Dead Batteries

Yesterday evening my family and I went to the zoo. We are members, so we can go whenever we like. As usual, I had the camera in hand to catch those "Kodak moments". However, when I turned it on to take the first pictures of some flamingos, it did not respond. Dead batteries, with no spares. Oh well. I proceeded on to simply watch the animals. After a few moments, I realized that the experience was much more relaxing without the pretense of capturing the animals or family at the perfect moment. They were all perfect moments. I then began noticing much more that just the animals. I noticed the spectators and the surroundings. It almost became more fun watching the people than the animals. It was amusing in a way to see how individuals scrambled to the glass to capture that prize winning photo of a gorilla. I am willing to bet that most will never view the photos after downloading them to their computer (if they get that far). It was neat to just experience being there. I probably did miss a few prize winning shots, but I think the memories of the occasion will do nicely.