Coon Morning

I was pretty stiff and sore after a fairly active weekend so it was hard getting out of the house. I managed two miles in just under 40 minutes. No records were in danger today.

My walk was made a little slower by an encounter with nature.

I was walking in a particularly dark area and got a glimpse of a cat darting behind a small tree. It was kind of cartoonish where Jinx the Cat tiptoes behind a thin tree trunk and doesn't come out the other side, completely disappearing behind a tree you could never hide behind.

It was odd enough that it made me stop and look and figure out where the cat went.

Suddenly a figure swung around the side of the trunk a foot or two up. It was a young raccoon. We stared at each other for a few seconds and I said "Hi". At that point I noticed two other coons off the sidewalk and in the yard by a hedge. One of them was a big one. I figured that was Mom. Raccoons are mean so I had no intention of messing with them.

When I came around on the second lap, they were still in the same general area. I stopped and we again exchanged pleasantries and then I moved on. It seemed as though they wanted as little to do with me as I did with them.

It brings into question something I have been wrestling with. Should I bring my camera on these morning walks? I have resisted because it's bulky enough to be annoying, but not really annoying. I could have had a great raccoon picture this morning. 

I have the same question about bringing my phone with me. The phone does have a camera but I am not impressed with it. However, you never know when having a phone with you on a dark early morning might come in handy.

I shall continue to wrestle and I will make this guarantee. On the mornings I carry the camera, there will be nothing to photograph.