Just Playing

As the title of this post says,I have been playing.

Playing in Photoshop,to be exact.

Seeing that I don't have as many photo opportunities in winter,I thought I would try my hand at being creative.

all of these pictures were created by using Actions and a Filter.

The first one is simply a double frame added to the picture. I did go in a tweak the colours to my liking.I thought the addition of a gradient added to the whole look.

Here is a simple weed which I found in my wanderings. The snow cap looks nice on it.In this picture I added a filter called Plastic Wrap.Again I adjusted the sliders to achieve what was pleasing to my eye.

Here is the original picture,just for comparison.

Here I used an Action which creates the reflection for me.

It is so simple to use these,just choose an image and a desired effect and hit the Play button.

I found some free Actions on the internet and downloaded this one as well as the Refection one.

The image speaks for itself,but it is called a Snow Globe Action.

I imagine that any picture would look good in this,but today I was in the mood for flowers.

Thought for Today:

God has not promised to keep us from life's storms,

But He will keep us through them.

A Look Back at Fall 2011

I have had very few birds at my feeders recently,so I have gone back to this past fall.

I start today with a pretty leaf,I found on my yard.

I enjoy finding a scene like this,where a yellow leaf has landed among the dark red leaves.

Fall is such a lovely time of year,so I don't mind re-visiting this time.

All the bird pictures were taken while I was sitting on my deck.

Here is my favourite yard bird.I smile whenever I see a Black-capped Chickadee.

This little fella was enjoying some suet,hung just off my deck.

I like how the feather detail shows up in this picture.

The House Finches were going to great lengths to get at the seeds on this tree.

When I watch the birds feeding like this,I find myself wondering just how much I would be complaining if I had to work that hard to eat.

I was really pleased to have this Dark-eyed Junco pose for me in the sunshine.

He seemed to turn his head this way and that,hoping to strike that perfect pose.

It seems like for today I am focusing on the smaller birds.

Here we have an American Goldfinch in fall/winter plumage.

Catching that sparkle in the eye,is a special treat.

Thought for today:

God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest.  ~J.G. Holland

Frosty Trees

I do hope you are not getting tired of seeing snow pictures. 

I am rather limited as to what I can photograph right now,so snow scenes is what it will be.

These pictures were taken around the end of December.

The location is two blocks from where I live.

I love how the trees were decorated with frost.

Here is a close view of the needles on this tree. 

I am amazed at how the frost can cling to each little needle.

Obviously there has also been some snow to add to the beauty.

Each time I see these trees,I am fascinated by the colour of the branches.

They give such a lovely contrast to the rest of the tree and to the whole scene.

Of course,I couldn't be out photographing frost and evergreens and not get a picture of a trio of cones.

The simple beauty of  frost covered branches against a winter blue sky is so attractive. Before too long these same branches will be sprouting new leaves and be home to the birds coming back to their nesting grounds.

Thought for Today:
I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.
George Washington Carver

More Winter Beauty

Today I want to show you a few more shots taken when Steve and I were out the other day.

This first picture shows part of the lake. It is on the right hand side,frozen and covered with snow.

The lake is mostly surrounded by trees and on this day they were gorgeous.

As we walked along,I spied this dried up Tansy.

I liked how it looked with some snow on it. Come summertime,it will produce those bright yellow button flowers.For now the snow is it's only adornment.

This trio of stumps caught my eye as well.

The hoarfrost covered trees make a great background.

When we get a hoarfrost,every little stem and plant turns into a piece of loveliness.

Here are those three stumps again,from a different angle.The bulkiness of these stumps stood in stark contrast to the lacy looking trees.

Winter does have a lot of beauty,even though there is a lack of colour.

The grasses and small plants bring in some colour to give a little contrast.

In Psalm 147:16 we read;

He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.

On this day this verse came to life for me.Indeed the snow covered the ground like wool and the frost clung to everything like ashes.

Thanks for joining me on this walk.

Time Well Spent

Back on December 30th,I got a call from Steve,wondering if I wanted to join him on photo walk.

I needed no time to decide,this sounded great.

He picked me up and we went about a mile out of town to the local lake.

The scenery was gorgeous as we walked along the edge of the frozen lake.

Here are a few pictures I got that day.

I have many more but they still need to be edited,so will come at a future date.

I always enjoy capturing the photographer at work.

You can see that the trees were gorgeous with a layer of hoarfrost and some snow.

If you look over Steve's shoulder,you can see that the beavers have taken down some of the smaller trees. We saw a lot of beaver activity,in the form of chewed up tree trunks.Some of the trees were too large and they had not been able to get them down.

You can see the camera hanging from Steve's shoulder,but he also wanted to see how this would look with the iPhone.

Here I captured a picture of the picture.

The digital age allows us to experiment without adding cost to the end result.

It makes photography even more enjoyable.

Of course I had to get in close to really see how the picture looked on the iPhone.

I must say it does a pretty good job,but I won't be selling my cameras anytime soon.

Thanks Steve for making my day by asking me to join you. I had a wonderful time and hope we can do it again.

Thought for Today:

Today,be thankful for the beauty,the peace,and the marvel of nature.

In Memory

Once again I need to make a post in memory of a loved one.

This Peony is for Helen.

On Friday,January 6,2012,Jake's youngest sister slipped from the bonds of earth and joined her parents,brother and others at Heaven's throne.

The whole family was at the beside as she was ushered into Glory.

This was a lady who gave of herself constantly.She was more than my sister-in-law,she was my very good friend and in the last year or so also my support and help.

We will all miss her cheery smile and friendly ways.

One thing Helen did not like,was to have her picture taken,so I cannot show her smile to you,but I can see it in my mind.

Her husband Wayne and adult son Jared will feel the emptiness the most,so please remember to pray for them.

If I am not posting or even commenting during the next little while it is because I am busy with family activities and the funeral.

God gives strength as we need it.

My Christmas Day

Here it is already January the 5th and I had hoped to post more regularly.

Life tends to get in the way of our hopes and wishes.

Thinking about what I should post,I decided to step back into 2011 and some some pictures of my Christmas day.

This picture was taken December 24th. Jake's youngest sister has been battling pancreatic cancer for a while,so another sister-in-law got together a group of people and we went to sing carols for this family.We had a great turn-out and were well received by the family.

We were even fortunate enough to have our personal choir director,complete with the appropriate outfit.

On a side note the sweater used to belong to my Dad and is a Yamaha sweater.You see as far as my Dad was concerned there was only one kind of snowmobile and that was a Yamaha.

These two girls are Jake's nieces and I call them my nieces as well.Very precious young ladies they are.

Here we are on Christmas day,and my niece is trying out her Christmas gift,a very nice camera.She was trying to get a good picture of a rabbit who was on the other side of the chain-link fence.

Notice that she is only wearing a light hoodie.The weather has been exceptionally mild this winter.

I spent two nights with Jake's brother and family. I got the privilege of sleeping with the animals.Tim is an avid hunter and has several mounts on the walls.He,however cannot take credit for this buck. Jake shot this one many years ago,before he took up the camera.I had no place to display it and I knew that Tim would cherish it,so here it sits in his house.

This is my friend Duffy.She is very special to me.Some of you may remember seeing pictures of Jake holding this little dog,during some of his final days with us.

Duffy could bring a smile to Jake's face when nothing else could.

Duffy is Tim and Liz's dog,and a bundle of energy.

So that was how I spent Christmas day. I had had Christmas with Steve,Linda and the children on the 23rd.of December,so I was free to join this family and it was fun.

No thought for today,but rather a request for prayer.

Helen,Jake's sister is now hospitalized and very weak.

She and her husband and son need lots of prayer.