I think I met ‘All Hallows Eve’ back in the 60’s at a Golden Gate Park Love-In.
A little while ago I thought about making a list of reasons why I am glad to be me.
The first thing
that came to mind was that I'm the only person uniquely qualified for
the position. After that observation, I no longer had any reason to make
a list.
I took
this image, (above), of a young white rose on Tuesday afternoon.
Someone evidently felt it needed a different home. It was gone Wednesday
morning. Nipped in the bud.
We had rain
today. When it first started, I was wondering if it was going to be a
real, regular rain event? That was a legitimate query, seeing as how the
weather has been behaving a bit strangely, lately.
So far, the rain seems like rain should be. No frogs, or extreme temperature fluctuations, yet.
There was
a nice stack of lenticular clouds near Mount Shasta today. The uplifted
air, passing over the volcano, can create a variety of interesting
clouds. Here is a nice MT Shasta cloud site.
Breakfast became a fascinating art exhibition, as well as a nutritious start to my Saturday adventures on planet earth.
I can list ‘playing with my food’ as a skill set.
I wasn’t planning
on writing this post until sometime Sunday afternoon, but my cell phone
woke me up at 3:30am with an announcement that I had an email message. I
probably would have ignored it and gone back to sleep, but curiosity
got the best of me.
You see,
I don’t get email on my cell phone. It’s not the smart kind of cell
phone and I have a no frills senior cell phone plan that doesn’t include
the fancy stuff, like email. I looked at the address it was from,
didn’t recognize it, and erased it without opening the file. I am pretty
sure an email message from an unknown sender didn’t need to be
acknowledged, or opened.
We're also getting closer to the Giants winning the World Series.
Hurricane Sandy is getting closer and closer to the east coast.
And,
we're getting closer to the end of all the election campaign ads. Of
course, here in California, we don't have it nearly as bad as people in
Ohio, where the media is inundated by millions of dollars of out of
state, right wing sponsored, advertising.
Nope,
here in California we are inundated with beautiful weather, year round
fresh produce, mountains, lakes, rivers, ocean beaches, and the
expectation that our food is labeled correctly.
Another Camera In My Bag
FZ5 and FZ8 side by side comparison.
I bid on eBay
for another Lumix ‘FZ’ series camera a few weeks ago. I got the camera,
(sent from Canada), early last week. It didn’t come with a battery, so I
sent off for one. The battery arrived today and I began testing the
Panasonic Lumix FZ8. I think this model was new in 2007.
I took it out
for a spin today. I have a lot to learn, but I sure enjoy learning how
to use the additional features. It has a few cosmetic flaws, (missing
selector dial knob, scratches on the LCD, no lens cap...), but that’s
why I could afford it. The lens is good, and the innards all work like
they should.
The pictures
here today come from all my Lumix cameras. Each camera has its own
special function in my estimation. I always wondered about that
caricature of a photographer with all the different cameras hanging
around his neck. I get it, now.
And so,
I get closer and closer to becoming a really good photographer. I like
learning one set of functions at a time in the digital world of
photography. This is a lot of fun.
Tomorrow
will probably see me wandering around Redding with 3 or 4 cameras all
strapped around my neck, like a walking cartoon photographer, happily
taking pictures.
I have a feeling that each camera, will play its part in the days collection of imagery.
A honey bee
and beetle meet where the pollen is sweet. I consider them neighbors
here at the end of the street. I wondered how the election would in some
way affect them, and I realized how much I feel the need to protect
them.
“What’s your impression?”, I asked this rose. I got no audible answer, but it gave me this pose.
I wonder
about the corporate goal. Would they tear down Mount Lassen
if it held lots of coal. They are leveling Appalachia, and Montana as
well. So, they probably would because they know it would sell.
Can some
rich guys buy the election this time around? I certainly hope not,
their proposals aren’t sound. But then again, proposals won’t matter, as
long as some voters believe all the right winger chatter.
The leaves change their color, and the air becomes cool. I hope that most voters learned something in school.
Now I’ve
expressed a few of my views, and after the elections are finally
through, I’ll still be me, you will be you, and we will likely keep
doing the things that we do.
This was
the sunset on Friday. It was spectacular from beginning to end. I took
many megabytes of photographs. With grand displays like this to fill my
soul, I am grateful to be alive and humbled by the gift of
enlightenment.
From the
vastness of the cosmos to the world of backyard flowers and their
pollinators, I am constantly being taught the lessons of life in this
universe.
There is
an interaction at all levels of existence that can be observed if one
takes the time to look and be open to understanding. I marvel at what is
happening on these two flowers.
Fall Comes To Redding
The trees
around here are beginning to change into their colorful fall foliage.
It is a treat for the eyes, and as the leaves fall, they give people
something to rake.
The roses around the Treehouse continue to delight the observers, and provide colorful subjects for my cameras.
There is availability
of healthy, fresh food, at affordable prices, practically year round. I
don’t recall eating so well for so little, (if one compensates for
inflation), at any other time in my life. At home I eat fish once a
week, chicken a couple of times a month, (if one can call the factory
animals chickens), and beef every couple of months, or so.
Milk On Cereal
This healthy
eating is paying off. I am not disintegrating at the rate I was when my
diet was composed of unhealthy stuff, loaded with even unhealthier
toppings. When that was the bulk of my intake, I was sick a lot, my
physical problems kept worsening, and my mind was not fully functional.
Tonight’s Sunset
The western sky
was a sight to see at sunset on this Saturday in Redding. Every day has
wonders to be enjoyed, absorbed, and treasured, (photographed and
written about, too).
Treehouse residents
got out their fancy chapeau’s and gathered for the annual Mad Hatter’s
Tea. It was good to see so many neighbors participating in the
festivities.
It was
a lot of fun. Prizes were awarded for the best 3 hats. The tables were
decorated by staff members and table numbers were drawn as one entered
the dining room. I drew table number 6. Our table was hosted by social
services coordinator, Stephanie.
I saw the bowl of fruit and thought, “Still life - Fresh Fruit With Plastic Fork”.
...
Monday evening,
the night before the Tea, held the promise of a colorful sunset. I knew
the ‘magic’ would only last a moment, so I brought a camera with me
when I went to Raley’s to pick up something for dinner. It was good that
I did, the sky lit up just as I was carrying groceries to the car.
Sunset from Raley’s parking lot
Tuesday, before the Treehouse Tea, I took some colorful flower pictures to play with.
Sometimes
I get the perfect composition with light, shadow, aperture, focal
length, and shutter speed. Those pictures, like the yellow rose,
(above), are ready to go, right from the SD card.
Other compositions, like the white rose (above), are sometimes enriched with enhancements.
What a great time to be a photographer and graphic artist.
Back in
the days when I used dark rooms with an enlarger and trays of
chemicals, I could do some effects while developing, then
draw/paint/montage the print, but I really appreciate the expanded
universe of digital photography and computer assisted enhancement.
Tuesday evening
I stopped at the Sundial Bridge to get a few late sun pictures. It was
busy, down where I usually park and take bridge pictures, so I found a spot
where I could see the bridge through the trees, vines, and brambles. It
turned out just right.
Mount Shasta looked great in the setting sun last night.
I really am very fortunate to be living here with all this wild and wonderful beauty surrounding me.
I have been having fun playing with an application that assists me in painting a digital picture from a photo.
Landscape
I took
this picture of Marians landscaped front yard when I was there, last
week. It looked nice as a picture, it looks really nice as a painting.
People
I can think
of quite a few images I have taken, that would have been more
representative of what I was seeing had I had this digital photo
painting program, at the time.
This next picture
is an example of the way I see the date palm at the entrance to the Old
School restaurant, where I get to play at the JSBS jam on Sunday’s.
I like it
because it is my impression of a digitally created impression of an
impressionist painting, that began with my initial photographic
composition.
I made
whipped cream, last night for apple pie and ice cream. I think I have
learned how to consistently achieve the desired result, so I filmed the
final episode in the quest for home made, small portions of whipped
cream, video series.
