Between the coffee shop and the grocery store, a piece of undeveloped property stayed neglected for years.  Each Spring, the wildflowers came. If we had a wet late Summer into Fall, the flowers bloomed in profusion. If drought, they came sparsely, but still a few would persist.  The city has rules, even for undeveloped commercial property. The mowers would arrive. The flowers always grew back, just not as many. A month later, the mowers would return. Flowers would still bloom, but not as many. Again the mowers. Finally the heat of summer would take most of the flowers out anyway. 

The place I get my coffee has been at least 5 different coffee shops in the last 15 years, some more successful than others.  The current owners have enjoyed much more success than any of the others ever did. For 15 years, I've gone to whatever coffee shop had the space. For 15 years, I have taken flower pictures there in the field. I have taken many, many sunset pictures from there too.

Covid hit, and then shutdowns, but the coffee shop offered drive-through and curbside. I would sit under the tree nearest the coffee shop, gaze at the field, drink my cappuccino, listen to music, think, pray. Enjoy my quiet time. But, the field had a lot of trash. A LOT. That trash disturbed my serenity. So, I would take a little grocery bag, put on gloves, and pick up trash until the bag was full. Then, toss it into into the dumpster. The next day, I would do it again. After awhile, I had room left in the bag to pick up some parking lot trash too, on my way to the dumpster. Eventually, I had the field so cleaned up, I just picked up parking lot trash. Eureka!  I noticed, If I picked up trash in the parking lot, it didn't blow into the field. I think I've averaged 4 or 5 days a week of picking up trash for about three years now. Usually takes about an hour or less. It's not that the parking lot was always full to the brim with trash. Not at all. But, most days I could fill up one grocery store bag, toss it in the dumpster, then sit under the tree with serenity, enjoying the trash-free field. So don't be putting a halo on my head. After all I did it more for myself than for anyone else!

I get it. The owners have to pay taxes on the property whether or not it brings them income. The city finally okayed their permits. I met the owner a few months ago. He said "Thank you for all you do here!" I thanked him as well. I knew the development was coming. I told him how much the wildflowers meant to me. And, I noticed this time around, the field went unmowed for a longer stretch than usual. I wonder if he decided, "Let's wait for the letter from the city and THEN mow." I like to think, he let me have the wildflowers just a bit longer, one more month before everything would change.

The bulldozers arrived. Fencing around the tree I always sit under. I'm happy the tree will at least remain.. Most of the other trees will be gone. Fill will be trucked in -- a LOT of fill. Then, as at the song says, "See a lovely spot, put up a parking lot." And then, three new little strip centers. I cried a little, that first day I couldn't sit under the tree. That nondescript, undeveloped field had come to mean the world to me. But I haven't only shed those few tears. I've also prayed "Thank you God for the time you gave me this field." 

I don't think I'll be able to reproduce what I had in that special spot. But, I'm praying for another spot, one special in its own way. Due to continuing development, every place around here has become way too carefully landscaped. But, I have hope..

During the shut downs, I ordered my coffee online for pickup. At a certain point, the baristas started just bringing it to me under the tree. They were so sweet, so kind. If they had time, we would chat for just a minute or two before they had to hurry back. Shut downs have been over for awhile now.  I'm vaccinated. So, I go in and order, then I've taken my coffee to the tree. The baristas have continued to be very kind and sweet. I wonder if they see me as an adorably eccentric gray haired lady, always wearing a hat with a brim, the lady who keeps the parking lot picked up? I am very fond of them all, the ones who have moved on to other jobs, the ones there now. 

Goodbye to the flowers, the butterflies, the bees, the sunsets. So happy for the time we had. Thanks for the memories.

Still experimenting with selfies. I can explore portraiture without worrying about pleasing a client. This freedom really opens up creative possibilities. I explore different palettes, textures, effects. It's not about trying to make myself look conventionally attractive. Female beauty is a cultural construct, as we can easily learn from art history. Here are a few recent examples, all shot with my iPhone 12 Pro Max. Edited in some or all of the following apps: Tintype, Hipstamatic, Camera+, Carbon, Distressed FX, Instagram.

#iphonography
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