Sighting...

Had to venture into the outside world today. Had a doctor appointment. Before I headed out the front door, I made sure I had the camera with me. Didn't want to miss a photo op for my current mission...snapping a picture of the beast of the condos, Vinnie the Feral Cat King.

I took it a bit slow past the tree lined area near the garbage compactor scanning around for any sign of feline activity. I did see a skinny black cat dart into some bushes, but other than that...squat. My 'Vinnie' sightings had taken place earlier in the A.M., so I wasn't too surprised to not see him strolling around. The other times I saw him, I got the distinct impression that he was appearing according to a daily schedule. Figured that he was out for his morning consitutional and garbage dive.

After leaving my appointment and picking up a newspaper for Glenn, I headed back home. Came back down the freeway, hung a right, hung a left into the condos...and then it happened. I was driving past the cat sighting area and there, sitting on the cement slab by the transformer station, was the huge and imposing Vinnie. I mean, for a cat he's imposing. A bruiser. I was so excited. I was going to get a picture of him. Proof that this large specimen of a cat existed. I slowed to a stop and luckily no one was behind me. He was hunkered down chewing on something. Not really phased by the fact that there was a human in a big rolling metal thing frantically pawing at the glove compartment (that's where I had stowed the camera). Vinnie just continued chewing, glancing lazily at me a few times. So, I get the glove compartment open and get the camera out. I had some music playing rather loudly in the truck (Keane) and turned the CD player off so as not to spook him. Slowly I rolled the window down, glanced into the rearview mirror (still no one coming - yes!), and pressed the 'on' button. It appeared to light up, but nothing else happened. The lens shutter didn't open. It didn't make that ding-y sound it makes to say 'Hey! I'm ready!'. All I could hear was...(insert Pac Man dying sound effect). Damn batteries appeared to be dead. I looked up to see Vinnie wipe his chops with his paw and lift his large frame from the slab. I continued to push the on/off button a few more times with the hope that it might decide to work all of a sudden. No such luck. Sadly I accepted that my photo op had passed and watched Vinnie slowly walk away into the nearby trees and bushes.

Is this a portent of what's to come? Is photographing Vinnie going to become my quest for the Sasquatch or Yeti? Frustrating technical difficulties happening with each attempt? Will I ever succeed in capturing this creature on film? Am I being overly dramatic?

Yeah...I kind of am.

My mission continues...stay tuned...