pony up...


We got lucky and spotted another of the endangered breed of pretty plastic ponies tethered to a curb in North Portland last year. Acting quickly, instinctively, Teshka jumped like a flash from her own mount and whipped out her trusty plastic commie cammie. She expertly roped in a couple quick exposures of this lovely lady filly before it disappeared forever into the distant dreams of a western sunset.

Such encounters are special, magical. This was to be only the second -- and last -- horsie we would ever see with our own eyes during all our time in Portland.

The phenomenon began here in 2005, the radical vision of some guy calling himself Scott Wayne Indiana. As of 2007, sightings still do occur periodically and may be found documented at http://www.horseproject.net/.

Speaking of horses and Holgas, it seems some wily old Hollywood western movie actor is trying to edge into the plastic camera business himself. Robert Redford's Sundance Catalog includes this listing for a Holga, only $75 smacks. Whoa, dude! Considering that this camera is widely available almost anywhere else for less than $30, that's not a bad markup for an old horse whisperer.

(Romantic historical factoid: "The Horse Whisperer" is actually the first movie Teshka and I ever saw together!)

North Portland, September 2006.

Holga 120N, Fuji Reala.