Flower Pods Bursting in El Portal

Eagle Peak in El Portal, California 

   Hello Folks, well I've finally decided to start blogging my photography once again after a long hiatus. I figure I might as well start with my local surroundings in El Portal, California which sits right down the road from the world famous Yosemite Valley. The ragging the Merced River cuts right in front of my studio apartment in this glaciated granite canyon of unholy furnace like temperatures during the day where only the setting of the sun sets us free from the heat.These next few images were shot with my cel phone and I think look pretty good. Enjoy!

                -Richard

   On my days off from work I take hikes up behind my "shack" onto this steep craggy rock hill. Where I seem to be never let down for a lack of subjects for my cameras to capture. 

On several of the hikes, I kept checking in to see what was going on with this strange bud that was growing up on the hill behind my place on Eagle Point. 

 

I was finally rewarded for my efforts when on my last hike there the pods had burst with these lovely seeds attached to a white frayed feather like thing that was waiting for a soft wind to carry it away.

Here is another type of seed bloom coming off of a tree.

And finally, instead of my usually bombing you folks with dozens and dozens of pictures to review, I shall keep it short with these final two images. And, I am going to wax a little silliness with my story about a spider in my shack.

       I spoiled a spider’s buzz.

I have known for some time about the spider living underneath my dresser cabinet right next to where I like to lay my head at night to sleep. I’ve knocked down its web and when I'm not looking it builds it back. So, I know it’s there. I have no energy to move furniture around after work so, I only think of it when I notice the rebuilt web which, I knock down again and leave the battle at that. No need to go after the critter at this point". Well that ended the other night, when I came home and turned on the light and there it was as big as day. Not real giant but big enough for me not to allow it to stay any longer that was for sure. It was one of those low to the ground hunting spiders; It moved really quickly and it postured like it might jump at me when I tried to capture it with my frisbee. Almost like it was ready to fight for the right to stay in my room. I had better aim the second time as I dropped the large disc again this time trapping it.  I then slid part of the Groveland Gazette under the my frisbee so as not to hurt the spider and I put the little monster out on to the gravel road in front of my shack so it could go about it’s own way no hard feelings and all that. I was feeling pretty good about myself for about ohhhh about a half a day when the next evening I spot a large cockroach on my bathroom floor. I quickly dusted it with some Ajax powder as it scurried away underneath the jam of the door hoping it might poison the nasty thing. Later that night, I woke up with the bastard crawling on my head and face. I slapped it onto the floor turned the light on and crushed the bastard under that same Groveland Gazette newspaper I used to capture the spider. It dawned on me at that moment that I probably should have let the spider stay because it was obviously after the roach. Thing is though, I don’t want spiders crawling on me at night either and I had yet another big roach crossing my floor today.

I came across these spider webs on my hike and noticed a spider in each web hiding inside it's little evil hole for some unsuspecting thing that might get caught in its web.