Sassafras Flowers
Dandelion
These were taken with both the Lensbaby 2.0 and the Lensbaby macro kit (+4 and +10 lenses stacked). I did a crap job of focusing on the bottom photo, but I kind of like the softness. Next efforts will be better!
Category: Photography
Lensbaby 2.0
I ordered it on Tuesday, and it arrived today. I don’t think it gets much faster than that. Shipping was free, too!
I had to test it immediately. After the first couple of test shots, I realized that I’d better set my camera on aperture priority, because everything was seriously overexposed. Oops! It helps to RTFM.
I foresee much experimentation over the weekend.
R.I.F.
Reading is fundamental, folks. Seriously.
In other news, my tax rebate arrived yesterday, so I did my part to stimulate the economy by buying a toy lens for my camera. Also file folders, light bulbs, and cat food. Exciting, eh? The rest is going to pay bills.
The lens is the Lensbaby I tried to buy a few months ago. I ordered it through a 3rd party and received the wrong mount for my camera, so I sent it back. Instead of replacing it with the correct one, they credited the charge back to my card, and I decided to be a grown up and spend the money on bills instead of re-ordering. I already have the Lensbaby macro kit. At some point, I’ll need to get a wide angle/telephoto kit, too. Those run $89.
Lensbabies have a fixed aperture, which you can manually swap out (I think the one I bought comes with three different aperture sizes). They also sell pre-cut fun aperture shapes (hearts, stars, etc.) as well blanks that you can cut yourself.
Anyway, my Lensbaby is shipping USPS (free!). I hope it gets here soon, because the wait might just killerate me.
African Violets
Yes, again. They’ve popped out a bunch more blooms, and since I had my camera with me at work, I thought I’d better take their picture.
Watching the storm start to form
When I left for work this morning, there was a bank of clouds starting to move in from the west. There was still enough clear sky in the east at sunrise for the windows across from me to sparkle, but it was pretty hazy and you can see the clouds starting to pile up in the northwest. As the day progressed, the clouds thickened, and this afternoon, the wind picked up just before the rain started.
It ended up being a non-event, storm-wise, but the rain was welcome. My little seedlings are just starting to stick their heads above ground. I was getting worried, because the soil is heavy and full of clay. I wasn’t sure they’d be able to force their way up.
More Violets
I like these better than the last violet photo I took. The top one is one of those “set the camera on the ground and cross your fingers” photos. The bottom one has some funky lens distortion, but I kind of like it that way.
There are literally thousands and thousands of little violets out back–way more than there were last spring.
In garden news, the coreopsis and daisies are in the ground. So far, all the transplants from my coworker are perfectly happy. It’s like they didn’t even realize they were moved.
And, another coworker offered me starts from some of her plants, as well. I feel kind of like a junkie with two dealers.
Sassafras
That tree blossom I posted a few days ago was, indeed, from a sassafras tree. When they open, there are dozens of tiny little spherical buds inside that int urn open up into dozens of tiny little florets.
Books
Colecção pelo Império
The amazing thing is that, as old and horrible and useless as these books may look, as soon as they get into the catalog, folks want them. (That’s gov docs in general, not specifically Portuguese gov docs.)
Leaflets
Because I just can’t get enough of spring, I thought I’d take another photo of the new baby leaflets. It’s amazing how green the trees are, compared to just a week ago.
Fog
It’s like pea soup out there. I can’t even see Business/SPEA (that building I’m always pointing my camera at). But! Lookit the trees! They started popping out leaves a week or so ago, but over the weekend they went from pale green fuzz to real, live leaves.
I hope the rain on Saturday and the cool, damp weather makes my seeds sprout. Now that they’re in the ground, I’m kind of anxious. I want flowers now, damnit.
And speaking of, I have primroses and asters sitting under my desk (courtesy of my very kind coworker). Those will go in the ground tonight. She’s going to bring me some daisies and coreopsis, too.
red paper boat 