On Images: Beauty and Meaning
Recently, I watched a series on impressionist painters. It included my favorites—Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, and Cezanne. I’ve seen their works in museums in Paris, DC, Chicago, Boston, and other cities, and I never tire of looking at them. I’ve even had the opportunity to visit the Lautrec museumContinue Reading
Butterfly Season
When planning the garden, I deliberately chose plants that attracted bees and butterflies. I had no idea which butterflies to expect, but whatever showed up was welcome. Over the last eight seasons (has it really been eight!?), six kinds of butterflies have been regulars–Black Swallowtails, Eastern Tiger Swallowtails (yellow), Silver-spottedContinue Reading
VMLP 14: Minolta Maxxum 70-210mm (Beercan)—It’s De Rigueur
Get a Minolta Maxxum camera, then ask around about what lenses to buy. If you already have a 50mm lens, the next suggestion will nearly always be “get a Beercan.” I ran into this advice on just about every blog and forum I visited, so the 70-210mm f4 was theContinue Reading
Twelve Exposure Film: The Good, The Bad, The Unfortunate
Buying old cameras, regardless of source, requires one to test them for functionality before any serious use. So, when I started buying vintage Minoltas in February 2019, I had to create a testing protocol. The first film I used was Fuji Superia Xtra 400 with 36 exposures (all I couldContinue Reading
Crocosmia: A Remembrance of Seasons Past
Looking out over the garden in late August, I see the flowers entering the final stage of the season. The Black-eyed Susan blooms are fading, producing seeds that the goldfinches love. The verbenas along the sidewalk have given up, no longer able to take the heat reflected off the cement.Continue Reading
Maple Conspiracy
Maple trees have a secret plan to take over the world, full stop. You may find this ridiculous or amusing, but it’s true. I have been tracking maple tree behavior for six years, and they are winning. Don’t believe me? Check for yourself. Find an abandoned lot or any placeContinue Reading
Garden Frame: Nobody’s Fool
Description: Resurgent bee balm, Jacob Kline Background: Bee balm has a unique flower. It strikes me as looking like a court jester’s cap, the kind with bells and such. When people passing by pause to ask a question about the garden, invariably, they point to a bee balm bloom and ask whatContinue Reading
Purple Reign
Dig, if you will, these pictures of a few things purplish. Yellows and magentas surround them—now can you, can you picture this? Purple is the dominant color in my garden. There is actually an assortment of purples, and I have no idea what the correct names are. I’m still notContinue Reading
VMLP 13: The Minolta XD11—A Love Story…
The VMLP is a quest to relive the history and innovation of Minolta SLRs. Accordingly, the next camera up for review should be either the SR-7 with its built-in meter (innovation step) or the older SR-1 (historical). But here we have the XD11. Why? Love. Generally speaking, I prefer autofocusContinue Reading
Dealing with Garden Pests: A Scientific Approach
Every garden has unwanted visitors. Sometimes they are large, like the squirrels who keep planting walnuts and pecans among my flowers. Sometimes, they are small with too many legs. The large ones do little damage; they are just an annoyance. The little ones, though, can really cause problems. The twoContinue Reading
