The National Weather Service broke into all regular radio programming to warn of a severe storm approaching from the west.

Maria was gardening, and I was blogging, as usual.  When I looked up at the sky, I shouted “wow” and rushed outside.

We rushed out to food shop.

When we got back, I ran to the gym (which had closed due to the weather alert, which made me pay attention), and what could I do? I came home and got my cameras out, sat in a new garden chair, and watched Maria work on her hands and knees with her trusty wheelbarrow.

When the storm approached, we sat down with some drinks (bottled water in this case), and she took some videos, and I took some photos.

(This is an aggressive, exploding cumulus, the air is fighting with winds and cold up there, and the result is a cloud explosion, silent and beautiful and harmless. But a clear warning of the storms closes by. There is nothing holding a cloud together but small mico-frozen droplets. when the weather or temperature or winds acts up, it is often torn apart or blows away.)

You can say what you want about Maria and I, but we are true to ourselves. I did my gardening yesterday in 80 plus heat, not today. We love sitting together and watching storms come roaring over the hills. We were not disappointed today. Come along and see.

In addition, I spent several hours on the phone haggling (not begging), maneuvering, arguing, and scrambling with a kind person who wants to sell his  Q2 color (and black and white) camera, the much-praised and beloved precursor to my Q2 Monochrome, which is a black and white camera is the best camera I have ever owned.

(We are never alone on Bedlam Farm. Whenever we sit down, animals – chickens, dogs, donkeys, sheep, and usually cats, suddenly appear, hoping for a treat perhaps but just happy to hang out with us.)

I’m pushing for a more extended payoff period with a lower price and no interest. The seller wants to sell this camera, and I want to buy it. He also, I think, has a good deal of money and is not vulnerable to argument, only to persuasion. He has to think me worthy of his Leica. I would do the same thing.

He is looking at my blog to see if my photography rises to the level of someone who got his Leica 2 in 2018 and is upgrading to a much more expensive Leica. I’m proud of my work, and I hope he likes it.

(The clouds were blown away by wind shears, which I can now recognize. The cumulus was changing size and shape and color constantly, and behind it, the clouds had started to turn black. The clouds were also gathering moisture.)

So money is not an issue in his life.

He respects that it is an issue in my life, but I don’t want charity, and he isn’t offering any.

He is impressed, I think,  by my argument that I want to get better and learn more as I get older.  He is very courteous. Time is a matter of some urgency to me. I admit I love negotiating, I learned from masters in journalism and television.

My very wonderful wife is entirely in my corner about this. She understands, as an artist and someone who loves me.

She sees the impact the Monochrome has had on my work and me. This is a long shot, we are not close on price, and I understand that. You can’t have everything you want.

This Q2 is exactly like mine, with the same settings, set-up, menu, and options.

 

(Clouds before, during, and after severe storms are beautiful to me, natural works of art. These clouds seemed to be performing for me. We could see lightning and thunder, but no tornadoes were reported anywhere near us. This may change tomorrow afternoon; we are told and warned. More tornado warnings, unusual for here.)

 

This is a Leica, and he can get what he wants for it. He doesn’t live anywhere near me, so we talk on the phone and may Zoom tomorrow. I think he wants to see my face.

(The clouds seemed to be dancing, and the performance enchanted me. An awful lot was going on up there; this photo caught the beginning of the end. The cumulus clouds were returning to normal, and the sky about the mountain in the distance began to brighten, from black to blue. It was a great show.)

Used Leicas in good condition rarely come on the market at prices much below retail. And most Leicas are almost always in good shape because they are so well built. This is why Leicas are Leicas. And this one retails for about $6,000.

Tomorrow, negotiations continue; it’s a long shot. But well worth taking. This camera would beautifully balance the Monochrome and strengthen my color photography, all of which be available for free to anyone who wants it or reads my blog. That is my way of wanting to give back to the good things that have come into my life.

(Apart from sudden loud noises, tiny rattles Lulu and Fanny, surely not storms. Donkeys have lived through everything and seen everything. They do not rattle, even in grumbling thunder.)

It’s interest-free, but I have to be able to pay it off in a year, or it’s no deal for me. I won’t put us in any money danger, not even for my photos. Maturity came late for me, but at least it came.

Tomorrow, more negotiating, another trip to the zoo, more writing, a visit to the Mansion hopefully, and another try for the gym.

When I bought my first Canon, I asked for outside help and was divorce-broke. It made all of my photos possible. But I don’t need to do that again and wouldn’t. That’s a good thing.