Dry Creek in Roseville
off biketrail off Walerga, north of PFE
1:30 p.m.
Much cooler than it's been - clear, sunny, but maybe mid 60's
Still trying out the Polaroid 450 - not sure about focusing -
Right next to the road here, steady stream of cars passing by, along with the semi's associated with building the big new development on the other side of the creek.
I fiddle with the 450 a bit & I think I might have found the problem - a sticky spring on the bottom support structure of the bellows that controls the focus -
I'll have to see if Scott can help with it, but for now I'll go get a trusty 250 from the car, already loaded with the 665 film, to explore the creek a bit more with - I'll probably try the same shots to compare the focusing of the two cameras.
I return to the creek with the 250 - I get the sharp image I've come to expect - now if I could get more reliable shutter speeds, too, I'd be set. Cameras have been on my mind too much lately - I'd like to set aside the technical glitches and focus on the work, the images and feelings. Even with the sounds of passing cars and heavy construction in the background, I hear the calls of birds: little swee's and tsi tsi tsi sounds, as well as the occasional squaw of someone larger...
The creek is hardly dry right now, though I know full well it could be this time of year. It's fully 20 feet across here, a foot or more deep, and running swiftly. Many times I've seen fishermen here, so I'm sure it supports some decent sized fish. All sorts of weedy looking plants grow here, green with a little brown about the edges - the birds take opportunity of a short lack of traffic to twitter a bit more to each other - the green that lines the creek is in strong contrast to the straw pale dryness of the surrounding fields.
I start away from the creekside and find a pair of white cabbage butterflies dancing around each other, but they're off before I can get a good look to sketch them.
I head out toward the open field, away from the creek, there I'm greeted by large flying grasshoppers - brip brip brip brip brip - again, too fast to sketch.
Time is running out - I have mom-duties to attend to - but I'm going to bring myself back here soon.
