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The humidity finally dropped and I opened the house this morning. It's still getting hot out...mid eighties today...but in the shade it feels cooler. What a relief. I can't wait until lower humidity and heat days become the norm again. It keeps looking like it's right around the corner, only to be pushed back (on the weather sites). But, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Now, where are those pumpkins??
It's hard to tell for sure, but I think there have been more butterflies in the garden this year. There was one year in the past in which I did count four or five tiger swallowtails at one time. I think that maybe I've seen as many as three at a time this year, however, there have also been black swallowtails and one zebra swallowtail. Some time back I did see a monarch as well.
The butterflies seem particularly partial to the tithonia, or Mexican red sunflower. They also seem to like the orange cosmos.
It's such a delight to see them out there, flitting around.
I've been reacquainting myself to the Lomo'Instant mini. Usually I use the Instax wide film and camera, but I'm going on a little trip and don't want to lug it along. I like the mini camera because it fits nicely in a hand bag. Maybe the Zero will come along too. This is a family wedding, so thinking about photography won't be top on my list. At the same time...well you know...(what's the dealio these days? IYKYK?). I'm better than I used to be, when I would pack three or four cameras along. Now I typically leave the DSLR, opting instead to use my iPhone for anything digital.
Or as Avery might put it, "what a strange human."
I'm still playing with these wet cyanotypes. I decided to try out a purple shiso vinegar I made, along side lime juice, to see how different the reactions might be. The conclusion is the purple shiso vinegar doesn't give a pop the way lime juice does. Now, experimenting on a full sheet of 18 x 24 inch watercolor paper isn't really very frugal. I remembered I have a bunch of sensitized strips I made with end pieces of paper from sizing down for other prints. I could even, and get this, mark the backs of the test prints so I actually know what I've used to create (or not) different effects. Just imagine...being methodical! How novel (for me).
Managed to print a handful of wet cyanotypes today. I'm always changing things up, so as per usual my results vary! Practice, practice, practice!
I won't complain. The temperature is reasonable...more than...and we needed this rain. I had brunch with a friend and now am wondering how to fill the rest of the day. The push me pull you of fatigue is still present, so this may be a catch up on reading day. After a few days of working on the driveway I suppose a break isn't a bad thing (if nothing else, my knees and back will probably thank me).
So what do I do? I take pictures of fruit (more fruit?). It's okay...it satisfies some strange need for creativity, without putting out a lot of effort. Oh and look...there's me. Still standing (or sitting in this case).
I've planted trees that bear my three favorite fruits...figs, persimmons and apricots. The apricot trees bloomed this year, but we had a frost afterward so no fruit (plus the trees are only a few years old). The persimmons put on some growth but still need time too. But the figs, they've grown quite a lot in five years or so and have been offering fruit for a few of those years now. Because there is still a lot of shade where they're located, it can take a while for the figs to actually ripen. They've started now, however, and I'm so grateful. They're a beautiful fruit, luscious and jewel like. The flavor is simultaneously subtle and very distinct. Can you tell, I love them!
I have to say...my favorite color range is red/orange. Maybe that's why I like fall so much. Maybe I just need more warmth in my life. In any case, the garden satisfies my predilection...red pimento, yellow/orange cosmos, and red/orange tithonia/Mexican sunflower.
Oh, and that last pic...that's the weeding I've done on my my driveway up to date. It represents about a four foot long section of a fifty (might be more) foot expanse. So, it might not look like much, but it's a start (and I've found if I take it in forty-five minute a day chunks, it's therapeutic and not so overwhelming).