The other night we hit the coast … the fog was low and the sky was grey and we were chilled and cold. Trust me when I say California is not all sunshine and balmy breezes! Mark Twain supposedly said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” It’s true for points south as well.
How we wait for rain, watch the clouds, hope for a trickle to end the tireless cycle of drought.
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.
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!
I always enjoy seeing the sandstone boulders and rocks in the Santa Monica mountains. How do they get the way they are? Who or what positioned them? These look as if they were cast down the hillside by some giant hand . . . These are yellow and red and make a wonderful background for the foliage and weeds of the chaparral.
Ink, Yarn & Beer 