Sunflowers and Ice Cream — Part 2
I almost didn't go.
The radar that morning was showing storms creeping toward the fields, and for a moment I almost talked myself into staying home. But I packed up my gear anyway, loaded the car, and headed out. Sometimes you just have to commit and see what happens.
The drive was mostly sunny — ironic, given my hesitation. The navigation did its best to tempt me by routing me straight past a certain famous ice cream creamery along the way. I told myself, "Don't look. Keep looking straight." I kept driving.
I arrived early afternoon to find the sunflowers bent and heavy from all the rain we've had these past couple of weeks. My heart sank a little with disappointment. I'd driven 2.5 hours for this. I figured I'd walk around, grab a few shots, and head home.
Seeing the flowers like this was a bit discouraging. Did I miss the window?
But then something shifted. The sun was working its way through and the flowers were slowly perking back up.
I stuffed my feet in my yellow rain boots — yes, I came prepared — and waded into the sticky, glorious mud.
That's when I noticed the bees. Dozens of them, working every flower in sight. I switched to my macro lens and lost track of time completely.
The mosquitoes, however, had no trouble finding me. Enormous, relentless, and apparently unbothered by the heat or humidity. Good thing I had packed bug spray. The other visitors wandering the field — the ones in regular sneakers, picking their way gingerly through the mud — weren't so lucky on either count.
The sun and humidity were something else. I was sweating through my pink tank, drinking water constantly, switching between my telephoto on one camera, and macro, wide angle, and mid-zoom on the other. At one point I popped my head through the moonroof to grab a panoramic shot of the field, then retreated immediately back into the air conditioning.
Storm clouds started building to the southeast. The wind picked up and the flowers swayed. I stayed close to the car, watching the sky. The storms held south and eventually the wind died down — which only meant the mosquitoes came back with a vengeance. By late afternoon I looked west and knew the sunset wasn't going to happen. Too much cloud cover. I made the call to head home.
On the drive back it rained — hard. I was glad I'd left when I did. All in all, the flowers weren't as bad as I'd feared. But the rain we've had this season did a number on them. They were nearly past their peak, bending under the weight of it all. Maybe next year will be better. But then again — I got the bees. I got the storm light. I got the mud and the boots and the mosquitoes and the flowers that almost weren't.
And at the end of the field, three sunflowers stood with their heads bowed low — petals drooping, stems curved like a curtain call. The show was over. It wasn't the best show, but it was still worth watching.
What I carried: Canon R6 Mark II mirrorless cameras · Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens · EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens · EF-EOS R Mount Adapters · Hoya Moose Peterson Warm Circular Polarizer Filter · Really Right Stuff tripod and ballhead · Shimoda Explore V2 30L backpack · Takeya 32oz water bottle · MyRadar app
