Feuilles esthétiques

Good-looking Leaves

"Photographers are the only people who can turn a normal walk into a 45-minute investigation of shadows, walls, puddles, and suspiciously good-looking leaves."  -  Anon

All writing and images ©Cliff Hutson unless expressly noted. Do not use without permission.

Cape Honeysuckle

An Interesting Development

 

Cape honeysuckle is native to southern Africa but grows, like a weed, in my California backyard. 

All writing and images ©Cliff Hutson unless expressly noted. Do not use without permission.

My Year on Flickr

"MyFlickrYear24 Photo"

White Rose: photo by Cliff Hutson

The good folks at Flickr seem to have decided that 2024 is already over. Thusly, they have provided me with a recap of the activity for my presence on the site. My most favored photo was the of the white rose shown above. All the highlights can be seen here, which will also link to all my photos, should you care to take a look.

Photo a Day

 AKA: Photography 365 Challenge

Another Monday, another cop out.  One might think that a retired person who has made a commitment to post to their blog every Monday should be able to easily follow through on that with something at least a bit substantial. But, once again, I got distracted and am resorting  to a fluff piece.

I am in the middle of an ongoing Photo a Day (PaD) project. The photo at the top is the one that I am using for today's effort. What follows is a random sampling from this year.

The project has become a mix of food photography, street photography, nature photography, and what may as well be called snapshots.  Some days the result is much better than others. If your curiosity has been piqued, the oeuvre is available in my PBase.com gallery. 

All writing and images ©Cliff Hutson unless expressly noted. Do not use without permission.

It's Back!

Jacaranda Season

Jacaranda Blossoms: photo by Cliff Hutson

I took the weekend off to the watch the Memorial Tournament. So, I am linking to a timely rerun; the Jacarandas are once again in bloom this year.

Jacaranda IPA: photo by Cliff Hutson

Update (06/15/2024):

I seldom return to something I have posted, but I saw this today and could not resist proving that I am not the only who thinks that these trees are special.

Reading Log: March 2024

 Better late than never?

March 2024 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Three-Ten to Yuma and Other Stories," Elmore Leonard

"The Seed Detective," Adam Alexander

"The Secret," Lee Child and Andrew Child

"Basketball for Dummies," Richard "Digger" Phelps, et al.

California Native Plant Week

 An eight day week!

Coast Live Oak: photo by Cliff Hutson

Once again it is California Native Week. This year it runs from April 13 to April 20. That is eight days, perhaps inspired by the Beatles' song. Anyway, in 2010, the California legislature designated the third week of April to be California Native Plant week, so this is the perfect time to take a moment to appreciate the beauty and diversity of California’s native flora. 

Favorites

Monkey Flower: photo by Cliff Hutson

I was just recently asked what was my favorite native California plant. That is a very hard choice that I found hard to limit to just one. But, to narrow it down, my favorite tree would be the Coast Live Oak (see up top).

Tidy Tips: photo by Cliff Hutson

There is a draw for favorite wildflower between Monkey Flower (Mimulus) and Tidy Tips. The former because it was the plant that led to my 26 year stint as a "nature interpreter" at a botanic garden. [A long story best left for another time.] The latter  because a photograph I took of one was published as my first (and so far only) magazine cover. I consider that to be the high water mark of nearly a lifetime spent as a photographer. 

But, catch me during another week and I might have different answers.

Feeling the Rain

Gray skies are gonna clear up

Raindrops on Freesia: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Some people feel the rain; others just get wet.” - Bob Marley

While I attribute the above quote to late, great reggae singer, Bob Dylan and Roger Miller have also been given credit. I am going to stick with Marley.

I have griped about rainy days in the past. But, I understand that, in life, feeling the rain allows me to appreciate the sunshine. Which I feel is the point of the quote.

A Rainy Day and a Monday

Talking to my cat and feeling old:

The astute reader of this blog might have realized that I often borrow from song titles, or lyrics, for the titles of my photographs and topics. Today underscores that. We have  had several days of rain and today is a Monday. And, I am down.

The rain is appreciated as I live in a state that has recently experienced a. spate of droughts. But, I used to the dry weather and the recent series of storms makes me realize that I would probably not do very well in the PNW or similar climes. 

Raindrops: photo by Cliff Hutson

But, this has presented some interesting opportunities for photos. The grey skies allow me to experiment with different lighting than I am used to, venturing no further than my patio. 

Rainy Day #12 or #35: photo by Cliff Hutson

Even when the raindrops keep falling on my head.

More Raindrops: photo by Cliff Hutson

This Day in (My) History

 My photography is a reflection of my life:

Some years I have done Photo-a-Day (PaD) projects. Other years I just shoot when the spirit moves me.

Stamens (2005): photo by Cliff Hutson

A Sun Camellia bush in my front yard.

Donut Shop Poster (2006): photo by Cliff Hutson

A shop across the street from my HQ. Donuts and coffee in the morning. Hamburgers or sandwiches for lunch.

Smug Cat (2009): photo by Cliff Hutson

Mini - she is the most photographed of all our pets.

Climb and Drink (2010): photo by Cliff Hutson

A souvenir carabiner from a "beer walk".  It is probably not a good idea to drink and climb. But, in "The Eiger Sanction" Clint Eastwood and George Kennedy share a beer after topping out on a training climb.

A Blast from the Past

 Today's blog is brought to you by the letter "B":

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Photographic Dictionary




It is still fun to see my work used by other people.

California Native Plant Week - 2023

Celebrating Eight Days a Week

California Poppy: photo by Cliff Hutson

This year, California Native Plant Week runs from April 15 thorough April 22 (Earth Day).  The state is one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet with more than 6,000 types of plants. I thought that I would share some photos of some of my favorites (in no particular order). 

Five Spot: photo by Cliff Hutson

California Bay: photo by Cliff Hutson

Datura: photo by Cliff Hutson

Tidy Tips: photo by Cliff Hutson

Flannel Bush: photo by Cliff Hutson

Matilija Poppy: photo by Cliff Hutson

Shaw's Agave: photo by Cliff Hutson

Sticky Monkey Flower: photo by Cliff Hutson

Spring Flowers

 What's Blooming?

Random photos of what has come in to bloom on my patio and in my yard.

All that rain was pretty helpful. 

Note: All photos are my own work (© Cliff Hutson). I dispensed with captions as I thought they would not be useful.