Lunch hour in downtown Minneapolis. Lovely weather (for Minnesota in January). I felt I really ought to get out for a walk. Where to go? I remembered that I had an old SLR camera in my drawer which was not working, and a destination came to mind.

The camera is a Nikon FG, more than 20 years old, but until recently, doing very well. Then the film advance got stuck. I could not get it to work, and I certainly was not going to try brute force. I had asked a camera store in the downtown Minneapolis Skyway about it. They did not have a repair department, but said they could ship it out to be overhauled–for $150. I declined.

I had heard good things about another downtown store, National Camera Exchange, but they were not nearly as convenient to reach. They were well off the Skyway. This makes a big difference in January.

But today, 10th and Hennepin seemed a lot more accessible. I pulled out my camera, put on my jacket, and walked over there outside at street level. Very pleasant. I got there and explained the problem. The store worker expertly disassembled the camera (which may have been older than she was) in front of me. I enjoy watching expert technicians work…. A few minutes later I was on my way with a working camera, having paid $15.

A very nice walk!