Raindrops decorate this bloom on our storied front-yard camellia bush. The blooming season kicked in a few weeks ago and is now on the downward spiral. This bejeweled beauty is one of the last until the fickle bush decides to sprout again.

Sunday, March 31, 2013

In the past, we've groused and lamented the lingering drought conditions here in LA (lower Arkansas). Now the opposite is true. We are humming "Who'll Stop the Rain," made famous in 1970 by Creedence Clearwater Revival. The deeper meaning of the song had nothing to do with domestic climatic conditions, but had everything to do with the war in Viet Nam. Despite that, when the rains hang on, those words bob to the immediate surface. On the brighter side, the sometimes dark and foreboding wet days create opportunities. Lots of rain affords soaked subjects begging for photographic attention.

Several years ago, our master-gardener neighbor was clearing some foliage-gone-wild and offered us some recently uprooted junior plants. That generosity coincided with our thoughts that we needed some additional greenery to camouflage our garbage-can collection from passersby. These leaves are from the garbage-can collection, back lit by early spring evening sun. A few droplets cling to the top of the front leaf.

At the corner of the carport another plant holds forth with colorful opportunities. The dark hedge in the background shoves the red leaves toward us at warp visual speed, clearly demonstrating the color lessons we learned in grade school, complimentary colors (those opposite each other on the color wheel) can work magic when properly applied. In this case, our Higher Power did the application, all we did was stumble across it and record it.

Further up the aforementioned shrub at the corner of the carport, a drop of rain was precariously hanging on to a leaf sprout. It is as if one had an assignment to find some converging lines and a visual stopping point in a sea of color. It was there all the time just waiting to be seen.

While pyramids, mountains, crashing surf, stunning architecture, stretching deserts, and hundreds of other spectacular scenes make for adventuresome visuals — on a rainy Saturday, nearby discoveries will do just fine.

N O T E S:  
Nikon D-300, AFS Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8 D, ISO 200, all hand-held. Top camellia, 1/160@f5; Green leaves, 1/125@f5.6; Two red leaves, the same; Red leaves with drop, 1/250@f8. Post processed with Photoshop® CS6 Extended

SEE MORE
of a rainy Saturday
at Weekly Grist
for the Eyes and Mind,
where we take a look
at some critters
during a short break
in the soaking.

Click the jump wings to see the previous Photo of the Week.

Click the camera for an index to every Photo of the Week.

Most of the time, there is more to the Photo of the Week story than can be told in an essay. And most of the time there are more pictures to be seen. Presuming that some folk will enjoy being privy to this trove of information, I have created a blog, “Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind,” where I am showing and telling “the rest of the story." There are also some blatantly commercial mentions of some of the things we do to earn our beans and taters. Click on the Weekly Grist logo and go to the blog.  — J. D.