The other day Shelley and I stopped into a local sports mart to get her some cycling shoes. The store didn't carry them, but had several golf caddies on display, and they turned on my idea light bulb.

See, the other day when I shot panos at the gardens I had to trapse around acres of paths with a rather heavy tripod, motorized camera, lens, and battery to power it all. Plus carry the computer in a shoulder bag. Well, that got old really quick.

You may recall that I bought a couple toy wagons of different designs and tried large battery on wheels some time ago. None of those worked out, either for size, or weight, or cumbersomeness.

Well... this golf caddy did the trick! It has two large, wide-spread wheels, and weighs next to nothing yet offers sturdiness and stability. It has a cradle to hold the camera while it remains mounted on the tripod. The caddy couldn't be much quiter when it rolls around, and it FOLDS UP, to fit under the tripod while the scanning progresses.

Furthermore, the original base of the caddy had a small platform for the golf bag. It was too small for the battery, so I built a wooden box to replace it, and bolted it on. The battery now serves as a counterbalance AND holds the computer out of the dirt during scanning. It's a win-win-win deal.

Yesterday I spent at the gardens again, gaining more experience with the system. And the caddy made the work of moving the camera around so much less of a deal that I didn't mind walking back and forth across the whole place about three or four times. I took it up and down a hiking trail (not just paved paths) and pulled it up steps, over grass, through narrow railed walkways, etc.

What a joy to use.

I guess golf is good for something after all!