So, merrily I went, taking videos of everything and anything. The first great memory is of our visit to Vancouver and Victoria. I had grown fond of Recreational Vehicles and looked at them with admiration, and on the way, there were scores of them. I recorded almost all of them. Then came the ferry. The car entered the ferry like a massive cave swallowing everything—the steps, the closed deck, the restaurant, and even one raven. Victoria, with its many lovely flowers in Butchart Gardens, became a target for my photographic and videographic skills. It’s another matter that my camera kept moving too fast, and the images always vanished in an instant.

The worst experience, however, came as we neared the US-Canada border. Seeing such a border for the first time in my life, I eagerly kept recording until the car reached the booth. One of the officials manning the border security shouted admonishingly, “Put that camera down, sir!” Scared, I immediately did and apologized. Irked by my actions, he directed all of us to enter the office for stamping. If only I had put the prying camera down, we might have been waved through and saved at least half an hour.

My obsession with recording everything became so overwhelming that my interest was more in capturing the moment than enjoying it. I recorded almost all the events and shows I attended. Unable to bear it any longer, my elder son had to goad me into putting the camera down and focusing on what was happening around me. I got the point.

Halfway through our stay, 9/11 had unfortunately occurred.

My love affair with this camera had to come to an end—or at least find some balance. Once, when I was happily recording in a mall, I saw two police officers talking. Without putting the camera down, which was still pointed at them, I asked for some clarifications. They flared up and ordered me to put the camera down. Embarrassed, I asked if I should erase the footage. Irritated, they waved me off. I became more careful after that.

The saddest thing happened later. We transferred the tons of videos onto Video Cassette Tapes to take back to India. But, alas, there was some problem with the recording head, and the eight or so tapes full of my exploits and efforts were filled with grains and lines.

And that was the end of my mad attachment to this device.

Continued in 148. Good ETs, Bad Landing - Part 1