Familiarity

Most will leave
Some will stay

To find their life
Alive but gray

It is the season where we find multiple coveys of quail wandering the property. Some bring their babies and we really do enjoy that. In this instance, we find a pair that still has a couple of males hanging around the breeding pair. During their feeding, the dominant male exercises his authority against the birds that are still around. He shoos away the birds from his female mate to ensure she has access to the food supply.
Later this year, they will discontinue coming around. I have found large coveys on my walks even though they are not present any more on the property. At some point, they seem to bust up and go on their own to mate and make babies. The need for a constant source of food draws them to the feeder.
They tolerate us during this time. As long as we make no sudden moves or sounds, they go about their business.

The Life of an Artistic Life

Sometimes intentionally
Life is breathed into the artistic work
Other times
You search for components
That cry out to each other

All art is based on tension and resolution. It tells a story and demands a response from the viewer. Sometimes the story is as simple as presenting abstract elements to evoke a primal upheaval.

Cover Photo:
Spring is on its way and flowers are popping like crazy. Our peach tree is in full bloom with rich pink/red tones.

Using an old Nikkor 105 without the extension tube allows “regular” photography as well as micro work.

With this knowledge, the photographer can employ multiple photography techniques to capture something unexpected. No longer is the intent “take a picture of something.” Thoughts drift to imagining the possibilities. Some structures are purposefully left behind for color impact only, reimagined to something new.
This is a double exposure result of that mind journey.
“Cotton Candy Crows”

Fluent In Two-Hundred Languages

No words are spoken
All paths are in song
Not sure what I’m saying
Don’t care if I’m wrong

I sing all day
Standards and others
But I don’t sing new
‘Cause I only know covers

The scientific identity of life is so far beyond my little gray cells. We a have a “tree” that has shaped up more like a bush, that has a eucalyptus scent but is not eucalyptus. Perhaps chokeberry or camphor, more investigation needed. Mockingbirds love these berries, which might not even be berries.