even with this [admittedly painful] hiccup.
I often find that filming or photography solidifies the memories in my mind – not just because I can watch the experience again later, but because I am engaged with how to frame my experience, focusing on the special things I want to take from a single moment. In a way, the camcorder makes my memory stronger. You can't drown that in the Atlantic… well, unless it's me who goes under.
Besides, as my husband and brother-in-law keep reminding me, the improvements on the new models make the whole thing worth while. I just read about how powering up takes much less time than my lost cam, memory capacity has increased, we can get one with a stabilizer this time, and battery life – thanks to a flash drive – is a bit longer. It sounds like I can only go up from here!