A Crazy Happy Cactus

Obviously the perfect micro environment for the Argentine Giant Echinopsis candicans:

7 total Blooms all open at the same time..............

Sundays Online: State of Film Update

We aren't going to argue the pros and cons of Film vs. Digital here anymore...To each his own.  We are only about Film.    So here is an Update from the remaining Film Manufacturers.

Sacred Datura, from My Garden

Catch up with Stinky........

Sorry I didn't post anything about Stinky here.  But to catch up check out Longs Peak Journal.

I heard another Corpse flower is about to bloom in Chicago.  So If you live in Chicagoland check it out!

Iceland Poppy

A very successful perennial in my garden.  

Now spreading everywhere like a weed!

In Remembrance: Flanders Poppy

As a Remembrance for WWI  I am cultivating a bed of Flanders Poppies.  A few this year and hopefully a good bunch by 2018.  These bloomed a while ago, but today I harvested the seeds:

Flowers of Picketwire Canyon #5

For more flowers visit Longs Peak Journal.  We end the week with my best shot, a pair of Native Sunflowers.

Flowers of Picketwire Canyon #4

The Ubiquitous and almost indestructible Prickly Pear Cactus.

Flowers of Picketwire Canyon #3

The Barrel Cactus were also blooming.

Flowers of Picketwire Canyon #2

Our Club had arranged a Guided Auto Tour into Picketwire Canyon.  Otherwise its about a 14 mile round trip hike to "see the sights".

The Best Evening Primrose happened to be along the side of the road where we parked.

Flowers of Picketwire Canyon #1

"Picketwire" being a corruption of the Original Name for the Purgatoire River (Now Purgatory River).  This was the main destination of our latest outing with the Urban Wildlife Photo Club.

Still waiting on my film from Ilford Labs, so We'll move on to more color, this time with the proper exposure.  Wildflowers of Picketwire Canyon.

Starting with some Wild Oregano

New Images from Moab Coming Soon!

We're on our way back.  New Pix from Moab by the weekend!

Moab Spring......

I've panted one of these yuccas in my garden, maybe it will bloom some day.  This happy fellow resides in Arches National Park.

Feeling the Bokeh?

Ken Rockwell often has interesting (if controversial articles).  But feeling the Bokeh is not controversial.  I'd actually never thought about this, but how does your lens render the out of focus areas of an image?

After some examination my preliminary appraisal is the My Rollei has the best Bokeh:

Out of focus areas are soft focus and not harsh or contrasty.

I really should use this camera more, so I've decided to make it my dedicated Caffenol camera.

Faith on Film: Welcome Happy Morning Age to Age Shall Say!

 Happy Easter!

Joshua Tree Flower,

California Poppy Preserve,

Lancaster, CA

Reflections on Haiti

Those of you that have been following the Blog since the summer will know that I tend to post flowers when something has happened that makes me want to pause and reflect.

I am always upset when something goes wrong in Haiti because they are so terribly poor.  I also feel a certain solidarity because of my own Caribbean connection. 

But I take from the current tragedy the hope for a real opportunity to rebuild and make a genuinely better life for people there.

Me taking Pictures

Working on the Alpine Thistle shot for the Calendar.  Getting close to my subject.

My husband is always taking pictures of me taking pictures.  So I've added the subject to my Photo Archives.


The thistle that I finally selected is shown below.

2010 Calendar Selections Posted.......

We've made our 2010 Calendar selections. Theme: Summer on Mt Evans. It has been posted on our website.

Because it is inaccessible except by alpine mountaineering in winter, we have no winter pix, hence the name.

But if you ever find yourself here from ~mid-May to mid-October* you can drive to within 500 feet of the summit of one of the Front Range Fourteeners. It is s beautiful drive! You may have heard of the drive up Pike's Peak, but for more on this scenic byway check out the Mount Evans Website.

*Dates are approximate. Due to ice conditions it closed in late September this year
(2009).
Yellow Paint Brush, Mt Evans, Summer 2009

A Field of Poppies for Our Blogger Friend..........

A Field of California Poppies for our Blogger Friend and his Bride @ Light and Life in Malaysia who are getting married today!

A Flower for the Senator

I can't say enough about what the Kennedy Family means to me. As Senator Kennedy's illness progressed I tried to imagine my life without Him in the Senate.

Unfortunately my first vivid childhood memory was JFK's Funeral. And like many African American Families, we had the triptych of JFK, RFK, and MLK hanging on our Livingroom wall.

Senator Edward Moore Kennedy RIP

Calendar Theme 2010: Front Range Flowers

Three years of photographing wildflowers in the Front Range Prairie and Mountains has left us with more than enough imagery to work with. For those on our Calendar list, here’s a preview:




On Mt Evans
Camera: Minolta X-700, Manual Mode
Lens: Rokunar f2.8 50mm Macro
Film: Kodak E100GX













Past Calendars of California Wildflowers, Patagonia, Volcanoes, and Ancient Forests can be view on our website Photo Archives.







California Poppy Preserve
Camera: Minolta X-700 Manual Mode
Lens: Tamron f2.8 28-200 Zoom
Film: ENC-II