I've been lazy in my search for new subjects to photograph and so I am dusting off the archives. This photo isn't that old - I took it this past summer on our visit to Jon in Sitka, Alaska.Kruzof Island is a rugged, unhabited island best traversed by rugged 4 wheeled machines. Walking would work but, unless you encounter and angry bear, it doesn't cause the same adrenaline rush the green noisy Yamahas cause.Canon 5DII 1/40s f/4.5 ISO500 24mm
Purple and green go well together,V as this photo of a pine cone blooms evidences. On a short break from a technology conference in Sioux Falls, SD, we wandered over to the Japanese Gardens on Covell Lake. It is a photogenic spot but my eye was caught by these bright purple flowers. I don't know how the pine tree reproductive process works, but once again, we see Nature in a lurid attempt to keep the life force going. Well done! (Incidentally, I was tempted to Photoshop the spider webbing from between two of the blooms but I decided that that's part of Nature, too.)
The billboards in Hollywood are different from those I see in Watertown. Why is that?
I've been stuck in Corsica, France, the last few posts. These rocks defined the end of the small beach near which our hotel was located. I was up early (as usual) and found that the soft contours, eroded by millions of years of weather and sea action, seemed kind of sensuous. I also like the sheen that the night rain had given the rocks. And finally, the cool highlights from the soft, ambient morning light are what I really like about these rocks.
This was only our "place" for three nights. But it came with a nice beach and great food (as pictured yesterday). One of the things I try to do when I plan our foreign travel is to get to places that aren't overwhelmed by American tourists. Being an American, I don't mind other Americans. But if I want to go to some place exotic just to be swarmed by other Americans, the Mall of America is closer and cheaper.Corsica is certainly off the beaten path - especially in early June, when Deb and I were there. The hotel's name is the Hotel Abbartello, and it is on the West coast of Corsica. I think we paid about $80 per night for a nice room, a nice beach and food that was locally renowned.
I am paraphrasing Marie Antoinette's famous words in the title, though many historians say she never uttered her infamous line ("Let them eat cake.") Since she was Austrian-born, if she had said anything at all when she was told that angry peasants were at the palace gate demanding bread, she might have said, "Let them eat kuchen." The words "quiche" and "kuchen" are actually related. And, as long as I'm free associating, you might be interested in knowing that kuchen is the official dessert of the State of South Dakota. And, while I'm at it, milk is the official drink of North Dakota.But what you are looking at in this photo is salmon quiche served at the restaurant of the hotel Deb and I stayed at while visiting Corsica, France, a few years ago. Corsica, of course, is the birthplace of Napoleon. Corsica is the name of a car, too. Did you know that both of our sons each had a silver Corsica? . . . .
These daffodil leaves are still tinted yellow from their journey from the bulb through the cold earth to reach sunlight. I won't philosophize, though. Instead, I'll just present this uncharacteristic photo of nascent daffodils.
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I'm guessing pollination is the reproductive process this plant uses. And I'd say it pollinates with panache! (Though it's best to avert your eyes when it happens.)
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This dangerous looking cactus was lurking only a few feet away from the "Fuzzy Logic" cactus I posted a few days ago. No doubt both designs are effective in keeping their native predators at bay. But talk about contrast!For those interested in details the name for this is the Cowhorn Euphorbia and it comes from South Africa. We found it in a botanical garden in California.
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The poet TS Eliot said that "April is the cruelest month" but I can't really agree with him on a day like today. There was a sliver of a moon in the east as the sun rose to a crystal clear dawn. There is the promise of warmth in the rising sun.After months of looking out at the monotone landscape of our back yard, I now see the hint of green. And, in these delicate, pale purple Snow Glories growing in my wife's garden, there is the promise of better things to come.
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This isn't a photo of a crate and barrel, of course. But that's the name of the store I took it in. I was in Chicago a few years ago wandering around with my camera and I thought this store would provide some interesting possibilities. I took a few before one of the employees told me to stop. I guess my photos were stealing the soul of their glassware.
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I am in the process of going through "old" photos and I came across this one, which was taken in Keystone, SD, several years ago during the famous "Biker Week," aka The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
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