My Leica SLR won’t be back for almost two months, but today Leica sent me an SLR-S (the newest version) to serve as a Loner camera until mine is finished and ready to come home—no charge for it.

I’m going to have to learn several things to use it confidently and comfortably, but I’m off to a good start, I think. It’s easy to use so far, but I haven’t fiddled with the settings yet. It will take me some time, as it did with the first SLR.

Leica is very efficient and helpful.

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Above is the best portrait I’ve gotten with B. His face says so much.

Whenever I get a new camera, I go and get a portrait of Maria, never simple, as she refuses to pose, which I accept and work around. I can always count on a nice portrait of her when an animal is around.

This was after “B” came over to work with the animals, and I loved the portraits I got of him (I started out with the portrait lens)

I’m very happy to have this camera. Maria’s camera was terrific, and she was gracious in loaning it to me (I wouldn’t loan my camera to anyone, even her (I think.)

It felt wonderful to have a Leica in my hands. There are lots of wonderful cameras, but Leicas are the ones I have worked with and bonded with. They have a special quality I loved, somewhere between film and softness.

So far, I’ve only used a portrait lens, which makes any distance shot a little difficult. I’ll try the other lenses tomorrow, one by one.

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The brushing season is underway.

B’s smile makes for a sweet portrait.

Maria found this bone in the woods and brought it home. She thinks it might be a deer spine.