Au Revoir, Pincushions
Pincushion flowers found their way into the yard by way of a chance encounter at the Grower’s Outlet in Snellville, Georgia. Wandering through the maze of tables covered with plants, I spotted the lavender blooms and immediately knew they had to come home with me. The first group of fiveContinue Reading
Frame Works? Measuring Lines with Crane
Description: Midtown skyline looking westward over Piedmont Park Background: Atlanta’s skyline is constantly growing and shifting. Ten years ago, only half as many buildings were present in Midtown. I marvel at how Atlanta has grown. At one time, Midtown’s growth consisted mainly of office towers. Now, living spaces are taking over theContinue Reading
July Planting: Better Late than Never???
Mid-April seems to be the best time to plant–earlier, and frost is still possible, much later, and there is a chance the rains will stop. It could easily be 95 or hotter by the first weekend in May, which would fry tender, young plants. Some plants are real troopers. AngeloniasContinue Reading
VMLP 26: Minolta SR-T SC-II—I never saw it coming
About two years ago, I spied what looked to be a nearly mint black SR-T 101 in a large eBay lot of four lenses, three books, an SR-T SC-II, and a pack of SR-T spare parts. Hoping to fulfill my dream of owning a black 101, I wrote to theContinue Reading
Violets and Creeping Jenny—They are a Blessing and a Curse
Violets and creeping Jenny do not understand the concept of boundaries. Unfortunately, they both have beautiful colors and decorative leaves. As best I can tell, the violets that plague me came from next door 10 years ago or further back. They used to grow in my neighbor’s yard in patchesContinue Reading
Returning to the Arts–I’m Drawing and Painting, Again!
After a nearly eight-month pause, I’m finally getting back to art. Surprisingly, my drawing and painting skills improved during that time! If I had to give a reason for the improvement, I would say it is due to improved concentration leading to better observations. Drawing people has always been aContinue Reading
Goldfinch at Lunch, Opus 1
It has taken three years—THREE YEARS! After waiting, not so patiently, for three years, I finally managed to get a shot of a goldfinch munching away on coneflowers seeds. Goldfinches are tiny birds, maybe three inches from beak to tail. They are also very skittish. Sometimes they come inContinue Reading
VMLP 25: Minolta (1985) AF 35-105mm f3.5-4.5—Buy One (You’ll Thank Me Later)
The Minolta AF 35-105mm f3.5-4.5 is an oddity. It is widely touted for its sharpness and has an overall rating of 4.64/5 (sharpness, 4.78) on Dyxum, with the main ding against it being relatively poor flare control. I have seen it mentioned glowingly many times in forums. Yet somehow, IContinue Reading
My Old Car
Every January, I have had to get my Georgia license plates renewed. It has been an annual ritual that ticks off a year of living. An emission inspection is part of that process. This year, my car failed. That failure was not altogether unexpected, as my car is (was) aContinue Reading
Minolta Mirror Magazine: Buried Treasure
As a Minolta fan, it is always heartwarming to read about the former days. Whether those days include innovations and breakthroughs or missteps and dead-ends, the stories are compelling. Unfortunately, many of these tidbits are found in old magazines and forums but rarely in some organized collection. Most books aboutContinue Reading
