What I saw today

 I know that's a pretty boring title for a blog post, but I needed something that would unite these five photos which actually have nothing to do with each other.  First, they are all nature impressions of some sort.  Second, they amount to practice with that little Canon PowerShot I introduced a few days ago when my Nikon DSLR broke.  Well, last night, while trying to photograph a ukulele concert at the Farmer's Market, it broke again.  I ran home to get the little Canon, and managed to get some pretty good pictures.  But, for the mainstay of this log, closeups of wild flowers, it just doesn't cut it.  After getting spoiled by high-quality viewfinders, I find it hard to see what I'm getting on a viewing screen, especially when the sun's out.  Getting individual flowers in focus is hit or miss.  The above rock was easy.  The lighting was perfect, if not for the photo, at least for seeing on the screen if I was in focus.  My wife found this beautiful rock in the bed of the South Fork of the Eel River near Leggett.

 This Chicory blossom in my driveway was pure luck.  In the same series I got many blurry photos of other flowers nearby.

 I lucked out again on a visit to Quincy Natural Foods Coop.  The above Praying Mantis egg case has been in this spot for several years,  I photographed it in the summer of 2012, I believe, shortly after it appeared.  I wonder if the people who do research on adhesives have checked into the one the mantises make to attach their eggs to things.  Semms pretty durable.

 Here's a view from a little further away.  I'm so glad that whoever cleans windows and trims the nearby shrubs either didn't notice it or, like me, wants to preserve it as long as possible.

This last one worked out OK.  I call it "Flowers, Tree, Sky, Mountain, and Whatever Else You See."  I cropped out the buildings. 
So, back to the camera question, the question being "What shall I do?"  I need to make a video soon, so I'm contemplating getting a low-end Nikon DSLR that can do HD video.  Admittedly, my wofe and son have gotten some impressive short videos with the little Canon, but I think it would drive me crazy.  Until further notice, this blog will utilize photos from my archive taken with the Nikon, and the occasional acceptable ones I'm able to get with the Canon.   I still plan to report on the last two of the 4 recent hikes I've mentioned in earlier posts.