orange + blue

an enormous hedge of aloe.

most of the spiky stalks were just beginning to open.

 i cracked my camera lens in venice, but somehow can still shoot through the cracks.  it shows up in some light.  fortunately it was the protective uv lens, not the nikon lens.  whew...

can't unscrew it so i'm going to the camera store tomorrow.  with so much time stretched in front of me errands gets postponed.

i'm having mixed results with my tech free mornings.  

i'll keep experimenting.

thought i'd use the stopwatch to keep track of time and when i hit the 2 hour mark for the day THAT'S IT!

but, my 21st century habits are highly resistent to this particular strain of time-wasting.

eventually something will take root.

i'm convinced of it!

Comments

[susan crane]

The blossoms look so similar to the red hot pokers I had in front of an old house I lived in, though since that was in Colorado, they must be different plants, right? They only bloomed for a short while, but when they did, it was spectacular.

[donna, doni, lady d]

Amazing photographs! Such incredible colour and shapes. Throw your stop watch away dear mary ann - they belong in some antiquated system we still feel serves us well. xoDonna

[Domenico]

Lady Luck was definitely with you, those lenses cost a fortune!

[jaihn]

Sunshine! Heat! Another world, popping thru my screen.
Here on the flipside there is white stuff everywhere...chilly pics posted yesterday.

'Somedays' I find to be a helpful approach in shifting my ways, with guidelines rather than rigid lines. I only kick against those when I set them.
Trying to sleep earlier is another project I may be making progress with. My nocturnalness is from pre-internet days though. Lonnnnnng time.

We'll find our ways with making all these desired evolutionary shifts... whatever the weather. : )
That we aim for more satisfaction is a fine thing in itself, really, eh.
xxxj

[Jan]

Mary Ann, with my retirement I have had to become friends with "there's always tomorrow". At first I felt guilty because I wouldn't get much done, but that is slowing giving way to a new meaning of "flex time." Enjoy.

[Chelsy]

I've never seen aloe blossoms before, so beautiful!

[Joan Clarke]

When I was a kid living in San Diego, these plants were all over the place, not just as landscape plants in yards or gardens, they were along the roads, in public settings, everywhere. Now I hardly see them growing anywhere when I go down there to visit. Thanks for the childhood memory. We called them Red Hot Pokers.

[LaurieJay]

And I thought this post was going to be about the Gators.

[Mary Ann Moss]

joan,
red hot pokers areKniphofia uvaria unrelated to aloearborescens - Torch Aloe
if you look closely youll see the difference in the flower spikes. red hot pokers are a bit more lush and shaggy. but they are both orange and very spiky!

[Sharon W]

tech free mornings: Year ago, when quilting consumed my creative juices, I spent time each summer at Quilting by the Lake in central NY, where an enchanting GURU named David Walker taught wonderful workshops. He advanced the theory that our mornings should be devoted to spiritual, meditative, inspirational activities. He based this on the belief that we are closest to our intuitive selves before the world crashes in on us. So he did not touch internet, phone, music, tv etc until later in the day. But he also did not spend time on housework, mundane studio work etc. He read, wrote in his journals, walked in the open air. If you are attempting to eliminate the technical world, but continuing with activities that weigh down your creative soul, your experiment is perhaps doomed? Best wishes for success in your new adventures!!!!

[Susie LaFond]

your photos are AMAZING cracked lens or not. Awesome!!!! and well no matter how your tech time gets spent you know I'll be on the other end waiting for transmissions no matter when they come and and I'll be busy creating while I wait so you see your tech time turns into my creative time so it's a win win all the way around.