My countless fans know that your humble scribe can be un-humble at times, maybe even a tad competitive, if the cause is right. Same as everyone! Does everyone voluntarily back down, when stakes are low and friendly? You bet. We're ordinary, you and I.

Here is one fun instance from two short years ago, where backing down can win after all. I was helping out at a week-long Scout camp not too far from here. Lots of kids, lots of fun, etc. etc., not unusual in Scouting.

One of the side activities was a silent auction for Scouting-related paraphernalia. Anyone at camp may make a bid - kids or adults. It can be unfair in the sense that real money is being bid, and few kids can match the Financial wherewithal of a grown-up. But the bidding is not super serious and the amounts rarely get high. Crests are one kind of knickknack that Scouts like to trade / collect, and one part of one set hit my eye in this fine day in 2018 July.

The bidding for this package of crests started at $10 and passed $60 before too long. There might have been some inter-subcamp rivalry in there too, as a few of us bid repeatedly. Time was running out, and as a generous de-escalation, I let the Other subcamp folks win the thing.

I wandered back the final morning. As luck would have it, I ran into the winners. This handsome couple had a real Thing going for wolves, which is not unusual in Scouting. They took a real shining to the yellow/black wolf silhouette crests in the collection, which was why they kept bidding. As for me, I was only after one of the smaller bits. When I told them this, they immediately gave it to me and posed for a photo.

What a pair of nice folks, which is not unusual in Scouting! We all came away happy.

Why take photographs? Back in the prehistoric times, when cameras were big and film was scarce, people had to be picky. It's so easy now that everyone does it, and why not. Pose, snap, save, share, repeat.

And yet, why? Here is the expert-approved Complete list of possible reasons.

Proof of life. Saying "I was here!" to the universe. Stand in front of landmark, hand camera to stranger or selfie stick. Click. Keep.

Friends/family contact. Saying "wish you were here!". Click. Share.

Art. Saying "wish you could see this my way!" Hack the minds of the viewers with clever beautiful compositions. Click. Sell?

Diary. Saying "This happened to me" to myself. Click. Keep. Review.

As for me --- I do it for love. Whenever I am permitted to leave my work cave, I love most of what happens to or around me. Little things, big things. People being goofy, people being beautiful, people being alive. Heck, dead things too. So many moments can be cherished again with the aid of a reminder. So many emotions can be fanned when reliving a memory, or when imagining the event from someone else's photo. I take photos because I want to save the moment of love for later. Or --- if I don't know the persons well --- it's because someone surely knows and loves them vicariously.

For better or for worse, this means I take a lot of pictures. Over time, people around me get used to it, even if they were shy or just roll their eyes. But consider this: I have had four acquaintances or friends pass away in the last few years. I have seen many kids grow up near mine. Sooner or later, their friends & family want to feel the history again. Those that have asked, have appreciated a search of my photos of their loved ones -- and those that haven't asked yet, well, what are you waiting for?

But you don't need someone else. Perhaps you, dear reader, will start taking photography with a little more forward-looking passion. Life is short, and our memories frail. If you love something, record it. You or someone else will thank you.