Morning Spiders

Sounds gross, if you don’t like spiders. I like spiders . . . but not in my house and not on me.

The Sun is Up!

That said, I went out this morning with a new-to-me Spotmatic film camera with a 55mm f1.8 Super Takumar lens, and my cell phone, just in case something happened. I will take the film in later this morning, and perhaps add some images once I get the film and scans back from the lab this afternoon.

Cactus - Fuji Astia 100F

I never use my phone for photography, just because I don’t think of it. If I have the desire to take pictures, I take a camera. My intent was to use up the rest of a roll of Lomography 100 with two goals in mind – see if the camera and lens function – and to see what the film itself is like, having never used it before.

Cholla in the Morning Sun

I walked down the trail, waiting for the sun to come over the horizon to begin backlighting the fields of cacti and trees. Canyon wrens called back and forth, ravens croaked, and things scuttled in the undergrowth. At times, I saw very early hikers out further on the switchbacks dropping into the canyon below.

Web Sweet Web

As the sun came up, I turned around, looking at the beginning of the classic starburst of the sun through the leaves, and checking the beginning of morning backlighting of thorns and leaves, as well as silhouettes of leaves and branches further away. It was then that I noticed all the beautifully perfect spider webs, glinting in the sun – a real neighborhood of garden spiders in classical webs, centered like Xs. It was stunning.

Sunrise Web

I may have gotten a few good shots on film – don’t know until I see. I did shoot with my cell phone, and while the images are not really good, per se, they did catch a memory of a beautiful morning.

Reflections & Thanks

Reflections

Besides reflections in water, it never hurts to reflect on one’s life.

I was revisiting this post a moment ago, and thought how much I enjoy others coming to “like” an image. It means a great deal to me to have people visit or make comments. Admittedly, I am not much of a web surfer, so I am in and out, too restless to stay for long – one reason I don’t wander to other’s sites too often.

Let me take this minute to thank all of you who come by, even if I don’t often reciprocate. Many, many thanks! You are all appreciated!

A Day at the Movies, Sorta

The Windows

Above, what looks rather ominous (IMHO), are really windows from which cameras could shoot water scenes.  I think the African Queen, with Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn, was shot here….maybe from these windows as they floated along!

Corriganville Park was originally part of the California movie industry. According to Wikipedia:

Corriganville Movie Ranch was a working film studio and movie ranch for outdoor location shooting, as well as a Western-themed tourist attraction. The ranch, owned by actor and stuntman Ray “Crash” Corrigan, is located in the foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains in the Santa Susana Pass area of Simi Valley in eastern Ventura County, California. The site is a public park in the City of Simi Valley, called Corriganville Park, and operated by Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District.

It’s a really nice little park, now, with large eucalyptus trees, rocks, derelict relics from the days it was part of the movie industry, and a variety of beautiful views and plants and trees native to the region.

It is also enjoyed by the locals.  I went out with a small meetup group, leaving the house at 7:15 a.m. to get there by 8.  Given it was 93 F by the time I headed home at 10:15 a.m., it was a good thing to be there early.  As well, the light was gorgeous.  This, combined with companionable people, made for a nice way to begin the weekend and end my 10-week summer break.