A Most Versatile Tool

Tools—our species is adept at creating them. We have so many things we want to accomplish and have active imaginations to create more. One thing we do well is find other applications for tools we already have created.

One such versatile tool is a pair of binoculars. Beyond its entertainment value, learned early in childhood, we use this item to explore our immediate surroundings as well as the distant plain. This even can be used to search the cosmos. So, if one searches the internet, one can find astronomy, birding, hunting, and sports binoculars.

What is the difference in all these? Truth be told, nothing. Really! The concepts behind each and every use are the same. Okay, I’ll admit that a hiker or a bicycler requires a binocular that doesn’t weigh much and would probably want a compact, while a pronghorn hunter might want something with a high powered objective lens. All that is admitting is there are different size and weight criteria. It does not change how the binoculars work.

On one occasion, a gift was made of a Vortex 8 x 42 Viper binocular. The first use was on a family vacation. During one evening, everyone sat outside on a hill overlooking the rolling hills of southwest Texas. The binoculars were brought out and everyone marveled at the Mule Deer spotted 300 yards away. The next occasion it was put to good use looking at the rings of Saturn. Following that, it was used to identify a phoebe near the barn. Same binocular; differently used.

Anyone looking for a great adventure consider a pair of binoculars. Put them to good use—all kinds of use.