Nope, I haven't been around much. Not on your blogs nor mine. I forced myself out today, though, because it's MARCH! And, in Kinney County, Texas, March means that our landscape is turning gold and yellow as the Huisache and Blackbrush all break out in bloom.
The air smells sweet, almost like candy. That's the Blackbrush. I love it. It's gorgeous. I shot the Huisache and Blackbrush blossoms last year too (take a peek at those HERE) but it was different this year. The day I went out last year it was COLD and gray! Today it was 80 degrees with clear skies. I prefer the cold and gray. Our winters are too short for my liking. And this one has been far too dry!
I made the mistake of going out to Tularosa Road (one of my favorite spots) to shoot the blossoms. I knew they'd be blooming out there and assumed they'd be blooming out there as well as they are in other areas of the county. I was mistaken. Should have gone to where I KNEW they were going mad. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow if I feel like it.
It's something to see, I tell you. The Huisache trees are just solid gold along Hwy. 90 between Brackettville and the next town to the west. That's where I should have gone. On Tularosa Road the Huisache wasn't doing much at all.
Above: The lichen (or whatever it is) growing on this tree was neon yellow. I swear it looked phosphorescent. And this tree was absolutely covered with lichen, plant parasites, and I don't know what all. The following three photos were all taken on this tree.
Above: This would have been my favorite shot of the day but it was just a tiny bit out of focus. If I didn't know better, I'd think it was under water. I don't know if this is a fungus or a parasite (mistletoe is an example of parasites that grow on trees) or what.
Above: A Huisache tree. Just imagine this COATED with those little gold pom poms. That's what you'd see driving into Brackettville from the west.
These were my two entries into this week's Facebook Amateur Photography Contest. The theme is common nouns that begin with the letter "a." I really wanted to enter something original but after nearly two weeks of looking, I couldn't find any good "a's." So, before I wound up my afternoon of shooting, I stuck the apple I was eating on the fence at the cemetery and spent 20 minutes trying to get the moon in the shot.
14 comments:
The blackbrush is way cool. Panorama great. Absolutely LOVE the bitten apple and moon shot!
I just love the moon shots, Genie! All of these are very good. It makes me sorry I couldn't go! The shot at the Nueces with the cows is great. The orange/blue color scheme never fails, and works so good with landscape.
You know, the blackbrush does look very Oriental in those photos! I need to get some shots here, it's pretty thick.
The Mountain Laurel here at the house has no blooms at all this year. Simply too dry.
The panoramic view is great! Can I reference that in my blog??
Thanks Victoria! I'm really looking forward to seeing what's blooming in your garden in the coming months.
Thank you Jean! I was wondering when mountain laurel blooms. I always miss it. There were so few seeds to be collected in August, the drought really put the kibosh on them last season. The creek on the farm is lined with mountain laurel, I was thinking you and I should go out and shoot there when it blooms--the smell will probably knock us over. But now you've got me worried they won't bloom at all! You can reference anything on my blog anytime. Thanks for asking though!
If the mountain laurel isn't blooming yet, then I'm sure it won't. It's pretty sparse, just too dry for too long.
Oh, and it's normally the very first thing to bloom in spring. Then the agarita and Spanish daggers generally follow.
Wow those all rock! I especially like the daytime moonshots with added foreground very nice! :D
Thanks Roger! Actually, I took those apple shots with the moon right where you see it in the photos. I just couldn't get the moon AND the apple in focus at the same time. So I took multiple shots, keeping everything you see in the apple/moon photos above in frame--just changing the focus from the apple for some shots and the moon on the other shots. Then I blended them together.
Excellent shots Genie!! love all of them but the Moon and apple is too too cool. Get a new current shot of the sky, get a meteorite if you are first, re: my latest post.
Thanks Bob! I saw your name in my inbox and had an instant twinge of guilt. I haven't been visiting blogs lately, I know I'm missing out on all kinds of good stuff.
I can't understand why your daughter wasn't excited about getting a 4.6 billion year old piece of rock for her birthday, I'd have been delighted!
LOVE the blackbrush/quarter moon shot! Can I download it and use it as a screen saver on my computer?
Shucks, Laura, be my guest, and thank you. Although don't look at it too closely, my editing wasn't very good on that shot. The moon really was there when I shot the photo, but I couldn't get it and the Blackbrush in focus at the same time so I framed the photo just as you see it, but took one shot with the camera focused on the Blackbrush and a second with it focused on the moon. Then I put them together. I wasn't entirely pleased with the result but that's really how the moon looked through the Blackbrush that day.
I love the yellow blossom photos, Genie. I can almost smell them and hear bees humming. :-) lovely!
Hi Michelle, you Beauty you, thank you! Bees, yeah, no doubt. They were everywhere.
Darn, you are sooo creative !
The apple and the moon is unbelievable.
That would be a really different header...a combo of your interest in one picture.
The blackbush and huisache are so stunning...so vivid.
Sorry I haven't been by to visit. Stress with job uncertainty etc...just tired.
Happy Spring Genie.
Hi Patsi! Thank you.
No apologies necessary. I don't think to look at other people's blogs unless I'm blogging. That's why I always fall behind.
Job uncertainty has us rather nervous too. Life is stressful all around these days.
Maybe spring will bring better things! Happy Spring to you as well.
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