We walk, Royce tries to follow

As I have previously stated, Royce is always looking for love. "What?" Charlie's dad exclaimed after reading this statement on my blog. "I thought Royce was neutered!" Let me be perfectly clear: that is not the kind of love that I speak of. As heavy as it weighs against my conscience, in my attempt to be what modern society calls "a responsible pet owner," I long ago took Royce to the vet and had all of his dangling opportunities for that kind of love taken from him.

The same holds true for all the modern-day Kracker Cats.

No, I speak of the kind of love here seen above. Whenever Charlie shows up, Royce knows that he will be bathed in such love, because that is how Charlie is.

On a recent night as I still struggled to bring this blog up-to-date on my most recent hospital adventure. Tryskuit and Charlie came by to visit. We decided to take a walk. "Look! Royce is trying to follow again!" Tryskuit blurted out when we had gone but a short distance beyond our driveway.

I turned around and sure enough - there he was. Sometimes, to search for love means that you just want to be part of the gang - to stroll down the street with them, just because that is the natural thing for creatures that love each other to do.

Royce sees that we have stopped for him. His tail rises high.

Royce draws nearer. Poor guy! He really believes that this time, he will find love in the middle of the gang.

Charlie scoops Royce up.

Charlie carries Royce back to the house.

Me in action. As I was taking the above series of pictures, Charlie took one of me that shows one of the techniques that I have employed to take photographs since my accident. You can see that my slinged, broken, repaired, partly-artificial right shoulder is hidden beneath a shirt that would otherwise be too big for me.

My Canon 1Ds Mark III is a most excellent, 22 megapixel, pro camera, but it is also big, heavy and bulky.  When we walk, Tryskuit serves as my camera bearer. Even if I carry it on my left shouder, it strains the right. So, if I walk very far, someone must carry it for me, or I must leave it at home.

Once I spot a picture, it is all but impossible for me to hold this heavy camera steady with just my left hand.

Here, Tryskuit serves as my "living tripod." As I frame and focus, she grips the bottom of the lens to steady the camera. When the moment is right, I snap the shutter.

Tomorrow, readers will see that I now have another way to do things.