Friday was approaching, and I wanted a head start on my weekly post.
The story was drafted, all I needed to do was add the photos. Such lovely photos they were, too, from the previous week’s stroll through Walton Woods Park.
I plugged the USB cord into the camera and the computer and waited.
Nothing.
Hm, maybe I plugged it in wrong? The connection to the camera was fine, but the plug into the computer was stuck. I pulled it out, checked the orientation, and pushed it back in – and it got stuck. When I pulled it out again, I noticed the plug end didn’t look quite right, and now the computer port also didn’t look quite right.
Fortunately, I have 3 other USB ports on that computer, but I was afraid to try any of them with this particular cord. I have other USB cords, and tried all of them with the camera. None of them worked.
Bad enough that I couldn’t transfer the photos, but without a usable cord, I also couldn’t charge the camera battery!
I found a replacement cord on Amazon, and ordered it, but it would take 2 weeks to arrive, and I needed those photos now!
Teddy Rosalie examining the new camera back in March.
On my lunch hour the next day, I drove to the camera shop where I had purchased my Nikon B700 and bought a new USB cord. I could hardly wait to get home and start uploading those photos!
But guess what – and I’m sure you did guess – the cord didn’t work. Sure, it fit both the camera and the computer, but nothing happened.
So, come Friday morning, instead of sipping my coffee while reading all those wonderful comments on my newest entertaining post, I found myself in the car heading back to the camera shop, hopefully to exchange USB cords. They didn’t have the exact one to fit my particular camera, but did gladly refund my money. I asked if there was any way to be sure the problem was with the cord, and not the camera, and the shop clerk said the correct cord would be needed in order to determine if the camera was defective. He suggested I might find the right cord at Best Buy.
The camera shop is in Buffalo, and Best Buy is in Amherst – about a 20 minute drive. But what the heck, I had already driven 20 minutes from Cheektowaga to Buffalo, so what’s a little more driving?
The clerk at Best Buy helped me pick out what he said was the appropriate cord. I had my camera with me and asked him to please make sure the cord would, in fact, work so I wouldn’t have to come back later. While I suspect he thought I was a dotty old lady, he quite willingly did as I asked – only to discover that this cord also did nothing. The clerk indicated he thought it was a problem with the camera itself and that I should contact Nikon.
Back out in my car, I called the camera store and explained what had just happened. I reminded them that I had bought the camera there and that it was still under the one-year manufacturer’s warranty. The store manager verified that they do camera repairs, but stated he would probably have to send the camera to Nikon. I was ok with that.
Another 20 minutes to drive from Amherst back to Buffalo. Please understand that on a Friday afternoon, Western New York drivers are not as polite as on other days – which means, never. Traffic was the usual bitch.
Anyway.
My 6-month-old Nikon B700 is now in the process of going back to Nikon for warranty repairs. The camera shop manager was diligent in removing and handing me the memory card so my photos wouldn’t be lost.
Oops. Almost forgot about those! How could I transfer them without the camera? When asked, the camera manager told me they were out of stock for memory card readers.
Damn.
Another 20 minutes to drive from Buffalo to Amherst to buy the memory card reader at Best Buy. It was the same clerk, and he found the whole thing a bit amusing.
Then, finally, heading home to Cheektowaga – another 20 minutes through pre-rush hour traffic. I still hadn’t done any of my usual Friday chores, so I opted to go straight home and not pick up early dinner at Burger King like I often do on Fridays. (Keep your comments to yourselves, people. I happen to like Burger King occasionally.)
It was very late afternoon, but I knew I had to get those photos uploaded in order to publish that post. And I had to edit those photos. My work was cut out for me.
Success! You all read that post, “Into the Woods Again“, but none of you knew what I had to go through to publish it. Now you do, and I hope you all appreciate the effort.
It’s old, but it still works.
I’m now back to using the old Olympus click-and-shoot that I started out with. I suspect the photo quality will be pretty much the same, considering the skill (or lack thereof) of the photographer, but I’ll do my best.
As luck would have it, Amazon shipped the replacement Nikon cord on a rush basis. It should arrive by Monday. So now I’ll have the right USB cord, but no camera to plug it into. Ugh!
Such is the life of a blogger/photographer. No one ever said it would be easy.
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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom
Cordelia's Mom, Still 
I hate to say this after all that… but are you sure it wasn’t a software or driver issue on your computer?
(Don’t hit me)
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No, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because all my other devices using USB work just fine. In fact, I was able to download the photo from my Olympus camera to the computer just this morning, without any trouble at all. The Best Buy clerk said probably the USB pins were probably broken off inside the camera.
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Well heck, and it’s such a nice camera, too. I’ll bet you’re a little peeved at Nikon. So far I haven’t had these troubles with my Nikon, but after reading this post I feel nervous. I hope they figure out the problem.
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I’m sure your Nikon is just fine. I just always manage to get the one lemon in the bunch, no matter what the mechanical device is.
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If it ain’t one thing….it’s everything. :oops;
Congratulations on conquering you adversities, and completing a round-the-world cruise without ever leaving metro-Buffalo. The photos, and the post, were beautiful. 😀
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Thank you. Next time you are able to come to Buffalo, we could visit the now-“famous” Walton Woods Park. I’d love to share it with you.
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Ain’t technology grand, CM? Makes me long for the Kodak kiosks and the thrill of opening up those envelopes to see the snapshots three days later.
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Or waiting for the Polaroid to develop – right in front of your eyes!
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Yes, rubbing the magic stick on it to fix the image was always delightful, CM. 🤓
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Ha! I thought you were maybe too young to know about those Polaroids! I still remember the smell of that developing stick.
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The Polaroid and I grew up together, CM.
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Right you are, Austin, for sure.
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I hope they repair that PDQ
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Me, too. Wouldn’t you know, as soon as I didn’t have my good camera, I found all kinds of shots it would be perfect for.
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Of course
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What persistence! So glad it paid off! The post, by the way, was worth it.
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Thank you for your kind words. I felt relieved once I was able to actually publish that post, and I’m so glad everyone seemed to like it.
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Holy macro! Are you serious, CM? What a hassle! I would have been pulling my hair out cause I’ve gotten into the (good) habit of uploading my pictures immediately after a shoot. I have two systems, one that I always use, the other for a backup “just in case” scenario. I have the USB chord I use that I plug directly into my camera and then I have a card reader. I am stunned to the lengths you went to solve this problem. I say good for you. I KNOW what traffic is like on a Friday and I avoid it like a plague when I can. Brava for all your efforts!!! 🤗🤗🤗
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I had to have those photos! And now I really miss that camera. My little point-and-click just isn’t the same.
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PS – I told you it was an amusing story. Of course, I wasn’t laughing at the time.
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I hear ya. I’m spoiled with my camera as I’m sure you are with yours. Hope you get yours back soon, CM!!
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This is a story about persistence, drive and a sense of humor. A good post seems effortless but it takes work and resilience.
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Kind of like getting that perfect shot in the first place, right? Not that I’ve ever had a perfect shot, but I know you can relate. I’m sure your awesome photos didn’t just take themselves!
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My first photos were nightmares of ineptitude but I did recognize an eye for composition. Photoprocessing got easier one I figured out what the warp brush did. 🙂
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