I haven't had a chance to blog anything about my drive up to Spokane and back to SF via Portland, but I did take some time the other day to post some pics and a bit about this random stop I made just outside of Bend, OR, at Petersen's Rock Garden. I posted it on Storehouse. I hope you'll take a minute and follow the link below to check it out.
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| Garden structure detail. |
http://www.storehouse.co/stories/i6zs-petersen-s-rock-garden
If I were transformed from my current human form into flower form, I'd look like this: big, fluffy and pink.
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| Yup, super fluffy (Filoli rose garden). |
And I'd smell nice, too.
Last weekend I drove up to Reno with Kathleen and Coopie so we could meet up Linda while she and Wood passed through on their way to Death Valley. It rained the whole way to the mountains and when we got close to the summit it changed to snow and we had to chain up.
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| 30 mph with chains. Fun. |
We arrived safely and found Linda and Wood and, of course, the infamous Addy May. Let me say, that is one happy pup! Coopie, little ball of fluff that he is, was a bit nervous around such a big and very curious Addy. After a brief visit, we kidnapped Linda for a drive around town, some slot action and drinks. I invested $5 in the Linda Slot Fund and she made me bucks - $20 net to be exact. Woot! Plus, over lunch we played Keno and our winnings covered the cost of lunch. I credit faery dust.
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| Royalty. |
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| This is after just a few sips of one cocktail! What light weights! |
While we wandered the casino, we were furred!
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| Queue to the soundtrack of The Right Stuff. |
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| The furry dude in the right is rather intimidating. Wouldn't want to meet him on a dark alley. |
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| Linda getting some bovine loves. |
Totally awesome furriness!!!
The next day we met for breakfast and a final visit before we all headed off; the Wooden's south, us westish.
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| RV massiveness! They need all that room just for Addy May. |
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| Good puppy! |
Kathleen, Coopie and I stopped for a brief time in Truckee. I think this was Coopies first snow. He didn't seem bothered by it.
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| Snow boots? Only wimps need snow boots! |
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| Arty B&W snowy tree close up. |
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| More puppies! This is at the little Truckee Train Museum. Check it out when in Truckee. It's free and it's about trains. |
A nice, though way too short, getaway. It was great to see Linda.
My inclination to anthropomorphize certain inanimate objects is silly, yet here I am doing it again. I'd like to point out that I have not felt the need to name my 20mm prime - a lens I love - nor have a named my zoom or attributed any personality to either of them. Nonetheless, we have Mac now. And Mac is a she.
Mac, Madge and I wandered around the Conservatory of Flowers after work to take some photos. It became clear very quickly how important a tripod is when using the macro lens. When getting up really close all the shake you have with hand holding becomes more obvious. Despite that, I'm happy with my shots. A few are here. The rest are in my Conservatory of Flowers flickr set.
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| I love the grain of the clay and the bits of moss. |
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| Mother Nature has a weird sense of humor. |
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| Pink and yellow - how lovely they compliment each other. |
Mac likes to get close. You've been warmed.
I've been coveting the Panasonic 45mm macro lens for months, but resisted buying it until I'd been using Madge long enough to decide if I really wanted a macro lens. Plus, it's not a cheap piece of glass, which made me hold off even longer than whether or not I really wanted the lens.
I was only going into the photography store to check out some photo technique books, get some new cleaning tools, ask a few questions and do some reconnaissance on lenses. I had no intention of buying a new lens. I swear. Honestly. But once I had her on Madge, well, I just couldn't resist.
Here it is, the Panasonic Leica Macro-Elmarit 45mm F2.8 MEGA O.I.S. lens. Isn't she pretty?
I was visiting The Dave today so I didn't get to play around with her too much, but I did take a few experimental shots using Viddy as my model. And when I say this lens let me get up in his face I do mean right up in his face. Like an inch from his nose.
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| A shy Vidar. "Oh, no, really, I don't think I'm a good model." |
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| What a lovely eyeball! |
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| Glistening snozzle close-up. |
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| Fur and whisker detail. |
Viddy got used to the lens pretty fast. I think his initial shyness was an act.
Can't wait to try her out on some flowers or bugs or some tiny little thing.
On Sunday I had a nice visit with my friends out in the east bay. This visit was super special for me given how busy I've been lately. John, Sue and I started off by getting a coffee and taking a short walk in downtown Martinez before meeting up with Bill and Ian, at which point the five of us went off to take photos around Port Costa and Crockett and to grab a bite to eat. It was a good day and a real treat to be together doing something we all enjoy, namely checking stuff out and taking pictures. Highlights of some of the photos I took are below. You can see the full set on Flickr.
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| Cannoli heaven at the Martinez Farmer's Market. |
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| X marks the spot... Of what, I don't know. |
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| Marina building in Crockett. |
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| In front of the C&H refinery in Crockett. Wish I could walk around that place. |
