Idyllwild Camping On Film

A few film snaps from the little plastic Ultra Wide Slim on our first forest camping trip in Idyllwild. Also, one of my new favorite pictures of my wife. Kicked back, reading a book, under giant trees. Oh, and the skies really are bluer up there. :)

Aquarium Of The Pacific

We finally visited the Aquarium of the Pacific. I've had this on my list of places to visit pretty much since we got here. They have tons of jellyfish, which are fascinating creatures. Lots of fish, some sharks, and even sting rays (yuck). Kim's brother and an auntie was in town for a visit, so we spent the day here with lots of family and saw lots of pretty creatures.

An Oasis In The Desert

A very warm walk in the desert to try to find an oasis of palm trees...

This hike was one of my least favorite yet. It was so, so hot. It seemed endless. Then we found the "oasis" and it was pretty unremarkable. Of course, California is experiencing a horrible drought, so the stream was mostly dry and the palms that surrounded it were a little droopy. Then we had to turn around and walk all the way back. I ran out of water. (Not to worry, I had plenty in the car when we finally got there.)

Granted, we saw some cool skies and creatures, but it was maybe just a tad to hot for this hike a day after camping in the desert. Still, a fun hike and one that the little plastic Ultra Wide Slim captured pretty well.

Olympus XA: It Works!

On one of our strolls around the antique shops in Orange, I found a cheap Olympus XA. I have had an interest in that camera for some time, but didn't really want to spend much money on it. I left that camera sitting in it's case, and was sure it must not work for the price they were asking. We left, went about our day, and went home. The next day, I couldn't shake it, and researched a lot to know what problems to look for. We went and bought batteries and headed back to Orange to check it out again. To my surprise, it was in great condition and it worked! And it was 10% off! I also managed to get an XA2 right around the same time, which I still need to take for a test roll.

This little camera went on a variety of little journeys before I finally finished the roll of film and shipped it off to the lab. 

This is the first photo after I realized I needed to pay attention to the meter... not just the focus. Oops for the six photos before this one. :)

It went with us to Idyllwild on our first forest camping trip. It survived all of the bugs that nearly drove me crazy.

A Rainy Day In The Desert

We chased a rare California thunderstorm out to the desert a few weeks ago. It rained nearly all day in the desert, creating small rivers and lots of mud puddles to play in.The Subaru had a fun day, but we had even more fun. I love the rain and truly miss the rumble of thunder in the skies. This day in the desert made me slightly homesick - rain, thunder, lightning. Ahhh. The sky gave us some dynamic cloud shows and the rain gave this odd terrain a whole new look.