Treepusher Loc: Kingston, Massachusetts

Thank you, A.J., and welcome to the forum! I'm pleased you enjoyed the image. Just a bit of fun, and part of a long-running story here on UHH about the cats who run the Ministry of Mayhem and whom are constantly trying to take over the world. There's a large cast of characters we have fun with, mainly feline, but we also have a number of Dark Ladies (wicked witches) who help out the kitties as they battle the canines in their quest for world domination.

The Martian, the 'Minister of Mayhem,' so-appointed by the Kitty Council, is a world-class gardener when he's not plotting his next adventure. He uses plutonium mixed in his fertilizer to make the flowers positively glow (as seen here), which mostly works, except for the ones that either burst into flame or simply explode outright, always a hazard, and the reason one needs a Hazmat suit to venture into his garden.

So there's a bit of background for you.

And yes, I'm one of THOSE children your mother told you not to play with, because she was afraid the insanity might be catching.... ; )

Thanks for your very kind words and visit, it's very much appreciated!

Treepusher Loc: Kingston, Massachusetts

Thanks, Vicki. Yes, I glow. The whole town does, in fact, as we're only a mile or two from Pilgrim Nuclear Plant (some of the Martian's plutonium is sourced there, lol). But the suit keeps the bugs off, so I still put it on. ; )

Glad you enjoyed this one. The hibiscus flowers are pretty much untouched, other than a little sharpening. They're really that bright.

Thanks as always for stopping by and the positive comment. It's much appreciated!

Pierre H.J. Dumais Loc: Mississippi Mills, Ont.

There's that fabulous nuclear glow again.
I love it!

Pierre

Treepusher Loc: Kingston, Massachusetts

Thanks, Carol. I'm pleased you enjoyed this one. The flowers, as I just mentioned to Vicki, are pretty much untouched (maybe just a touch of Glow2, but heavily masked off) other than some sharpening. They are very big, 6-8 inches across, and very bright, almost neon. (And okay, it's not really the plutonium, lol. They just grow that way. Found this one at a local nursery last year, kept it alive through the winter, and it's now over six feet tall! Maybe it IS the plutonium... It lives in a pot just outside my front door).

Thanks for your very kind words and visit, they're always very much appreciated!

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I'm very drawn to the lower part - hibiscus and the fern-like leaves. Beautiful!

angela k Loc: Long Island

[quote=bigwolf40]You sure know how to make a very interesting photo.
I have to ditto, Rich.... nice work on this one Randy, very electrifying!

Treepusher Loc: Kingston, Massachusetts

Thanks, boberic. It's a lonely evening indeed without the Dark Ladies, but sometimes a little solitude is exactly what is needed to clear the mind. Not that you're ever quite alone in that garden (thankfully the demons were banished a year or two back). But you can always feel eyes on you, watching your every move. Sometimes they're the eyes of a friend, a guardian; sometimes they're predatory. But always there, which is why you never walk there unarmed.

Myself, I prefer to carry a flame-thrower (a little bulky, but took care of those Singing Azaleas, didn't it!) but I've been there on occasion with just a slingshot and a pocket full of silver-plated ball bearings, and not had to use them. One never knows. But better safe than sorry.

Thanks for the laugh, and always appreciate the fun comments and visit!

Treepusher Loc: Kingston, Massachusetts

Thanks, Bob. Time spent in Martian's garden is never wasted, whether enjoying the flowers (at least the ones that don't explode) or spying on the Dark Ladies and their dancing (far better than flowers). Glad you enjoyed this excursion there.

Thanks as always for the kind words and visit, they're always much appreciated!

Treepusher Loc: Kingston, Massachusetts

Thanks, Pierre. Gotta love that plutonium! I always enjoy the walks in Martian's garden, especially since the flowers all have much better color with his fertilizer, or at least the ones that don't explode or burst into flame... LOL

Thanks for your kind words and visit, always much appreciated!

Treepusher Loc: Kingston, Massachusetts

Thanks, Linda. I was actually debating whether to put in the sky or just leave it black, as that seemed to work just fine. Decided finally on adding the moon and sky, lol. But the image was just fine beforehand, since the flowers are the real strong point in this one.

Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks as always for your comments and visit. Value and appreciate them!

Treepusher Loc: Kingston, Massachusetts

[quote=angela k]

Thanks, Angela. Probably a thousand people on this site can do a better shot of a hibiscus flower than I. So why bother trying to out-do them, when many have cameras and lenses costing thousands more than my own, or years of training and experience with shooting hibiscus flowers (or whatever)? I can't compete on their level.

But what I can do is use a little imagination to make an image that 'they' can't, to see the world in my own way. Just as you're learning to do with your own processing. Good or bad, they're unique. And that's what makes an interesting photo! : )

Thanks for your very kind words and visit, they're always much appreciated!

HOT Texas Loc: From the Heart of Texas

Well Done, I like it much!!!!!

merrytexan Loc: georgia

you must tingle and shiver with excitement when you see those beautiful flowers tp. on second thought...the tingling and shivering is most likely caused
by the dark ladies dancing in the moonlight. martian's garden is amazing and the hibiscus is beautiful...excellent job.

James56 Loc: Nashville, Tennessee

Cool stuff...or more accurately, radioactive stuff. Great job on this one Randy. Reminds me of Onsocka's garden I read about online. She lives a stones throw from Fukushima and enjoys all kinds of glowing objects with all 6 of her eyes.

Ol' Frank Loc: Orlando,

I can just see the Dark Ladies in their long, shear white gowns dancing in the moon light in the garden. It must be sight to treasure in the mind's eye forever. The picture is really beautiful and a quite large hibiscus, I think. Has to be the special fertilizer used.