America’s Treasure
There are homecomings. And then there are homecomings. I've watched my friend Neighbor Laura go through the gamut of emotions when it comes her son Tim. When he graduated from college she was so proud. On the day he was commissioned an officer in the Army, she beamed. On the day he left for Germany, she waved him off and smiled. On the day he went to Afghanistan she cried. But he's home, if only for a little rest and relaxation. And we all were excited and and we all cried. As we welcomed him home, one thing kept going through my ...
Team Up Thursday ~ Selective Focus
This is Kristina's photo for this week's Team Up Thursday theme - Selective Focus. I really like her interpretation of it very much. I see the woods, and the broken tree but I'm focused on the litter symbolically lying next to it. I think that photojournalistically (word check?), that it hits the nail on the head. I had a difficult time with the theme because I couldn't get the camera to focus correctly. Instead, I got selective focus by using TRA's POS Action. I guess it's better than nothing. See more TUT photos at Melody A. and Megan's.
September 2, The Color Blind
I met this man last weekend and I was instantly fascinated by him. Although there were others around, my camera kept turning again and again to him. He made room for me on the back of a tobacco wagon and we rode together to the next field to harvest. I can safely say that we don't have anything in common but the bond of humanity was strong between us. I found it difficult to edit his dark skin, shiny from sweat. I worked on it long and hard because I wanted to do him justice. Because of that, I can't remember all ...
September 1, Into The Distance
There must be something working in the universe today. Take a look at Tracey Clark's photo. The dog is not a regular Labrador type of retriever. She' shy and small in the big world. I put a vignette on the photo but masked out the top part and just made the water darker. This is not wordless but I'm posting for Wordless Wednesday anyway.
A Thought Or Two About Eggs
I am a big fan of the egg. Cheese omelets were the only source of protein for the boy it seems. I know I seem obsessed with the boy's eating habits but unless one has a uber picky eater, one doesn't know the troubles I'm seen... I know the boy has grown to be a big strapping young man. I will say this without any pride whatsoever; it is and will always be my biggest accomplishment in life. Because had it not been for the little egg, I swear the boy would be emaciated. So it was very disconcerting when last month ...
August 31, Summer’s Last Hurrah
Texture is from Shadowhouse Creations GM6. There was no rhyme or reason for choosing this particular texture. The image was a little bit over-exposed so I suppose I wanted something to darken it. I like the edges and as you can see, I over extended it past the image a little bit. This image to me is a little bit of summer and a little bit of fall...
Liz Printz Chesapeake Bay Sea Glass Jewelry
I admit I fall in love very easily. Over the course the last almost 20 years, I've fallen in and out of love with furniture, jewelry, plates, and anything that is old and from the specific country in which we were residing at the time. I know I have a problem and the only cure for it is - lack of funds. Which was the reason why I didn't buy everything on this stand. This is a little display at the local boutique called J Pink which I frequented a couple of months ago. I don't trust myself to go back. ...
August 30, Ruddy & Handsome
1. Duplicate layer - blending mode soft light, reduce opacity 2. Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Brightness Contrast - increased brightness 3. Masked out the boy 4. Still not quite right so I ran MCP Action - Magic Fill Light 5. And even after all of that, I ran TRA's Pool Party - reduce opacity 6. Added a vignette. I used TRA's Burn Out but there's a plethora of them out there. The boy said last week over dinner, "Mama, I have something to ask..." I looked at him expectantly. "Nah, forget it." "No, ask, go ahead." "No, forget it." The husband said, "Well now you really need to say it." The boy, "It's weird ...
August 28, Every Street Corner
focal length: 18 mm shutter speed: 1/6 aperture: f/3.5 ISO: 1600 exposure bias: -1.7 flash: not fired location: Somewhere in the back alleys of historic Annapolis, MD. This photo is SOOC. I stretched my little Nikon D40 to the maximum that it could do. There are many times that I wish I had a better camera. I'm human after all. But I still love my D40. It's not much, but it's all I have. I really wanted to post photos of my kids getting on the bus on the first day of school instead. It's a tradition to take photos on that big day but it's embarrassing now ...
Thai Beef Salad or Waterfall Beef
One of my all time favorite dishes - ever - is Thai beef salad. I make it at home often and I order it in Thai restaurants whenever I have the opportunity to go. My mother makes the best beef salad but I do the best I can. Disclaimer - if you are a vegetarian, this is definitely not the dish for you. To make it truly authentic, you will need to make the ground rice. This can be done in one big batch and stored for later use. That being said, I make this dish many times without it. It can ...
August 27, Teach Me The Way That Is Good And Right
I love this perfect moment where we settle into a routine. Both the boy and the girl have started school and for the moment at least, seem content in their classes and their teachers. After much suspense the girl has made the field hockey team - it's a big deal and a big dent in our schedule. I have worked out a carpool with our wonderful neighbors so that will really help. I encouraged her to step back from riding. She can't handle this fast-paced schedule and lets face it - I can't either. I won't post the photo edit this ...
Team Up Thursday – Old
It's time for Team Up Thursday again! This week's Team Up Thursday theme is "Old." Above is Kristina' photo. Her computer with her photo editing software crashed. She has given me the ultimate trust to edit her photos for her until she is up and running again. This is akin to giving someone permission to watch your child. It's big, Thank you Kristina for that trust. She took this with her point and shoot, wow. This is a renovated historical building in her city. It's now a night club but still has the charm of yesteryear I think. I edited it with: 1. B's ...
August 26, From The Depths
My mother would eat these unopened lily pods. I didn't have time to try them myself. Edited with: 1. PW's Lovely and Ethereal 2. Lightened with Curves 3. Gaussian Blur at 2 pixels 4. Masked out the pod Voila!
August 25, Consider The Lilies
The water lilies that is... This is a protected water reserve at Lake Tippecanoe, Indiana. It's a wonderful place to take a paddle boat or a kayak. 1. Edited with Coffee Shop Golden Vintage. 2. Vintage layer set at 50%. 3. Topaz Adjust Color Blast filter. Today I'm at Vision and Verb. Please visit...
Eat Here & Get Gas
This sign is located in Tipton, Indiana on a busy route between the airport and the husband's hometown. We drove by it many times over the years on our visits home. It always cracks me up. The sign itself is funny but the sign below it is kind of cute as well, Home Grown Cookin. The place was packed. You can tell that there were a lot of repeat customers. It seemed like a place that people would come week after week to have a cup of coffee with their neighbors. Look at the mannequin waitress next to the computer and printer on ...
August 24, Pink Repose
This is the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Oahu. The view is from Waikiki Beach. The editing is: 1. PW's Boost Action at 50% 2. Topaz Adjust Equalize Filter I can feel the island breeze blowing through my hair... Thanks for indulging my aloha heart today.
iHeart Beach Fun
We didn't go to the beach this year, opting for the lake instead. So when iHeartfaces asked for beach photos, I had to reach into my archives. This is our trip last year to Hawaii. It doesn't have a clear face but I like the focus of these ladies learning the hula on the beach. You have no idea how much I wanted to grab a skirt and join them. I know that last week I said I wanted to stay home for a while but after going through my archives, I decided that I want to go back to Hawaii - ...
Signatures
America’s TreasureThere are homecomings. And then there are homecomings. I’ve watched my friend...
I’m A Fig ThiefI have been in fig heaven for the last few weeks. Figs tarts have dominated our...
The Classic Sport Of Field HockeyI have been perusing Susannah Conway’s photos of her August Break series and...
My Boy, Oh What A BoyThe boy is 16 today. Apparently he’s surprised? Or happy? Or something. What? That’s...
A Pilot’s Wife’s LifeTell me…what in the world is this? It looked like a fingernail at first but...
Read More Posts From This CategoryPhotography
September 3, Raw Oyster Barfocal length: 23 mm shutter speed: 1/40 aperture: f/3.8 ISO: 400 exposure bias:...
Team Up Thursday ~ Selective FocusThis is Kristina’s photo for this week’s Team Up Thursday theme –...
September 2, The Color BlindI met this man last weekend and I was instantly fascinated by him. Although there...
September 1, Into The DistanceThere must be something working in the universe today. Take a look at Tracey Clark’s...
August 31, Summer’s Last HurrahTexture is from Shadowhouse Creations GM6. There was no rhyme or reason for choosing...
Read More Posts From This CategoryFood & Cooking
I’m A Fig ThiefI have been in fig heaven for the last few weeks. Figs tarts have dominated our diet. I’ve eaten them for breakfast, brunch, lunch, snack, dinner and midnight snack. However, figs are not free. In the sense that I don’t have to pay for them, they are free. But for some reason, I continue to do things that are embarrassing so I pay with... [Read more of this review]
A Thought Or Two About EggsI am a big fan of the egg. Cheese omelets were the only source of protein for the boy it seems. I know I seem obsessed with the boy’s eating habits but unless one has a uber picky eater, one doesn’t know the troubles I’m seen… I know the boy has grown to be a big strapping young man. I will say this without any pride whatsoever;... [Read more of this review]
Read More Posts From This CategoryVisit the Vision & Verb Collaboration
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