WriteAway

The picture above is a Corel Painter interpretation in pastels of a photo of oleander flowers taken in Fresno, California, outside my hotel room, when I visited for Thanksgiving in November 2004. This image is available for print, in its original size (12″ w X 10″ h) by special order, or in 13″ X 10″ from my online printer (they only do standard sizes) which is less expensive. Prices and options can be found at the end of this post and will soon be available on a separate page.

It is a puzzle to me why there are oleander bushes all over the place: they’re highly toxic plants, from what I’ve read and heard. Being quite large, they do a great job of providing color and privacy where they’re planted and help to hide the railroad tracks along Weber Road, but have killed off at least one homeless family who camped there one night and used the wood to first build a campfire, then used sharpened oleander twigs to roast hot dogs on the fire. At least, that’s the story I got. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that it’s true. Such pretty flowers on such a deadly plant.

The plants are also amazingly hardy. They bloom early, and even when there is no rain for what seems like forever (months on end sometimes) they manage to continue to bloom, although there are fewer blooms when it’s very hot and very dry. Before I moved back to central California, many Ohio folks told me they thought they’d miss the seasons there. The wonder of it is that the seasons are visible. At the same time I was taking photos of the fresh plants blooming all over the place in November, there were also plenty of trees showing the reds, yellows, and oranges that people farther east love to see. What I love most is the contrast.

One evening, I was expected at my aunt and uncle’s home for either a pre- or post-Thanksgiving day dinner. I went early to stop at a favorite mall and pick up some books. There was a Starbuck’s close by. I got coffee and went outside to sit, pulled out my new books, and it suddenly occurred to me that I was sitting on the patio in late November, wearing only jeans, a shirt, and a light jacket… watching the Christmas lights twinkling in the palm trees, with the fall colors clearly visible in other parts of the mall. That was exactly the moment that I decided I had to move back. And it’s still one of the reasons I’ll move back again when I’ve recovered from the last move.

Sunday I was up until 4:00 a.m. trying to find a WordPress template that would be appropriate for showing some photography and digital art (neutral colors and adequate space), then getting it downloaded, unzipped, and uploaded to the blog. Way too late to stay up just in the name of learning to set up a blog to my satisfaction!

Of course, my long hours Sunday meant that I slept late the next morning (I love working from home) and have no particular memory of what I did Monday. Hopefully, I accomplished something worthwhile, although I’m not certain about that. Tuesday, well rested , I got a few things done then hit a brick wall when I started writing an article for the Helium website. I wasted two hours disproving a piece of information that was to be the basis of the article. Now the decision is to find a new point to make or incorporate the falsehood of the original point into the article (it would be relevant–it’s a philosophy article on Why we question everything. Uh, could the reason be that too often what we think we know turns to be untrue?

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Oleander Print prices and options are as follows for 13″ x 10″ Oleander image, and include USPS Priority shipping:

• Print only + Shipping: $85.00
• Print on single matboard+ shipping: $88.50
• Print on canvas mounted on matboard + Shipping: $110.00
• Print on canvas on stretcher+ Shipping: $118.50

Frames are also available, but you might prefer to have it framed. Choices from the printer include Silver and Black Metal, Walnut Stained Wood, and Natural Finish Wood. Frames DO NOT have glass. Prices, as shown below, should be added to the above pricing.

• Metal Frame: $21.00
• Stained Walnut Finish: $24.00
• Natural Finish: $27.00

Lustre Coating is also available for $1.49. According to the printer’s website information

Water-based lustre coating is an environmentally friendly, non-flammable coating which protects against UV light, finger prints and dust. Please note: Our lustre coating is not visible. It does not change the look of the image in any way.

If you’re interested in a copy of this print, please contact me with the options you’d like and I’ll invoice you. Payment can be made on your credit card through PayPal, or I’ll provide information regarding check or money order (preferred) payments. Please use PayPal for faster delivery: your order will go in as soon as the funds are deposited to my account, and will ship within 24 hours. Money orders will be deposited immediately in my account. Personal check payments will delay the order until the check clears. Orders will be placed immediately after that, and will ship within 24 hours.

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