Category: Pets

Scout Is Not Impressed

Our black-and-white cat Scout yawns while resting on the hardwood floor

I upgraded from the Canon 10D to the Canon 20D in 2005 shortly before a work trip to Japan. Although the cameras were similar, I wanted a quick test before leaving, so I photographed my two favorite models then took a trip to Ridgefield. If Scout wasn’t impressed with my new Canon 20D in 2005, to be fair initially neither was I. It seemed such a tepid upgrade from the 10D on paper that I didn’t order it when it first came out. But a user review months later convinced me that the improvements in operational speed would be welcome, and they were, I used the 20D for years until the shutter packed it in on a hike on Mount Rainier.

Our black-and-white cat Scout yawns while resting on the hardwood floor

We Meet Again, Little Beaver

Our kitten Scout jumps onto the scratching post in pursuit of her beaver cat toy

I switched to a digital camera at the end of 2000 and I’m very glad I did, I enjoyed photography in the film days but with digital my love grew by leaps and bounds. However the primitive autofocus of that camera had no hope of keeping up with the two month old kitten we adopted in May of 2001, so I put Scout’s beaver toy on top of the scratching post and ran back and turned around and focused on it instead, hoping to get set up before she jumped onto the post. Part of me would love to go back in time with my current camera and experience to photograph my beloved Scout again, or even leave the camera behind and just spend a few minutes with her, but part of me is afraid she wouldn’t recognize me at 50 instead of 35 and I don’t think my heart could stand it.

Our kitten Scout climbs the scratching post in pursuit of her beaver cat toy

The Classics

Our black-and-white cat Scout inspects the box of the new 15 inch Apple Powerbook

In May of 2004 my new laptop arrived, a 15″ Apple Powerbook. It was a big step for me in two ways, I was not only switching full-time to the Mac but also to a laptop. Previously I had a smaller Apple laptop for the train and a Dell desktop for photo work, but my delight with a 12″ Apple Powerbook purchased months prior convinced me to go full-time with the bigger laptop. It was a good decision, that laptop remains one of my all-time favorites and I used it daily for years. All these years later and my current laptop is but a refinement of that classic design.

I’ve stayed a laptop-only user pretty much since then (I do have a Mac mini I use as a file server), but each time I’ve replaced a computer I’ve debated if I should go back to a split setup. I’m going through that again as it’s time to replace my aging laptop, although I’m leaning towards getting another 15″ one. The only reason I’d even consider a desktop is that lovely display on the iMac, but I’d have to go back to working at a desk at times instead of doing all my work on the couch covered in cats.

Speaking of cats, the lovely little creature who came out to inspect the new box was my beloved Scout, she and Templeton always liked to inspect new boxes.