Hi, all -
On kind of a spur of the moment kid's request, we drove an hour plus in the snow today to visit the inlaws. Back story: My father-in-law, about 40-some odd days ago, was in St. Maarten with the MiL. The have a time share there, and jaunt down that way a couple times a year. They were on their first full day of an eleven day trip, and he fell going down stairs. Tore through both patellar ligaments (I think...), cutting loose his quadraceps in both legs. An emergency plane ride home, surgery a couple days later (ugly, that), and he's been recuperating in a wheel chair ever since. He's regaining his mobility, literally, in baby steps. The braces come off in about two weeks. Anyway, we figured they could use some company, so off we went.
I decided it'd be a good excuse to play with the Yashica-Mat, and maybe the Spotmatic. I want to shoot some color through the Y-mat, but ended up shooting a roll of TMY. Pushed to 800. Film'll be developing presently.
Point of all this is, the inlaws were in good spirits, the roads were clear, and everyone had fun. Of lesser, but very satisfying importance: I absolutely loved shooting both of these cameras. This is the first roll I've run through the Y-mat since officially snaking out the hiccups in the advance, and it was smooth and a joy to use. After finishing off the TMY, I grabbed the Spotmatic with the 55/1.8 Super Tak, loaded with Porta 400 NC.
That was nearly a religious experience. What a camera. The shutter snaps very solidly; the image pops into sharp focus in the viewfinder, and the advance was like silk. I felt like one with the cameras today. Best shooting day ever.
Dunno if any of the pictures will turn out, but right now, I'm happy.
Scott
