Getting ready

With a Word Cruise just a few weeks away, I have been surprised at how many things you have to think about. Some are pleasant and some not so much. Last week I had a mild reaction to a Yellow Fever vaccination. I say mild because I survived! The other six or seven shots were no problem. Now I can focus on more important issues.

Today I started to think about cameras, computers, chargers, phones and external drives and cables. I have to come to grips with the basic question. Am I going on an extended vacation with a camera for snapshots or am I going on a photographic expedition which involves travel? How many cameras do I pack? How many lenses, SD cards, batteries, filters tripods etc. Do I want to be a tourist or a sherpa or in my case, more of a mule? Every time I think of the phrase “once in a lifetime experience,” I resign myself to sherpa. Jenni has more self control. She encourages me to pack things that she can borrow. We use the same cameras so everything works. But I still think I need to bring a backup camera in case of equipment failure and we always have our phone cameras as a last resort. Now I need to make sure we have all our photo processing software updated to the latest versions. We will each have our notebook computers with us as well as portable hard drives to store photos. A quick glance in the closet reveals my travel companions. I hope I have room for my daily meds.