Bumble Bee Tongues

"For many 19th century artists, the usual reaction to photography was no reaction at all. They simply ignored it. But not Degas. He was deeply interested in the new medium, not just as a tool that could help with his drawings and paintings, but as an art form in its own right."

-Edward Saywell

Can you believe it? It was cloudy and kind of cold yesterday, at least I was cold. Elvis was by my side most of the day, I think he knows when I am not 100%. Sigh. I have been having nightmares again. Nightmares are the most inconvenient things. It's so strange how we can be sound asleep, and yet transported forward or backward in time, to places we have long since forgotten about, visiting with people we know we will never see again. The surreal can seem so vivid. Like I said, nightmares are inconvenient.

That's why I take pictures. Photography allows me to step into the surreal with a certain amount of control. I love taking photos of gardens, because there is so much going on, and everything changes in a blink. It takes a great deal of concentration to photograph butterflies and bumble bees, especially on a warm, sunny day. It's a good thing, but it is definitely a challenging thing. I don't know... my mind gets completely filled with whatever scene is in front of me. The flowers, the things with wings, the sky... whatever. Everything else gets blocked out. At least it seems that way. Maybe that is why I have nightmares when I haven't been particularly active with the camera.

Of course, it might also mean it wasn't a good idea to eat 8 Jalapeno Poppers at 3:00 in the morning. LOL. Jeepers, that is why I dreamed the hills that surround the house I live in were on fire! Could be. Or it could have just been my mind reminding me of my lifelong fear of fire. I have conquered a good many fears and phobias. I took charge of my life, and eliminated panic attacks from ruining my life, but I have never been able to cure my fear of fire. I try to photograph fire when I can. When Alan barbecues, I am right there with the camera, snapping away. Still... the fear continues. Maybe my dream was saying, "Get over it girl."

I used to be absolutely scared to death of bumble bees. Now I seek them out, so much so that recently I was on my stomach in Golden Gate Park, photographing some bumbles that were enjoying some dandelions. LOL. I had to laugh at myself, because it was just a few years ago that I would have left the park, for fear of bees. Silly of me, because look how beautiful they are. They have such interesting lines, and who knew they have tongues? :) It never occurred to me they would, until I was licked by a butterfly last year at the Conservatory of Flowers. LOL. It seems I had a little bit of maple syrup on my hand, left over from a pancake breakfast I had eaten earlier that day. Talk about surreal... being licked by a butterfly, is surreal! Almost as surreal as watching an opossum use it's thumbs. But that is a whole other entry. LOL. It's not supposed to be cold in July... is it?

-OndineMonet
"The Bumble Bee's Tongue"
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
Late June, 2007