Today was forecast to be hot. Not Palm Springs hot, nor Las Vegas hot, but reaching the upper 90s. It didn't appear so, we had large, majestic clouds, and for a moment I thought we might have the makings of a surprise summer storm. It did, indeed, rain in parts of Los Angeles today, and I saw videos that were posted by friends on social media. Hard to believe. But still, it was going to get hot.
I had been planning on going back to Corona del Mar, and spending more time at the beach. My last visits have been afterthoughts, after visiting the Sherman Library and Garden. Well, I had all these grandiose plans to take my 8x10 camera and take a few photos, and I even had the locations all set up in my mind. I thought it would be a good outing, and I still want to test my patched-up camera.
But no, as I lay in bed last night, reality asserted itself. First, I could not sleep. I knew I would feel very tired today if I didn't sleep, and knowing what a workout it is to take photos with the 8x10, mostly a mental workout with all the attention to countless details (and yes, it is hyperbole, but it seems I make countless mistakes), but also, quite a bit of physical exertion, especially when we have hot weather. I just had to reflect on the moment how tired I was during my hour and a half at the Casa Romántica in San Clemente on Tuesday. I was really sweating.
So I scaled back my plans. It was strategic. I knew that, no, I should not take my 8x10 camera. I really dislike carrying around that bulky camera. It is not heavy, it is about 3 pounds total, but it does not fold down like an Intrepid or other field camera would, and I have an expensive lens that always has to be mounted to it. I do not have a lens on a threaded plate, it is always mounted on, so I worry about banging that lens against something as I carry around my camera in my bag. And, that damnable tripod, that is probably more heavy than the camera, and it is more unwieldy. Not to mention the film holders that weigh on me like anchors, and the end result is that I am converted into a mule, and I don't like it. Plus, there was no guarantee that the caretakers at the Sherman Library would allow me to take 8x10 photos. The people at the San Clemente facility did on Tuesday, but they kindly told me that they were not supposed to allow me to do so. Thus, I decided to cancel the 8x10 photography sessions.
Instead, I decided to take my 6x17 camera. Now, the Sherman Library is not the best place for it, an aspect ratio of 6x17 needs sweeping scale, and that garden is small. Colorful but small. But I decided to take it. I thought at most I could take four images, enough to use up one roll. I would let loose, hopefully, at the beach with the 6x17 Kraken. At the Sherman library, I would instead concentrate on taking Instax Wide photos. Taking analogue photos gives me so much more pleasure than digital photos, which is a chore, and I have an actual product, those photos that I can hold and view. Leave digital at home.
So that is what I did. As I drove, I looked up at the clouds and thought I would have majestic views at the beach. I was really hoping that would be the case, but nothing turns out as we plan. I saw with gloom that the clouds dissipated to give way to coastal gloom in Corona del Mar. Grey, grey gloom, as if I was in the highlands of Scotland, but a highlands with no pristine wilderness, just a large suburban settlement in south Orange County.
Still, I was excited to arrive at the Sherman Library. I spent a good hour and a half, having arrived at 10:30 and leaving a little after 12 noon. It was a fun time, and I used up four packs of Instax Wide film. I went a little crazy, to tell the truth, but I enjoyed every photo. They have a new display, and I am not sure that I enjoy arriving and being greeting by a commode surrounded by plants. It is supposed to be, I suppose, a new exhibition, domestic garden scenes, where they have a toilet, a table, a make-shift couch and a bed situated around different places. It was whimsical.
Here are a few cellphone photos of my trip to the Sherman Library and Gardens:
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