OK, this is the last thing I’ll say about the equipment, I promise!  Just a point about how easy it has been to pack around and use. Outside of being an important tool for documenting my child as she grows (and that is the main reason for having it), it has also served me well in a variety of places:

• Scuba diving in Hawaii;
• Hiking/mountain climbing (sorta) in Alaska;
• Cruising the Carribean on the east, Mexico on the west;
• Bermuda, both in the ocean and around the islands;
• The Cascades in Washington;
• SoCal;
• The beaches of Maui, Oahu, and Hawaii (big island – and it went through the sulfur springs of the volcano);
• Blizzard ski trips in Anchorage;
• Pouring thunderstorms in Florida (technically, the outer edges of hurricane Katrina, before it headed towards NO);

I do have an SLR, and I definitely prefer its quality.  But this is the camera that I usually have with me when I’m not planning on taking pics.