Changing Colors

Even the peppermint is feeling the change in temperature.

Morning sky

The sunrise this morning.

A beautiful start to an absolutely gorgeous fall day.

Hayden Lake, by the dike road.
This is where we took the kayak out last week.
A gorgeous place to be this afternoon.

But change is coming.

Waiting

Waiting for the sunflowers to bloom...

Smoky Sunset

There are fires burning all around us and the air quality

was definitely compromised today. It makes for a beautiful sunset, though.

And here's the moon. Again. Waxing Gibbous.

I'm sure you get tired of it. I never do. Obviously.

Dahlias in Vase

From my garden

Spider Web

Stained Glass Window

Inside

and out.

Took the Pelican out for her maiden voyage tonight. What a blast! Now I need a waterproof camera!

Moths

I found something harder to photograph than the hummingbirds....

I had to use flash, which I hate. And out of about 46 pictures,

these were the only two worth sharing.

You have to click on the larger image of this one. You can see his proboscis!

Barbed Wire

Thanks, Scott. You were right. This was the best photo.

Pretty Filly

Hostiles

I know, I know. They're hostas. But you should know by now that

everything around here gets a nickname.

And since it was raining and I had some time, I decided to play in Photoshop.

This is "Watercolor".

New Addition

I spent the week getting used to these. I was sure they were going to wreak havoc with my photography. I thought they would get in my way.

Turns out, seeing clearly is a benefit, not a problem.

[grin]

Gargoyle Planter

Aren't the petunias pretty this time of year?

Surprise!

Today we went to deliver a (concrete) wolf and came home with a Pelican!

Red & White Dahlias

I'm really happy with how well my dahlias are doing this year.

It's the first time I've tried to grow them.

I should probably wait until next spring before I get too carried away.

From what I understand, getting them ready for winter and the work they require before planting in the spring is significant. It could damage my love affair with them.

Implode

This is Implode. He's a baby quail. He's what happens to you when you have too much stress in your life. I like to keep him around, just to remind me.

When you take a quail out of the mold, you turn it inside out. When you put the mold back together, sometimes the rubber mold doesn't get turned all the way back the way it should. If you don't notice and put the fiberglass shell on, you can't tell that anythings wrong.

Until you pour it and take it out again. Then you get another Implode. Scott used to use them for scraps. Now he saves them for me. {grin}

Busy Bees

I think I could take photos of this all day and not capture the frenetic energy of the bees on the chives this time of year. It's amazing.

Butterfly

September 11, 2009

First of all, today is my brother's birthday. Happy Birthday, Todd!

This has been a rough week. First, our 9 year old cat dies under violent and suspicious circumstances. Then one of our kids, who has been on the wrong path for months, ends up in jail, charged with a serious crime.

Lots of reasons to lose hope.

But then a day like today comes around and I realize how much I still have to be thankful for. And I am: Really, truly thankful.

Here's to better days ahead.

Leis

I came home from work with a sinus headache. After going to the doctor for medicine, I slept most of the afternoon and evening. At 9pm, I realized I hadn't taken my photo for the day. It was dark - any outside photo was out of the question. I hate using flash indoors - it makes everything so harsh. So I took this photo (without flash) of a lei against my bedroom wall.

This is straight out of the camera. I like the softness of the picture but the colors are all wrong. The lei is a cool purple, the walls are a cool green. My plan last night was to simply post this picture. This afternoon, after again sleeping away most of the day with this annoying headache, I decided to see what Photoshop Elements could do.

This is after running Smart Fix. It's better. It still has that softness I like, and the colors are a little better, but they're still not right.

This is after running Smart Fix and Levels.
The colors are even better and it's still got that softness.

This is after running Smart Fix, Levels and Color Correction. This is probably the closest to the actual colors, although the wall looks pretty washed out and the flowers still aren't the true cool purple, but something happened between the last picture and this one that destroyed that sense of softness. So if I had to pick one, I'd pick Smart Fix & Levels.

And this time I didn't waste 2 hours. [grin]

St. Francis of Assisi

Patron Saint of Animals

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Sad, still

Still kind of reeling from the events of the weekend.

Funeral for a Friend

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the star shine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I did not die.

The Runt

The Runt ~ 2001-2009

Rest in peace, Runtnormous.

Drink of Water

Copper Butterfly

Deer

Saw these on the way to the lake tonight.

Moon in Trees

Cat Face Spider

This guy has taken up residence outside my front door.