Six Word Saturday

 

Super Bowl weekend; food, fun, football

Six Word Saturday

 

aging gracefully, not in my vocabulary

Wild Olive Tees - Giveaway

Be sure to head on over to Wild Olive Tees. They have a wonderful collection of t-shirts, hoodies, etc., in women and children's sizes and are hosting a giveway through midnight, Sunday, September 30th.

You can find the details here: Wild Olive Tees - Pin It To Win It

Although this giveaway centers around Pinterest, you don't have to have a Pinterest account to enter, so head on over and take a chance!

Friday Photo

I've really dropped the ball again with posting. I have taken a number of photos but not as many as I had planned on when I got the new camera. Life just keeps getting in the way. Anyway, just in case anyone happens by, here are a couple of new pictures I decided to use for Friday Photo.

This picture is actually from last week. I took some photos of my granddaughter, Sarah Grace, before she left for school the morning after we celebrated her 16th birthday. I loved her shoes, specifically the color and took this shot of them. I did do a slight color boost but that's the only edit made.

And just so you can see how lovely Sarah is, here is one of the photos I took of her.

This one is unedited.

Friday Photo

I am displaying another group of older photos this week, even though I did manage to take some pictures this week. I just haven't had the time to sort through them to see what I might use and honestly, most of them were taken in a dark restaurant at a luncheon I attended and the quality is probably not the greatest. Good memory photos but not great photography, poor lighting, people with eyes half open, blurred faces, you get the drift. I know a couple of them turned out okay but I'll leave them for another day.

Here are some closeups of flowers I took in Tennessee back in May. You can tell that it was already hot and humid and that the flowers were beginning to suffer from the harsh summer weather. All of these were in a bed at a nursing home where mom and I visited with my cousin's wife who had a bad stroke a couple of years ago and will probably never leave the home. At least she is in a nice environment and well cared for.

Friday Photo

My original intent when I started this series of posts called Friday Photo, was to post a picture or pictures from something I had taken the week of the post. Unfortunately, I haven't always been able to do as I intended. Unfortunate because that means I'm not taking pictures as often as I would like and therefore not getting the practice in with the new camera. I hope to do better in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, here is a picture I took back in May on my trip to Tennessee with my mother. I've posted pictures of the old Forbus General Store a few times on my blog but this one was taken with the new camera. I'm putting two versions of the photo on here today. The Forbus General Store has been photographed by some well-known, read much better photographers than me, and published in some fancy magazines. You can generally find a table full of local fellows playing a card game called Pig.

This version was edited to slightly lighten and sharpen.

 

I ran a quick retro action on this version of the same photo. When I visit the area where my mother grew up, it seems as though I'm traveling back a bit in time. Although they have all the modern conveniences of the rest of the world in this area, things are a bit slower paced and gives the feel of bygone days. 

It's a beautiful area with much to see and experience if you enjoy mountains, scenery, fishing, boating and photography. Dale Hollow Lake is nearby as well as several parks and recreation areas, both on the Tennessee side and across the state line in Kentucky. I know for a fact that some of the best people in the world have called this area home.

Friday Photo (on Tuesday)

This is the photo I wanted to post on Friday but life got in the way and I forgot about it until today. This 'tricycle' sits across the street from my house, holding a potted plant in a beautifully landscaped area of my neighbor's yard.

Friday Photo

This week I chose to post pictures of some of my wind chimes. I like wind chimes but I'm picky about what I will hang. I've had the three pictured here for several years. All of these were taken with the new 70-300 lens and again, they aren't necessarily great photos by any stretch of the imagination but I'm still learning the camera and playing with the lens.

I am mostly shooting on auto but do sometimes switch to manual and adjust the settings. I need to practice more but it is so hot and I committed to participating in an exercise / movement group this month and by the time I finish with that, I'm tired and it is scorching hot. The motto in that group is no excuses and I guess I need to make that same commitment to shooting pictures. I need to get up earlier and find some good locations to catch the early morning sun. There are several really neat places and older houses in this area that I could photograph. I just need to get out and do it.

I like the bokeh effect on each of the first two pictures. It comes from the lens. 

This chime gives off a soft, joyful metallic tone. 

 I love the colors of this chime. It has a delicate, tinkling sound when the butterfly isn't stuck inside the bell.

I guess I need to set it free!

 

Although this isn't a beautiful wind chime, I love the woody tones it gives off when the breeze catches it just right and causes it to sway back and forth. Each of the different sizes of hollowed out wood gives off a different tone and I find it soothing to listen to. I don't like loud, clanging chimes so this one is perfect for me!

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Friday Photo

I can't believe I've already purchased another new lens. I got a 70-300 Telephoto lens that I've been playing with a bit. I got a really good deal on the price at Amazon and with a credit from a gift card I had there it just seemed like the thing to do. I'm posting a couple of shots I took the day I got the lens, nothing special as I didn't even leave my yard that day.

The first picture is of a house across the street from where I live that I've always loved. I like the style, the color, the landscaping... there's not much about it that I don't like. It's hard to believe how close the house looks in the photo, knowing where I stood to take it. I can't wait to get a chance to use this lens at one of the bayous or at the Wildlife Refuge. I would love to get a shot of a gator that looks close up without actually having to be close up!

This picture is of a little figure that sits near my front door. While this isn't really a great photo by any stretch of the imagination, I like the bokeh the lens produced here. It gives me hope that I might capture some really good shots with this lens if I just keep trying.