It was a dark and stormy night.

It was a dark and stormy night.
The hieroglyphics on the beach were obscure and alien.
The dreams of my second night seemed so real at first. Then it got weird.
(Click on any picture for a larger view in a new window)
As I slogged through the loose sand, I heard the faint cry carried by the gusting wind, “help, help!”
Clematis. A flower, a vine, a celebration of spring and summer that on the face of it seems lovely, and pure, and innocent. Little do you know…
JJ stood on the ladder outside the boat, still dripping water from his scuba dive. His face took on a shade of green, and we were all startled when suddenly he hurled red over the side of the boat.
It’s unusual, but not unheard of for a diver to get sick, especially if the seas are rough. But they were calm this day, and seasick is no reason for red vomitus. Repeated heaves gave the impression he was hacking up a lung, or trying to turn his guts inside out. We were all, OMG, what the hell is going on, and what are we going to do about it?
Every year, in late winter and early spring, Mother Nature sets a time bomb.
Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.
What is there to photograph in the gloom of February?
I wondered, for a few seconds, if I was dreaming.
Looking out at the wall, a sea of arms looked back at me, waving. Each arm showing shades of grey, corpse-like, yet animated. Was this for real, or a nightmare? Continue reading “Acts of Deception”
Here’s a challenge for you. Name a shrub that flowers in the middle of the winter. I’ll even show you a few pictures.