En route to Saturday's food drive, the wife just happened to mention... a co-worker of hers really likes my photos. (Had another one in the paper last week. Of a bridge under construction. Honest, you didn't miss anything.)

So today, I get an unexpected call. A gal whose boss is having a special celebration next month (I don't remember... his birthday? A business anniversary?). They would like to give him a nice, framed aerial photograph of his place of business.

They're willing to pay...

Well, jeez.

I would love to become a professional photographer. Even if it is only on paper, and our taxes. But the outfit is paying for the plane time on these elk flights, and for my time. I just grab what pictures as I can. The pilot goes where the elk radios are, and that's it.

I could have gathered a ton of wonderful images if I could have asked him to "go over there", or "circle here one more time."

Wouldn't be right (or legal?) to use the outfit's money for a business venture.

She seemed surprised. And disappointed.

I did promise to check my current images to see if I happened to catch their business in any of them.

No charge.

And I did have it in a few shots. In three out of the thousands of aerial photos I looked over today (this is how I spend my days of vacation time...). But they're really crappy. Small, grainy, fuzzy. Can't even read the sign.

Now, the gas station across the street? I got a great shot of that.

The car junkyard just down the road? Got that, too. Want a picture of the grocery store, county jail, fairgrounds, or the wife's office building?

Got all those.

But not what this lady needs. So, tomorrow when we fly our elk again (Yes, I know I'm on vacation. But for me, vacation just means I only do the work I want to do.), we will see if the winds force the pilot to take the runway that puts us over their part of town. And if we have any sunlight. And if the plane's stable enough for a zoom shot.

If all those things line up, maybe I can help her out.

No charge.