Dishing the dirt - Day 9 of the Chill

Dishing the dirt means to spread gossip or scandal.  While looking up this phrase, I also found mention of organic farming.  Now that could get interesting.  So I could post photos of my tomato plants from last summer and write about those right?

I don't like to spread gossip, although I'm sure there's someone out there who would probably disagree with my last statement.  I'm sure everyone, at some time or another has "dished the dirt" on someone else.  We're human and it seems like gossiping is very much a part of human nature.

I will attempt not to dish the dirt in most instances, although I will walk through the dirt most willingly.  I will walk through mud, fields, hills and over rocks and other assorted dirty things if there is a photo to be had.  I climbed down the side of a bluff once up in Humboldt County when I was in college to get a photo of the Pacific Ocean and the Big Dipper in the night time sky once.  I was 20 at the time and it was there that I knew I was a photographer at heart.

Halfway down to where I thought I wanted to go, I slipped and fell.  By the time I'd stopped sliding, I was pretty much where I wanted to be.  I rode it down on my back, holding the camera close while grabbing branches and other assorted things that were flying by in order to slow me down.  The camera came out unscathed in the mishap, the back of my jacket and pants, not so much.

That's the first day when I can clearly remember, the camera came first.  Nothing was going to hurt my pride and joy.  I'd purchased it a year before with my own money and I wasn't about to let it get dirty or broken.  At that time, I knew I was pretty much fixable, but my camera could be laid up for months, because I had no money to repair it at the time.  

Once I'd stopped sliding, I sat there for awhile taking in the situation and realizing that I wasn't going any further.  I also knew I would be able to get myself out of the situation, which meant I didn't have to panic, so I set up my tripod (yeah, I had that with me as well) attached the camera, composed the shot and tripped the shutter.  I used Ectrachrome slide film, so I don't have a print version of that particular shot.  It might even take me awhile to find the shot, but now that I've mentioned it, I guess I'm going to have to search for it sometime soon and post it here.

No, I didn't dish the dirt.  I slid on the dirt.  But it was worth it.  I can still see that shot in my mind's eye and will to the day I die.