fig
Village Idiot
That too I suspect. When we built the house 31 years ago the area was VERY rural. Now, there are (according to census) 6000 people living within a mile. We're planning a move.
Random pix
- Thread starter Chuck D. Bones
- Start date
peccary
Well-known member
When I was in grad school there was a guy from Japan in my cohort who I ended up becoming pretty good friends with. He said that they were pretty common fare there.
Chuck D. Bones
Circuit Wizard
I was in Alexandria on business a few years back. What a beautiful city.
caiofilipini
Well-known member
Indeed it is! Been here for 3 years now.
Chuck D. Bones
Circuit Wizard
Lotta coyotes where I live too. We can hear them partying after dark. I've only seen two, one at the end of our street and one in a neaby canyon when I was taking a morning hike. They both looked well fed. I've seen a lotta skunks, squirrels, possums, hawks, peafowl, rabbits and a few snakes around. A baby possum sneaked into the kitchen once; my cats did not know what to make of it. The local raccoons run a protection racket. "Those are some nice looking trash cans you got there, would be a real shame if something was to happen to them."
This is one of mine. It was shot in Lucky Bay, on the Southern Ocean at the bottom of Western Australia almost 20 years ago. I'm cheating though because I'm a professional photographer and this was photographed for south-west tourism. This shot has been used on billboards and magazine ads ever since - I still see it from time to time. It predates my conversion to digital photography - it was shot on medium format colour transparency.
Lucky Bay has the whitest sand I have ever seen. It doesn't show in the photo but the water was so clear that I could see the shadows of the waves on the sea floor. And the sand was so fine it packs down hard enough to drive a regular car on. The kangaroos do actually lie on the beach in the early mornings, warming up and licking the fresh water which trickles over the sand from the dunes. It's an incredible beach - probably because it is over a day's drive from Perth.
Chuck D. Bones
Circuit Wizard
Awesome. More than a photo, this is art.
Wow thanks! I seem to remember that in the days before I had photoshop we used grad filters to make the sky bluer.
That trip was so much fun... Photography used to be a lot of fun and we had to be so creative. These days all the creativity is in post-production and it's all rather boring. Still, it beats working in a bank. (apologies to anyone who works in a bank I'm sure it's actually a great way to earn a living. And "creativity" in a bank could be a lot more lucrative than in my industry)
That trip was so much fun... Photography used to be a lot of fun and we had to be so creative. These days all the creativity is in post-production and it's all rather boring. Still, it beats working in a bank. (apologies to anyone who works in a bank I'm sure it's actually a great way to earn a living. And "creativity" in a bank could be a lot more lucrative than in my industry)
Feral Feline
Well-known member
The RuPaul Roo-pose shot (amazing pic, HamishR, that's like super-pro pro-level), and all the critter talk recalled this memory...
I was coming back from a gig (pre-Covid) at about 2 in the morning, and a wild boar was on our street with nowhere to go but down the street (retaining wall to the right, 3-storey walk-ups on the left) so it ran just ahead of my car and I kept urging it on, slowly getting to my parking spot.
After a while of just sitting in the car, waiting to make sure it wasn't doubling back, when I finally opened my door ...
The stench was unbelievably unbearable. Involuntary gag reflex. Surprised I didn't puke. I didn't even want to take my DB inside, but leave its soft-shell gig bag in the car, protected from absorbing the odour. The next morning the foul smell was still up and down the street, after a few days the stink was at last gone (or the whole neighbourhood became inured to it).
I previously lived on a small island here, lots of wild boars though you rarely saw them. Lots of wild boar where we are now, probably, but up in the hills and so it was unusual to see this one on the street.
I took a photo through the windshield while driving, though it's obviously too poor quality to include here, I've nonetheless included it to punctuate the story.
I was coming back from a gig (pre-Covid) at about 2 in the morning, and a wild boar was on our street with nowhere to go but down the street (retaining wall to the right, 3-storey walk-ups on the left) so it ran just ahead of my car and I kept urging it on, slowly getting to my parking spot.
After a while of just sitting in the car, waiting to make sure it wasn't doubling back, when I finally opened my door ...
The stench was unbelievably unbearable. Involuntary gag reflex. Surprised I didn't puke. I didn't even want to take my DB inside, but leave its soft-shell gig bag in the car, protected from absorbing the odour. The next morning the foul smell was still up and down the street, after a few days the stink was at last gone (or the whole neighbourhood became inured to it).
I previously lived on a small island here, lots of wild boars though you rarely saw them. Lots of wild boar where we are now, probably, but up in the hills and so it was unusual to see this one on the street.
I took a photo through the windshield while driving, though it's obviously too poor quality to include here, I've nonetheless included it to punctuate the story.
BurntFingers
Well-known member
Are you still in WA? I'm a photographer too but in Auckland, looking to move to QLD soon. We'd be there already if it weren't for this pesky pandemic.
Chuck D. Bones
Circuit Wizard
This is the first time my Saguaro (Carnegiea Gigantea) has flowered. It's gotta be 40 - 45 years old and stands about 2.5m tall.
fig
Village Idiot
My daughter will love that pic! Such a beautiful life.
Chuck D. Bones
Circuit Wizard
Great picture. Congratualtions on the flowers. I had heard that Suguaros would not flower or start developing arms until they were 50 years old or so.
Those flowers are amazing. That they look so reasonably conventional on such an unlikely host makes them all the more remarkable. You are lucky to live in such an interesting kinda sub-climate.
Feral - I love your story! Years ago as a kid I was on school camp on the southern coast of NSW. It's absolutely beautiful country, where the rainforest comes right down to the sea. One night at camp I was busting for a pee so just went outside to the edge of the rainforest. As I was standing there adding to nature's bounty a wild boar walked casually by then dashed back into the undergrowth. Here they are not native or anything, they are descended from escaped livestock. Still, it scared the daylights out of young me!
And Burnt Fingers - yup I still live in Perth. I was born in Victoria but lived here most of my life apart from some time in Canberra. The only part of NZ I have been to is Auckland - I was there for an afternoon and a morning's work and loved it. I have never visited anywhere else with such friendly, funny, down to earth people. I have a huge admiration for NZ people in general. I've only been to Qld once too, and that was also for work. Where in Qld will you be based? It's the go-to state in Australia I guess but too hot and humid for me. Perth is an easy place to live and if I didn't live here it would be Melbourne. Sydney is too bloody expensive and too hard to get around. Auckland reminds me a bit of Melbourne - smaller, but still rainy.
Feral - I love your story! Years ago as a kid I was on school camp on the southern coast of NSW. It's absolutely beautiful country, where the rainforest comes right down to the sea. One night at camp I was busting for a pee so just went outside to the edge of the rainforest. As I was standing there adding to nature's bounty a wild boar walked casually by then dashed back into the undergrowth. Here they are not native or anything, they are descended from escaped livestock. Still, it scared the daylights out of young me!
And Burnt Fingers - yup I still live in Perth. I was born in Victoria but lived here most of my life apart from some time in Canberra. The only part of NZ I have been to is Auckland - I was there for an afternoon and a morning's work and loved it. I have never visited anywhere else with such friendly, funny, down to earth people. I have a huge admiration for NZ people in general. I've only been to Qld once too, and that was also for work. Where in Qld will you be based? It's the go-to state in Australia I guess but too hot and humid for me. Perth is an easy place to live and if I didn't live here it would be Melbourne. Sydney is too bloody expensive and too hard to get around. Auckland reminds me a bit of Melbourne - smaller, but still rainy.
dmnCrawler
Well-known member
Where in the world do you get cactus and trees? I am looking at moving back to Arizona from New England in the fall and that would be an ideal location.
temol
Well-known member
Velvia? Provia? I still have one drawer in a freezer full of Velvia and other film stuff.
