GRIZZLY PEAR

written snapshots

Goodbye to Mr. Poops

Yesterday I got a text that my old dutch friend passed away in Philadelphia. He came with the wife of one of my grad school mates when we first arrived in Texas and he hung around long enough for even us long term Houston holdouts to all head back out of the South. At 14 years old I’m certain he was one of the oldest bunnies out there. His mate, Elsie had passed years ago. They were quite a pair, she was a very opinionated woman and he was the sweetest little guy (I know such adjectives are overused for cute little wabbits, but it was completely true for someone with his disposition).

It hit me hard, it reminded me of the passage of time, the movement of life, the joy of good friends, and the inevitability of change. It made me think of how much and how little I have changed in the past dozen years. Caught up in the flurry of daily chores and activities, it was a reminder that we should savor the impermanence of our mundane surroundings. A reminder particularly important as I continue to spend too much of my time in the digital sphere.

But of course, back to the digital sphere – I remembered I had some nice photos of him and his partner so I went digging into the archives. It turns out I took these photos six years ago when I had just received my Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 – its considered a legendary lens and over the past six years it has lived up to the reputation. While it is a little bit too telephoto on a crop sensor for daily use, its perfect for traveling when paired with a smartphone for wide angle shots.

Mr. Poops and Elsie was staying at our house at that time, so naturally I trained my camera upon them. Some of the first photos didn’t come out too good, but I think this series of four in a row came out pretty nicely.

100804-d40-2696
100804-d40-2697
100804-d40-2698
100804-d40-2700

I can’t believe its been twelve years since we first met. Here’s to you Mr. Poops, have fun in the great beyond!