cactus – Page 3 – Ink, Yarn & Beer

Cactus, Shadows

It’s been awhile since my last post – just over a month. Part of that has been limited time because of a bunch of things going on in our lives, as well as a shift into focusing – and refocusing – on painting. There is not enough time in the day! But, a lot of times painting is an indoor activity, and I miss the outdoors. Cabin fever sets in.

Yesterday was finally a relatively taskless day (compared to every other day!), so I went to the bank, went to have a camera repaired, only to have it fixed right then and there by the store owner, and thence, on to the local botanical garden. With rain coming up today, I knew the garden would be closed to the public, and with rain forecast for the next few weeks, it will be closed for some time.

It was an absolutely lovely day, and I got a few good pictures of old friends, like ancient oaks and spring bulbs, and the cactus on the top of the hill.

Life in the Cactus Patch

Yesterday I went up to the local botanical garden with a friend. We sat on the ground until the ants got too much, and then we moved to the picnic table. Despite the ants, the cacti were well behaved and let us paint their portraits! And lookie! No mud, no lines, and some lines!

End of the Day

I have too many cameras . . . but they sure are fun to use!

Prickly Love and Some Thoughts

First, I really enjoy the prickly pear cacti in my neighborhood – that is, as long as I don’t fall into a patch. Their paddle-shaped stems (the thorns are the leaves) often show up heart-shaped, and in season bear beautiful flowers which become the pear. After all our rains, I can hardly wait to see what the trails nearby have to offer.

Thoughts: Fraggie suggested a weekly post on the monthly subject. I will give it a shot for every Monday. That I think I can do without feeling depressed about my project and without feeling pressure from lack of time. My workday yesterday was out of the house at 8:00 a.m. and home at 7:30 p.m. I think you can see why time is not always available!

Cheers!

Raindrops & Thorns

Another shot taken with Kodak UltraMax 400 and the Olympus XA4. I don’t know if it is me, or the camera, or the film, or a combination, but I don’t think the sharpness is quite where I would like it to be. Despite that, I think this is a helluva a great little camera – so quick and easy to use. Maybe I’ll pick up the XA later on as it is a true rangefinder, not a zone-focusing one as is the XA4. What I do like about the XA4 is the wider angle, and the ability to do some macro work with a point-and-shoot sized film camera.