Not sure if I mentioned this before...

I love riding my bike through the city and sometimes I see things that make me look twice.

For example: Multiple times I have passed a mother/child on the side of the busy road "swinging." Swinging on what (you might ask)? What could there possibly be to swing on at the side of a road? Isn't that an odd place for the government to put in a playground? Well, they like to swing on the power lines! Sometimes there are low, hanging, bunched together power lines on the sides of roads. Apparently they make great swings?

Recently I had my camera with me while I rode by just such a mother/child/swing. I ALMOST stopped to take a picture, but my conscience wouldn't let me. There are so many pictures in this city that I would love to have (especially of the elderly), but I don't take them out of respect for the people. They aren't monkeys in a zoo. If I put a camera in their face and take a picture, then I'm treating them like animals. So, I usually go without the picture.

However, I have other strategies.

Strategy #1 - Make Friends! I try to talk to the people. This is very weird for them (especially if they've never talked to a foreigner before). Then, I ask to take a picture with them. Honestly, this hardly ever works.

Strategy #2 - Extreme Flattery! I only try this with small children. Essentially, I see a cute baby and I "ooooh" and "aaah" and talk about how their child is the cutest baby I've ever seen and "can I please take a picture?" This works....sometimes...

Strategy #3 - Pretend to Take a Picture of Something Else - This is my most pathetic attempt. I'll make Rob stand in front of the person and pretend to take a picture of him, but secretly I'm really trying to take a picture of the 90 year old woman to the right of Rob, but that woman is no dummy and she knows my game... This rarely works.

Strategy #4 - Convince Rob We Need to Buy a Zoom Lens for the Camera - I'll let you know how this goes.