Tag: California

California Poppies

California Poppies

California poppies mean Spring!  Combined with purple lupines, the mountainsides are a delight to behold.  These poppies are in the local botanical garden, but they can show up anywhere.  They vary from deep orange to yellow, some with orangey streaks in the center of their golden petals.

Open Space

Open Space

Taken with Velvia 100 film in a pre-WW2 Welta Weltur folder, 6×4.5.  While out with the camera, it popped open twice – I had jerry-rigged a strap for it but if obviously didn’t work too well!  The film was processed in C41 as a result at the local photo shop – to pay more for slide film and potentially nothing seemed ridiculous – so it was cross-processed.  I was quite pleased to see a few out of the 16 survived.  A bit of work made this picture salvageable.  Below is the original cross-processed image, and then a variant in black and white.

Open Space - OriginalOpen Space - Black & White

A Slice of Heaven

A Slice of Heaven

I’m trying to reclaim my life in some ways – the hours I’ve worked have been awful, and since changed for a bit more humane schedule.  So, to reclaim my life, it means I cannot let the whiney, lazy me take over and say, wah, not enough time!  This morning, up at 6, coffee, pulled on my stinky clothes from yesterday, and went out, film cameras and phone in hand.  What a delightful thing to do!  No one around . . . the birds were singing their mating songs (especially lovely were the mockingbirds) and flitting about.  Everywhere, the pungent scent of the chaparral’s resinous plants.  The sun was still low in the sky.  As I walked, I looked, and saw . . . a wild rose in bloom . . . quails running for cover . . . mourning doves within a few feet of me.  A slice of heaven!