When I went to the Mansion today, Tim was sitting out on the porch, painting and drawing. Tim, who was severely injured in an automobile accident (he gave me permission to write about his injured leg) just got back from a long stint in rehab.

Tim is a creative, a painter, reader, Bingo player and writer. He is always creating images of different kinds.

He has always complimented me on my photography.

Today, he told me the sad news that he will be losing his right leg this September in an operation at a nearby hospital. The leg cannot be saved.

Tim is uncomplaining and resigned to this, he is painting some beautiful things and it is possible he will be able to walk with a prosthetic leg, he says.

Tim is a familiar sight in town with his electric motorized wheel chair, I often see him buzzing up and down Main Street. He never lets  his leg shut him down.

He is gentle and cheerful, and we had a long talk about the surgery and his own life at the Mansion.

Tim loves looking at photographs, but has never owned a camera, he told me. Why not?, I wondered, and he said it was because he never learned to use a darkroom. I told  him about the digital revolution in photography, and he was shocked and intrigued.

I showed  him now my new camera works. Tim has a new Apple laptop, he is not afraid of new technology, he just never focused on photography.

I asked him if he would like a camera, and he almost came right out of his wheelchair with enthusiasm. “Yes!,” he said, he would love to take pictures just like I did. It can be done, I said.

And I thought of how much it might mean to him if he had a camera before, during and after his amputation and in the eight weeks he was expected to be in rehab before coming back to the Mansion. He says he is quite happy there.

I started searching for a camera for Tim. I am always reluctant to buy old or used things for the Mansion residents, I like to buy things that have warranties and some kind of tech support of there is trouble. People often send me old things to give them, and I sometimes balk at that.

I  don’t want them to only have the discarded things of people. My issue, I guess. Money is tight, and if I can find something used that is far less expensive and still good, I should look harder for it. I am the steward of other people’s money and need to be thoughtful about that, as I try to be. I haunt local thrift shops but also try to give the residents the best available things.

I had a spirited discussion about this with my friend Susan, she urged me to consider a used camera, the one I was thinking of cost between $300 and $500, it was a classy beginner’s digital camera, a Canon Powershot. I was going to fund raise for it or save money from the Gus Fund.

Susan, determined to broaden my horizons, challenged me and went online herself and found a wonderful deal on a San Francisco website called KEH, I know the site, it specializes in used cameras with warranties.

She found a used Canon Powershot G 5 camera in guaranteed “excellent’ condition with a warranty and battery and charger. The camera cost $53 plus shipping. I went on Amazon and bought a card reader and memory card for about $30.

I was wary, but it was so obviously a great deal, and so perfect a first camera for  Tim that I am grateful to Susan for giving me a jolt in the right direction.  I bought the camera  right away and don’t need to ask anyone for more money for it. I’m  happy about that.

I am very excited to be giving this to Tim, who writes me letters wherever he is. This will be a great help to him as he approaches the amputation and his long and difficult recovery.

I don’t need money for the camera, but if you want to support the Mansion work, feel free: The Gus Fund, c/o Jon Katz. P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected].

If you wish to write to Tim, you can send him a letter: Tim, c/o The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816,