Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Wordless Wednesday - February 4, 2009

click picture to enlarge

I had a visitor at my back porch yesterday. I couldn't believe that he actually came this close to the house. Yet in doing so, he ensured himself a wonderful meal of seed and grain dropped from the bird feeder hanging from the eave of the porch.

I even managed to catch a quick video of him.


My Back Porch Buddy on Vimeo.

What you can't see in the pictures or the video, are the number of birds hovering around the feeder above him. The birds come every morning like clockwork, a mix of cardinals, chickadees and sparrows among others, but the squirrels never get this close. They generally prefer to maintain their distance and stay near the big tree toward the back of the yard. Apparently, this little guy was so tempted by the treats on the ground that he decided to go where no squirrel had gone before... all the way to my back porch!

click picture to enlarge

I was just lucky I spotted the little guy before Ginger did and scared him away forever with that booming bark of hers. He still nervously scurried off several times but returned over and over to grab whatever morsels he could find. He even came all the way up on the porch at one point but I had already put the camera down and he ran off again before I could pick it up and get focused on him.

Perhaps someday, I really will manage to do a true "wordless" entry... but it just wasn't meant to happen today!

Check out Wordless Wednesday to see a list of all participants in this weekly meme.

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posted by Marsha at 18 Comments

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Wordless Wednesday - January 28, 2009



I'm recycling this photo from a previous post My Ugly Mug. I figure this mug deserves a little more attention! It may not have won the contest, but it has a special place in my heart (even if it is kept on the top shelf of the corner cabinet pushed all the way to the back).

Check out Wordless Wednesday to see a list of all participants in this weekly meme.

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posted by Marsha at 16 Comments

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Wordless Wednesday - Sunset Silhouette

Sunset On Hernando Beach, Spring Hill, Florida
you can view a larger version of this file by clicking on the photo and accessing it through my flickr account

I took this picture on the beach at sunset on Sunday, December 28, 2008, the day after we arrived at my daughter's house in Florida. We barely made it there in time to get pictures before the sun disappeared completely. The photo was edited in Paint Shop Pro to enhance the color and create the silhouette effect. I love silhouettes.

We saw several dolphins near the shore shortly after this picture was taken but I wasn't able to get through the throng of people in time to get a clear photo of them.

Check out Wordless Wednesday to see a list of all participants in this weekly meme.

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posted by Marsha at 16 Comments

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Wordless Wednesday - Photobooth

We set up the camera and played photo booth Tuesday night. I only had time to make one example strip so Kayla could see at least one set before I leave in the morning.



I have so many more pictures to put into strips when I get home and will probably try to create a new strip or find a better template online. When they are finished I will print them out and send the finished photo booth strips to Kayla. Playing photo booth was fun. You don't have to be a good photographer to do this either so there are no real excuses for not trying this activity!

I had so much fun with Kayla this trip and really enjoyed visiting with her and Anna and Jamie and Shawn and even Luger. I am going to miss them as soon as I pull out of the driveway!

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posted by Marsha at 19 Comments

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - Happy New Year



Made from a photo of my daughter's Christmas tree taken on Christmas Day, 2008.

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posted by Marsha at 22 Comments

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - September 10, 2008

Duotones


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I took this photo while I was in Indiana at my mothers. It is a picture from a nearby farm that I came across and I simply liked the color of the truck. I cropped a portion of the bottom as it was just a lot of soy beans and didn't add much to (probably distracted from) the photo. I used the result to make a couple of duotones (two toned) from it. I just thought it was fun and decided to share here today.

indiana_farm_bluegrayduo

This one is a blue-gray with black duotone. The blue-gray color was taken from the barn. It turned out to be a lot more gray than blue and rather plain looking in my opinion.

indiana_farm_redduo

The red in this duotone was taken from the truck. I like this one best.

I enjoy doing this type of thing in Paint Shop Pro. The instructions for this one were written for Photoshop but as with most tutorials you can readily adapt them to work in most comprehensive graphic programs. You can read about this process here: Duotones

I guess this is one more not so Wordless Wednesday!

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posted by Marsha at 13 Comments

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - September 03, 2008

*** update *** just a quick note to let you know that I'm having trouble getting the comments pages to load with the dial-up connection I'm on here at my mom's. If I can't get by to comment while I'm still here, I'll be sure to drop by your site later this week when I get back home.

Indiana Sunrise

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indiana_sunrise_083108_4-sm


Both these photos were taken Sunday morning at different locations about a mile or so apart and each are a mile or less from my mom's home in east-central Indiana where I've been for the past week or so. The second one was taken about 15-20 minutes after the first picture. Ginger and I have had a nice visit and enjoyed lots of wonderful Indiana corn and tomatoes and will head back (probably Thursday) with nearly 2 dozen quarts of green beans that we canned while I was here. My brother has a good sized garden and thankfully had enough beans left that I was able to pick and can what I wanted. We're talking about making salsa tomorrow. I hope I can find enough sweet corn to take home with me to freeze. We just don't get corn as tender and sweet as what they grow here in my home state. But then my adoptive state, Louisiana has hurricanes named Katrina, Rita and Gustav that Indiana will never have! And fresh (never been frozen) shrimp... and crawfish... and okra... well, okay, so maybe I'm not a big okra fan but it's there if I want it!

Happy Wordless Wednesday to all! Be sure to visit Wordless Wednesday to find a listing of today's participants.

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posted by Marsha at 7 Comments

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - August 20, 2008

Before and After


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My daughter Dee took this photo on her first trip to Scotland three years ago (at least I think it was three years ago). The copies I have of those pictures are compressed but are good enough for display on the web. I play with them in PSP to this day. On this edit, I cloned out the power line and the time stamp before brightening and pulling out the contrast in the photo. The process removed the color cast, which I think lent a sort of old world tone to the building but I was pleased enough with the results to save this one as is. At least for the time being!

Visit Wordless Wednesday to find out what it's all about and to see a listing of all of today's participants.

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posted by Marsha at 18 Comments

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - August 13, 2008

The Neighbors Swing


the neighbors swing



This swing looks peaceful and inviting and I sometimes long to go over and sit in it, particularly later in the day... when the weather is cooler... and when the mosquitoes aren't biting. If it belonged to the neighbors on the other side of me, I would feel free to do that. The couple who have the swing are not really all that friendly and I wouldn't be comfortable even asking. They are pleasant enough but have remained distant so I tend to be hesitant in pursuing a neighborly relationship with them. They do have a sweet little boy that I enjoy talking to and I love to watch him and his friends at play. I wish I had half of his energy!

Visit Wordless Wednesday to find out what it's all about and to see a listing of all of today's participants.

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posted by Marsha at 15 Comments

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - August 6, 2008

Cats and Dogs
(what it's like dealing with Ginger and Woody K. on a daily basis)


Really? Does he have to put his butt in my face?

So maybe he isn't quite as bad from this point of view!

Just don't tell anybody, okay?


Visit Wordless Wednesday to find out what it's all about and to see a listing of all of today's participants.

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posted by Marsha at 19 Comments

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - July 30, 2008 on Thursday

I just took these a few minutes ago so they are all SOOC. I just happened to spy this remnant of a slinky, slimy snake on the pile of bricks in my back yard. Looks like he was a pretty good sized fellow from the skin he left behind. It actually curls up into the crevice in the bricks. I used flash on the last shot so that you could see inside the opening a little better.

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There's never an end to the critters in this area. I'm just glad this is the only part of this big boy that I saw! I'll try to get around to everyone's blog later today to comment.

SSSSSSSee ya later!

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posted by Marsha at 4 Comments

Wordless Wednesday Will Have to Wait and Stuff

I wanted to post Wordless Wednesday yesterday but never got the chance. If I can squeeze it in to my schedule, I will try to make it happen today, even if it is late.

I actually got the camera out yesterday to take some pictures of three squirrels eating the bird feed I had scattered on the ground for my feathered friends. As luck would have it, as soon as the camera was out and I was setting up my first shot, a loud noise frightened away two of the furry little creatures. I did manage to take a few shots of the lone fellow rooting seed off the ground but they're really not all that interesting. I tried to get video of him scurrying up and down the tree trunk towards the corn holder I hung specifically for the squirrels, which they ignore in preference to the easy pickings on the ground, but every time I would start the video, he would just hang there on the side of the tree. Of course as soon as I stopped the video capture, he would take off again. Film of him clinging to the side of the tree didn't seem too interesting either so I gave up on that set completely.

I spent most of yesterday morning working in the yard, trying to get some needed work done before it got too hot. We actually had a brief respite, about 12 hours (overnight basically), from the heat advisory and it wasn't too bad mowing (only about half the yard as the other half is totally fried now) and clearing away debris. By the time I was finished, the heat advisory was back in place and evidenced by my appearance. I spent the rest of the morning in the shower!

I decided to do some computer maintenance in the afternoon. Windows kept sending through updates and something was causing a problem forcing me to restart the monster every now and then and it took a while to get all of that taken care of. It is running much better, at least for now.

This afternoon, I have to get my hair trimmed. I've been trying to decide whether to go back to highlighting it or leave it natural. The gray has really overtaken most of the blond and yes I was a natural blond all of my life until I added highlights later in life. I just don't know if I want to start that process all over again or not. Besides, I kind of like the silvery gray color that is coming in. I've also toyed with the idea of going short again. Decisions, decisions.... what to do. So it looks like the usual trim will happen until I'm ready to make a change.

John will be coming home on Saturday for a few days. I'm trying to decide what food to have on hand for those times when he's around here. Dee is working this weekend so I don't know if he will get to see her and the girls or not. He has enough vacation time that he will be able to get back here several times before the end of the year and of course he will have the holidays so I'm sure they'll manage to connect on one of those trips. The rest of my time today, other than when I sneak some time online, will be spent on laundry, which I dislike doing and cleaning the house, which I also dislike! I love the house being clean and go through spells where I keep up with it most of the time but I'm human and the computer is much more fun than the routine of house care. It shouldn't be this hard with only me, the cat and a dog and it wouldn't be except for the fact that - Marsha, thy name is procrastination!

Well, I'm off to get started on the laundry and to pull the vacuum out (that's the first step, actually using it is a different story). I hope your day is filled with something more fun and interesting than the routine stuff I'm facing today!

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posted by Marsha at 3 Comments

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - July 23, 2008

ginger_awesome_antique tone_bw

Meet Ginger


To learn more about Wordless Wednesday, and find the blogroll of all participants, Wordless Wednesday, click here.

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posted by Marsha at 14 Comments

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - July 16, 2008

Ouachita River Bridge(click on image for larger view)

I decided to return to Wordless Wednesday, at least for this week, after a long break. It's taken a while to get back to normalcy around here as 'life seems to keep happening while I'm busy making other plans'. (John Lennon)

This photo is of the railroad bridge seen in the background of the picture I posted for Wordless Wednesday a couple of months ago of a local restaurant here in Monroe. The restaurant, Warehouse No 1, sits on the Ouachita River and you can see all of the local traffic bridges, as well as this railroad bridge from the deck overlooking the river. I took both photos the same day with my old Olympus film camera sometime during the 80s.

To learn more about Wordless Wednesday, and find the blogroll of others who are participating in Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Happy Wordless Wednesday to all!

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posted by Marsha at 18 Comments

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - May 21, 2008




These pictures came from my friend Scott as he was driving out of the area where he lives, about 20 - 25 miles from where I'm at. Don't ever let anyone tell you that there are no alligators in northern Louisiana.

To learn more about Wordless Wednesday, and find the blogroll of others who are participating in Wordless Wednesday, click here.

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posted by Marsha at 41 Comments

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - May 13, 2008

(click on photo to see a larger version)

One of my favorite restaurants in Monroe is the Warehouse No. 1, which locals refer to simply as the Warehouse. It sits on the Ouachita River and serves wonderful steaks and seafood. It is exactly what the name implies, a converted warehouse. I took this picture over 20 years ago with my old Olympus 35m film camera shortly after I got the camera. The drive is not accessible to the public. I climbed over a restraint to get to the point where I set up the shot.

I just recently scanned this photo and one other black and white shot I took at the same time of the railroad bridge, which is one of the bridges in the background, in to my computer.

If you're ever in Monroe, Louisiana and are looking for a really good place to eat, I highly recommend the Warehouse.

As for Wordless Wednesday, I'm sorry, I just don't think it is in me to be wordless!

To learn more about Wordless Wednesday, and find the blogroll of others who are participating in Wordless Wednesday, click here.

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posted by Marsha at 38 Comments

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Wordless Wednesday


PRICELESS!

(This is my youngest granddaughter Kayla. Picture was taken sometime in 2005.)

Happy Wordless Wednesday all!

To learn more about Wordless Wednesday, and find the blogroll of others who are participating in Wordless Wednesday, click here.

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posted by Marsha at 43 Comments

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Wordless Wednesday

Here's a couple of pictures from yesterday. These were taken at our last stop and are basically as they came SOOC except for applying the USM (Unsharpen Mask) before I resized them for posting on the web. These are 25% of their original size. This little lane is another place that holds special memories for me. My kids and I used to walk down this lane on our way to the little grocery store by the main highway about a mile or so from our house. I used to drive down it when my son would ask me to take the 'shortcut'.




Happy Wordless Wednesday all!

To learn more about Wordless Wednesday, and find the blogroll of others who are participating in Wordless Wednesday, click here.

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posted by Marsha at 35 Comments

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Wordless Wednesday


I'm terribly late this morning in getting my Wordless Wednesday post up. This photo of my granddaughter Emily was taken the same day as last week's WW post of another granddaughter Sarah. The day holds some very simple and pleasant memories for me. I'm not sure Emily felt the same way as she found herself bored and spent part of our time there laying on the picnic table while her younger sister walked the beach. I think Sarah got the best of the day... what do you think?

Happy Wordless Wednesday all!

To learn more about Wordless Wednesday, and find the blogroll of others who are participating in Wordless Wednesday, click here.

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posted by Marsha at 41 Comments

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Wordless Wednesday




This is of my granddaughter Sarah walking on a beach in Florida nearly two years ago. This is one of my favorite pictures from that day.

Happy Wordless Wednesday all!

To learn more about Wordless Wednesday, and find the blogroll of others who are participating in Wordless Wednesday, click here.

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posted by Marsha at 22 Comments