A life well-lived.

Here’s my Rollei story. My wife was a nurse in a medical office. Although I’m sure she treated all patients with kindness and professionalism, one gentleman in his 90’s was her favorite. He always had stories of his adventures, first as a member of the Dutch resistance during World War II and then as a professional photographer across many continents and decades. He often invited her to drop by his home and to bring her husband (me) whom he knew was interested in photography. She finally took him up on his offer. We arrived on a Saturday morning and he was a gracious host. At some point he pulled out a Rolleicord III, his personal camera (he used a Leica for work). He handed the Rollei to me and explained the buttons and knobs and answered all of my questions. When I gave it back to him he said “No, you keep it”. I told him I couldn’t possibly do that – we had just met. He insisted (I suspect it had something to do with Suzanne being his favorite nurse) and I ended up leaving with the camera. He was an avid sailor (still, at that age) so the only way I could think of to repay him was to make a nautical photograph with the Rollei and then present it to him (the photograph, I now know, wasn’t very good, and besides, it was a fishing boat). The camera reminds me of a life well-lived. I need to shoot it again (dim viewfinder and all). I know the ‘flex has more prestige than the ‘cord, but I wouldn’t make that trade.