living, learning, and keeping with the times
It seems that the magic of August has taken over… here are a few snippets of my days…
I had so much fun with the Phone Photography Project, and now The August Break, that I seem to have forgotten where I put my big girl camera… it’s just too much fun to snap a photo, run a filter, and come up with a mini piece of art. I think I’m addicted… I just signed up for “Picture Everyday” with Tracey Clark…
Have a wonderful Sunday!
I’m off to a pretty good start with the August Break, and I continue to be amazed at what the camera can reveal. Today’s prompt is “Up Close”. Can you tell what this is? It’s the downy part of a feather… how amazing. I took it with my phone, and the Olloclip lens.
I’m sharing on Instagram once again. It’s an easy, no pressure, fun kind of way to document the ordinary moments and things as you go about your day, and since this is the August long weekend in Canada, I’m going to be savouring every.single.moment.
Happy Weekend to all my fellow Canadians!!
Tomorrow is August 1st. I know you know that, but I had to write it down just to get my head around it.
This is what I did yesterday. I wanted to spend at least one July afternoon sitting on a blanket, on the lawn, flipping through beautiful magazines.
After a light dinner, I walked down to the lake and sat on the dock.
And, because I was alone, I decided to go out for a drive. We live on a lake, but there are little lakes all around us and some of them are so small, but so stunningly beautiful and serene…
… that I could hear these little ducklings twittering softly as momma looked on…
The Phone Photography Project is almost over and I’m surely going to miss it. But when I was reading one of my favourite blogs, I noticed that she is participating in the August Break 2013 with Susannah Conway. It sounds like a good one, so I have exactly one day to decide if I’m going to commit to it. It’s kind of a way to keep blogging through August, without having to write too much. You take a photo based on a prompt, and you post it… or not… sounds perfect…
Here’s a sunny lily from my garden, blooming her heart out…
And another one, I didn’t see that ant until later…
The rest of these were taken on some of our early morning walks last week. I was playing with shadows, and apps… apps galore…
Proof positive that I was up and outside by 7:30…
Memories in the making…
All of these images were taken with my phone. I’ve captured summer in ways I never thought possible, because of it.
This post today was inspired by Kathy at “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out“. She has started a new meme called “Song-ography” and I just had to jump in and play! Thanks, Kathy!
I have this love affair going on with my potting bench…
Not only do I love my potting bench, I love that it’s sitting on the ground at the bottom of our deck. What a vantage point!
It’s perfect for displaying flowers such as these lilies which I planted last autumn. I took them from a pot on the deck and stuck them in the flower bed for the winter… oh my… how happy am I that I did that…
I play here, I relax here, I arrange bouquets here.
I picked these wildflowers from the ditches surrounding our home. There’s goldenrod, yarrow, chamomile, clover, and I’m not sure what that purple flower is, but this whole bouquet is going in the fire pit when it’s done… no errant seeds will find their way into my garden.
I’ve had this beautiful book since 1999, and I pore over it every summer… well, actually I pore over it all the time.
So, this is how I play.
I have a little series on Instagram at keepingupblog. I’m using the hashtag #fromthepottingbench, if you want to see it.
Sorry that I haven’t been around to your blogs lately… summer and grandchildren… need I say more? I hope to be back soon.
How is your summer going? I hope it’s been good.
I’m trying to keep up with all my “stuff” while still enjoying and treasuring every minute, which is why the Phone Photography Project has been so much fun.
I love the grainy, blurry, filtered, messed-up photos of moments I’ve captured because of it…
Misty morning walks…
…brilliant blue dashers…
…vibrant cone flowers…
…lovely lilies…
… and yummy preserves that my granddaughter helped make…
I organized a little photo challenge for the grandchildren this week too. We had our first two prompts yesterday #fromwhereistand, and #bugs. I have to tell you, the things they came up with were amazing. We’re using phone cameras, a dslr, and a point and shoot. There are virtually no rules (just prizes for all).
So, my blog is suffering a wee bit but it cannot be helped. I’m trying to keep up, but it’s proving to be hard. Oh, and since when did it come to pass that I can’t run as fast, or as far, as a 3-year old?
Camera+, PicsPlayPro, LensLight, and Vintique
Well, what I found this morning, is that I forgot it was Friday… feels like my summer is going by with lighting speed.
So I thought I’d share this photo from the Phone Photography Project. We were supposed to find something “far away”. I kinda thought the little building looked far away.
Here’s the original, and I kept thinking that the sky was too blown out – not bad, kinda artsy…
…but it needed something… like a bird…
In one of Kim’s earlier classes, she had recommended PS Touch. I’d used it a bit, but not much, and I knew that it allowed you to work with layers (duh, it’s PS, Barb!!) So I added the photo of the bird and used the “Fade” function to blend it (there is also a gradient option). Too. Much. Fun.
Cool, huh?! all dreamy and mystical.
Well, I have get dressed to go for my walk. It’s been three weeks now and I’ve been able to keep up with my two friends, and have found that I look forward to it.
My legs still hurt a bit, I miss my morning ritual at the computer, and I think I do get a bit behind on some of my stuff. But for some reason, it just feels right, like it’s what I’m supposed to be doing.
I have to trust that.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!
Friday Finds at Kim Klassen dot com
My morning routine has really been shaken up. But just look at what happened because of it…
… sunrise through the clover. This is my Phone Photography Project entry for today. It’s all about the colours of the rainbow (Roy G. Biv) and this I suppose, is violet. I do not know how that violet halo was produced, it just happened.
But, about my routine. Two weeks ago a friend asked me if I wanted to join her and her sister-in-law on their morning walks. When I accepted, I knew that it was going to bite into my most creative time of day. That’s when blog posts get written, assignments get done, and ideas flow like the Fraser River (British Columbia, Canada). But I accepted anyway and I knew it was the right thing to do. I needed to try something new.
The first week, I was hard pressed to keep the commitment. Leave the house at 7:30? before I have my 4 cups of coffee? leave the computer? nope, not working for me… plus my shins were hurting like h***.
Fast forward another week, a bottle of Ibuprofen, and the realization that I’m actually getting more work done after I get home. As well, I’m rediscovering summer mornings; the pure pale light, the sweet smell of clover, and the sparkling dew on the grass. I really don’t know if I can handle all this inspiration (I need to bookmark this post so I can look at it in March, the most uninspiring month ever).
I’m loving the social contact with two people whom I really like, and partaking in lovely conversations “how was your weekend” “how are your shins” “we need to go for lunch some day, but don’t worry if you can’t“.
Polite, caring, authentic company.
OK, the day is progressing quickly and I have to get to work! Oh, that would be after I get that photo of that flower I saw …
I’ve been having a blast participating in the BPC Phone Photography Project “32 days of challenges, inspiration and app reviews“. Members come from all over the world; Canada, USA, Australia, United Arab Emirates, and on and on. This world we live in is a bit unreal, don’t you think?
Every day brings new and exciting app reviews and I’ve almost completely switched over to using Camera+ because it gives a lot of control over DOF (gotta love that)!
I just finished the Photo Hunt, where there are 10 prompts, ranging from “cold” to “symmetry”. To be eligible to win a prize, you have to have them posted by the end of today.
I processed this lemonade image in Afterlight, then I added text using “Over” (which I already had).
See what I mean about DOF? These candles are a perfect example.
Afterlight warmed up and enhanced the dappled effect on this image of my garden shed.
I processed the pansy image in Afterlight using light leaks, then put it all together with Pic Frame.
…and here’s my 10 finds: red, summery, initial, symmetry, sweet, texture, wheels, odd, sign, cold:
How fun is that?! If you want to see my Instagram stream check it out @keepingwiththetimes
I had trouble finding the perfect template to display 10 pictures so I made one, and you can get it here for free! It’s a fully layered psd template, compatible with Photoshop Elements, and Photoshop.
Just click on the image below to download.
Enjoy!!
Early Saturday morning, this is where I found myself…
… at our town-wide flea market (at least a half hour before it was officially open).
I made my first score within 5 minutes.
Chairs were not on my radar, but when I saw these, I found myself handing over the money in a daze. I mean, you can’t walk by a chair that costs $5.00… can you? And the nice gentleman who sold them to me helped carry them to my vehicle. Small town perks. My day was off to a great start.
I feel a chalk paint project coming on…
I did buy a few other things, but because one is so outlandish and rusty, I’m too embarrassed to reveal it. But I do have a plan.
So for now, I ‘m showing you this glorious clematis. Every year I have to replace this plant… it never makes it through our winter.
And here’s my lovely herb garden. It’s coming along splendidly, wouldn’t you say? I picked up some basil which I now need to transplant into some rusty tool box, or pail, or something…
I have some work to do inside this morning, and after that, it’s out to the garden, my little piece of heaven on earth.
I have planting, and weeding, and feeding to do. The plants will benefit from all the attention, but not as much, I think, as I will.
Anemones are one of my favourite flowers and I thought that black and white just might do it justice. Was I right? And did you know that good writing dictates that you shouldn’t use the same word/phrase twice in the same paragraph, let alone sentence…
I do so love anemones, aka windflower.
Green, I can’t get enough of it.
The view from where I sit.
My garden is on the deck (safe from all the bunnies that are roaming around here).
I finally figured out how to use Hipstamatic… duh… for these photos today, I actually chose a film, and a lens!! Woot for me! I used Salvador, Dream Canvas Film, and the Salvador 84 lens (I think…) hmmm, don’t quote me on that though.
How does your garden grow? And how does your computer run?
Last night I was tearing my hair out because my internet was sooooo slooowww. And my computer has been whirring and buzzing ceaselessly. So I finally called our internet provider. Loooong story short. I was up until 11:00 talking to a couple of techies. After all was said and done, they concluded that there was nothing wrong with our connection, it was my computer. OK, fair enough.
But get this, when I called them, our speed was between 85-138 kilobits. When I got up this morning and ran a test, it was at 10697 kilobits! A veritable jet engine. Now, I didn’t do anything, so how would a person explain that? I think they must have reset something and didn’t know it. Whatever it was, I’m not complaining.
But I did get busy and I cleaned up my computer today. I removed almost 200 GB of STUFF! Seriously! I use Photoshop a lot and those .psd files are monsters. And now I’m defragging the old beast, so much fun to be had here!
Long story long, my internet is speedy, and my computer is silent.
Anyway, are you still here? You’re so polite…
Today is the day I am going to sit here at the computer and get some work done! I am woefully behind on a project that is supposed to be submitted on June 1st, and I don’t even know what I’m going to create… aaackk…
But first, I had to play TT. I took this shot while driving home from Saskatchewan. We had crossed the border and were already in Alberta, but this iconic building could be anywhere on the prairies.
I took it with my phone (can’t remember what app I used) but then I added three layers of kk_1402 on colour burn. I added a linear burn to the sky and added a Gaussian blur.
OK, gotta run!! I am going to join Kim Klassen in an Adobe Connect Meeting. Woot! how fun! I just checked in and Kim’s just setting up! Perhaps I will see you over there?
Texture Tuesday at Kim Klassen dot com
As I have said before “I need flowers”. However, our holidays are quickly coming to an end and I didn’t want to spend any money on a bouquet that I was going to have to either give away, or (heaven forbid!) throw away. So off I went in search of wildflowers. These charming Desert Marigolds are growing on the roadsides all over Fountain Hills and I didn’t think it would be a problem if I snipped a few and brought them in to grace our humble abode.
This morning I set them on the little antique chest that has become our coffee table. I love it’s rough texture and peeling paint and the fact that at a certain time the sun streams in and hits it on the corner, creating a perfect sunbeam. No fake Photoshop sunbeam here (although I am not above that).
I snapped the photo with my iPhone and took it into #PicsPlay where I added a filter and the text. Then I added one layer of kk_subtlyyours by Kim Klassen.
Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful Thursday!! Yes, yes, I’m late to the party! :)
My apologies for re-posting this… there were some error messages with the first one and I’m trying to figure out what it was. Thanks so much for your patience. I saved all the comments from the previous post (I treasure and appreciate all of them).
parched desert floors
Yes, we are still on holidays. It seems like it was another lifetime that we went to the Grand Canyon but it was only a couple of weeks ago. We’ve seen everything from a blizzard to parched desert floors. I was photographing cactus flowers when I noticed this plant and saw what a beautiful shape it had. This is the thing that my iPhone has opened up for me–the courage to take photos that at first don’t seem worth taking but turn into mini pieces of art by adding a filter or two. Simple everyday moments are recorded. I now turn to my Instagram page to recall the details of my life. Are you following me on Instagram? There are lots of little snippets there that you might find fun…
Here’s a bit of water to quench that dry desert floor feeling:
cool waters
We surely packed in a lot of adventures. We had 3 different sets of company (loved it all). We visited the Canyon, Goldfield Ghost Town (where we watched a western gun fight), Tortilla Flats, Sedona, Montezuma Castle, the Zoo, the Rio Verde drive, then all the way up to Cave Creek.
We enjoyed lunches, dinners, picnics, water parks, and pool time.
Did I mention dinners? Here’s a tasty treat I enjoyed at Lon’s. Grilled Halibut on Risotto with Fennel, yummm.
grilled halibut
And, we went shopping–from Target to Casa Decor to Anthropologie (and back).
anthropologie
Yesterday, hubby and I went to Restoration Hardware just to see what it was about. Whoa… it’s not what I expected. Swank, people. Swank.
Our first clue was that we had to walk through a courtyard to get to the door. I wanted to turn back but couldn’t help myself. I wanted to see it. First thing we encountered was a gentleman sitting on a couch looking at us like we were slugs or something. That was uncomfortable. Until hubby stopped and looked at a ginormous pine table and turned to me and said “I don’t think this is big enough, do you?” I hesitated only for a moment but then glanced at the gentleman out of the corner of my eye and said “well, yes… I think it needs another piece of pine –it’s not wide enough” (this thing would not have fit in our garage). Lucky for me I didn’t go into a fit of giggles. It wouldn’t have been pretty considering the amount of water I had been consuming.
We soldiered on and went right up to the top floor, looked around, exchanged niceties with the salespeople and then got the he** out of there, our white running shoes flashing as we went.
Please don’t get me wrong. I can appreciate the good things in life and Restoration Hardware is definitely one of them. If I could, I probably would shop there. Actually, we determined that we could manage to buy a lamp… if they had some kind of lay-a-way program.
Sharing with Wordless Wednesday at Tina’s PicStory (sorry this is not so wordless) :)
We enjoyed a relaxing hour or so while having lunch on the patio at “The House of Tricks” in downtown Tempe near the popular Mill Avenue. Protected from the sun by a leafy canopy and surrounded by pots of flowers, it’s a quiet oasis that makes a person want to linger. It makes you want to savour every bite, talk about life, and sip slowly on your beverage of choice. Ours was coffee; aromatic and flavourful, poured from little decanters and served in tiny mismatched teacups.
It stirred some distant memory or feeling in me that I can’t quite explain. Probably just a combination of all the summer days of my life and the gratefulness I feel when sitting on a deck surrounded by flowers, friends, and family. Whatever it was, it’s elusive so I’m going to leave it at that. I would highly recommend this restaurant, not just for the atmosphere but also for the food. I ate so much that I skipped dinner last night and at the time of this writing I’m still not ready for breakfast!
Today we spent most of the day at our local park. We found a spot on the grass, set up our little picnic area and enjoyed a delicious lunch of homemade chicken sandwiches and fresh fruit. When we finished, the boys went to play on the slides and us adults sat and relaxed for a bit.
It wasn’t long until I wandered off to “take photos” and came back with some lattés and cinnamon coffee cake. It just doesn’t get any better, I tell ya!
Hubby and I have so enjoyed having our family with us and we are really, really going to miss them. I feel teary remembering the ginormous hugs that we received at the airport when we picked them up a week ago (I was almost toppled over by a 3-year-old). And now, already, we are soon going to be saying our good-byes. It’s going to be pretty quiet when we get back to our condo (except for the snores).
Today we spent five hours with our daughter and grandsons at the zoo and we had a blast! There’s an incredible amount to see, from scorpions to rattle snakes, to jaguars. I have dozens of photos to process but I’m going to have to leave you with this giraffe I captured on my iPhone. There’s only so much I can cram in into one day…
(processed with distressed fx)
Our trip to the Grand Canyon didn’t start out too hot. As a matter of fact we ran into a blizzard and had to sit in a gift shop for an hour or so where we busied ourselves eating hot dogs. (I believe the one I ate is still haunting me…)
I took this photo with my phone as we tore across the parking lot to get back to the car. I tell you that wind was biting and that snow was wet. Did we not just fly 2236.44 Kilometers to get away from this stuff?
But, being the troopers that we are, we swiped the snow off the car and proceeded out onto the highway thinking that if we could just get to our hotel, we could warm up and regroup. However, it wasn’t too long until a bit of sun peeked out of the clouds and the fog parted enough and we got our first glimpse of the Canyon.
I can’t even describe how it felt. It was absolutely awe-inspiring.
To be continued…
Well, not really… it just looks like it.
Can you guess where we are? It’s hot. It’s sunny. It’s gloriously beautiful. There are flowers and flowering trees everywhere.
I took this photo while in the parking lot at Costco… (why do I always seem to be there?)
I want to share a bit about our holiday so I guess if I’m at Costco, well, there I am. However, I was wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and sandals – no complaints in that department.
Hope you are having a wonderful Easter!
…as seen on my walk…
Are you bragging or complaining? That’s the great old question.
When it comes to us Canadians and our weather, I think you could say it’s both. Either way, we certainly love to talk about it.
Over the past 24 hours we received another 20cm of the white stuff. And it’s darn cold out there too.
It looks like January and it feels like January.
So I went for a little drive and brought home a garden in a pot.
Call me weird but I’m loving the dirt and the bulbs as much as that sweet white hyacinth.
I’ve become fascinated with this “from above” photography.
I find it mysterious. What’s the story here? A handful of seashells, a little sachet of dried lavender, handmade soap, and flowers…
As a matter of fact each item does have a story but that story is most likely meaningful only to me. And yet, when I look at these little vignettes made by strangers, I have the feeling that I’m getting a tiny glimpse into their life and I wonder what it all means. And that’s where I want to be left… wondering.
Texture Tuesday at Kim Klassen Cafe
I added the link to this post to the Be Still 52 class even though it’s over a year old. I just really liked it and thought it fit perfectly with the class. I’m working on a new one which I hope to post soon. Thanks for understanding!
Inspiration has been coming at me from all directions lately.
This week’s TT theme is “Free and Easy”. Anything goes as long as you use at least one of Kim’s textures.
In the 2B class, our assignment was to create a photo “from above” and Kim hinted that phones would be a great way to capture one of these. But I kinda thought I would use my DSLR until she mentioned the part about falling off a chair when using big cameras. I know she is right because I’ve been there…
So here’s my creation for the combined TT and 2B assignments.
Today as I was going through my mother’s sewing basket (as I have done many times) it felt so different. I think it was because I was really looking. I wanted to create a vignette for this exercise and I had to choose my items carefully. After I took my photo and processed it I was quite moved by this poignant scene.
Traces left behind by loved ones.
Tiny spools of thread, and thread wrapped tightly around pins. An unfinished sewing project (a hot pad). And those scissors… my mom was very territorial about all of her scissors (and consequently, so am I). Thimbles, needles and little parcels of (salvaged) hemming tape. And ever so heartbreaking… the cigarette (butt) filter. She used it as a pincushion.
Textures:
kk_1402
kk_1402 magic
(ahem)… I know some people will not be agreeing with me…
but, lots of snow=higher lake levels …
not so good – hubby up on treacherous roof to clear off internet receiver (addiction? what addiction?)
a bird’s dream…
and, it can’t last all that long, after all, it is March.
I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday! Thanks for dropping by!
#bunchacrunch
#abundance
It may sound corny but every time I walk into a grocery store I am amazed at all the food we have at our fingertips. Piles and piles of it – and sometimes the stores are nearly empty (of people). Does it all eventually get eaten up? I hope so. And I hope I never see the day where food is not as readily available. I am truly thankful.
Wordless Wednesday at Project Alicia
Flying over the Grand Canyon – what an amazing view! Someday, we’re going to go there. I’ve officially put it on our bucket list.
It feels so good to be on a bit of a vacation. We’re looking forward to warm weather and lots of sun (and hopefully, fun!)
As soon as we landed in Phoenix, after we picked up our luggage and got our car, we headed straight to our favourite little restaurant “Sofritas” . As we were enjoying our lunch on the patio, we marveled over the fact that just that morning hubby had been shoveling snow… and it was -20C and dark… so very dark…
As much as we love our home, it’s always nice to get away for a bit in the winter, and I’m grateful, so very grateful.
Tina’s Wordless Wednesday at Tina’s PicStory
Well, here I am at my new digs… and it seems I’m not doing too bad.
It looks like I’ve been able to publish a post – three cheers!
I use the WordPress editor for my blog posts at Digital Scrapper so I’ve had some experience. But it’s one thing to publish a post, and quite another to run the site.
Therefore, I’m feeling off-balance. Everything I’m doing lately is new – here and at my new part-time job.
Oh, yes. I haven’t told you about that yet . I can’t because it isn’t public yet. But I’ll just say that some nights I go to bed thinking that I’ve bitten off too much and wonder what the heck I’m trying to prove? But then, after about 7 hours of sleep, I wake up and make a bee-line to my computer with new determination.
This morning when I looked at the clock it said 3:45… arrghhhh… and my creative juices were flowing and my mind would not stop. But maybe if I had gone to bed at 10:00 pm instead of 8:30… (ya think?) I couldn’t help it – I was dead tired and I fell asleep immediately.
Now I need to get to WORK or I”m going to lose steam. My poor blog has to wait. It just has to wait.
Thank you so much for dropping by. I’m not sure how my comment function is working, so I apologize if you can’t comment, or something else weird happens. If you feel inclined – shoot me an e-mail to let me know what hoops you had to jump through.
I’ll be around to your blogs tonight.
Have a wonderful day!
Egad! I’m taking the plunge and moving to WordPress! I’ve been mulling it over for so long I’m starting to get sick of myself, already.
 |
| into the wild blue yonder… |
My poor little blog is going to be experiencing a bit of a hiccup in the coming days… weeks maybe… but I’m optimistic that it will be worth it.
Keeping up with the times will soon be at a self-hosted WordPress site. That means I will own my content and will have full control over it. Other than that I don’t know why I’m doing this except that the voice in my head telling me to do so has been so persistent – arghh! I can’t shut it up!
I’m not doing it myself. Not a chance. I have enlisted the help of Kristi at Linauer Designs. Kristi specializes in Blogger to WordPress migration. I’ve handed the reins over to her and fully expect to wake up some morning in the near future to find that I can’t find my blog…
Oh my word, what did I just say? Can’t find my blog? Can my heart take it? I’m filled with anxiety. But also excitement.
I’ve decided that it has a lot to do with my mantra to “learn something new, try something different, blah blah blah…” I just can’t seem to leave well enough alone.
So, I am going to lose my GFC gadget. Now that HURTS! But I understand that anyone who is following me will still find my posts in Google Reader. And you can still subscribe by e-mail and RSS. You can find me on Google+ too. Oh, I do hope I don’t lose anyone!
If you are out there – and you don’t see me for a while, please check Google+ (if you are so inclined that is) for updates.
Wish me well.
I saw deer tracks that looked like hearts…
beautiful, snowy landscapes…
and… what are the chances of this…
When you live like a hermit in the country this is about as exciting as it gets. I don’t mind. It’s a good thing I have my toys.
Hope you are having a great January so far!