This and That

I have gone back into the archives for this post.

From time to time I enjoy playing with Photoshop and other editing programs.

Let me just say from the start,I do not remember exactly how I did some of these,it's been several years for some of them,so don't ask for directions.I will give what little information I recall.

This Wood Duck is such a beautiful bird,it deserves especial frame.Seems to me this was done in Photoshop Elements,which I rarely use any more.

I made this one with Picasa and then added the bevel in Photoshop.

Another floral collage made with Picasa.Making a collage in Picasa is a very simple thing to do.

I took this picture,probably 4 or more years ago,but I still like how it looks.

This frame I believe was added in Photoshop Elements as well.

A Song Sparrow sat so perfectly,waiting for me to snap it's picture.Adding a Bible verse and the frame enhances this picture.

We have made it through February and that means the coldest weather is past for now.

I am looking forward to the warmer days of spring,just around the corner.

Update

Thanks for the comments. If you check back to the cake recipe,the type is now in red and therefore readable. Sorry about the problem.

Time to Eat

Allow me to tempt you with a little fruit for starters and a special dessert.

Since I am still playing with the new camera,I can't just bring fruit home and leave it t that.

Perhaps my one favourite fruit is Raspberries.We always had several long rows of them in the garden,when I was a child.We spent all morning picking the fruit and then sold it to people who Mom contacted. You would think that after spending so much time picking raspberries I would be tired of them,not so. I still choose them over most other fruit.

Grapes are tasty little snacks as well.These were quite sweet,but also somewhat photogenic.

Because I wash all the fruit,I had the perfect opportunity to capture the water droplets.Grapes and Oranges share the space in the colander.

I liked how the water droplets sparkled in the background.

Fruit is tasty and healthy,but I enjoy my sweets as well.

Here is Kai posing with a piece of her favourite dessert,Granny's White Sheet Cake.

We had just finished baking this,you can still see the mixing bowl and other dishes on the counter.

I'm not sure which is sweeter,Kai or the cake.I'll vote for Kai,for sure.

Just in case you might like to try this treat,here is the recipe.

I might add that I store my recipes on a place called 'Pepperplate'. This is a great free place to store all your recipes. Should anyone be interested the address is: http://www.pepperplate.com

Granny's White Sheet Cake

This is Kai's favourite cake.

CATEGORIES

 cakes

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INGREDIENTS

• Cake

  • 1 cup margarine
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 tsp.salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 1/4 cup flour

• Frosting

  • 1 cup margarine
  • 6 tbsp.milk
  • 1 tsp.vanilla
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 4 1/2 cup icing sugar,or enough to thicken

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INSTRUCTIONS

• Cake

  1. Melt margarine and water in saucepan.
  2. Remove from heat.
  3. Stir in sugar,flour,salt and baking soda.
  4. Stir with whisk until smooth.
  5. Add eggs and vanilla.
  6. Stir in sour cream and mix until well blended.
  7. Pour into greased 11"x17" cookie sheet.
  8. Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes or until done.
  9. Don't over bake.

• Frosting

  1. Melt margarine and milk in saucepan.
  2. Bring to a simmer.
  3. Remove from heat.
  4. Stir in icing sugar,vanilla and salt.
  5. Beat until smooth.
  6. Spread on cake

iPhone Pictures

I take quite a few pictures with my phone,but most of them stay on my phone,until now.

It is time to share some of them.Keep in mind that they do not have the quality of a DSLR camera,but are decent.

Let's take a look back into summer.This is in front of my deck during the summer.I like how it looked.

Well,this is how it looks right now.No pretty flowers,but a heavy layer of snow.Actually since this picture was taken,more snow has fallen.I have no place to push the snow off the deck. It's hard to believe that in about two months or so,I should be out there planting flowers.

As some of you know,I enjoy playing with my pictures. I recently found another free app,Brush FX.

This was a simple picture  I added the sparkles and the touch of colour with this app.

This frosty picture was taken on my school bus. The windows on the sides of the bus have lots of frost on them,especially on those super cold days.When the kids keep their hands off the windows,I am able to get some good pictures.

 After grocery shopping yesterday,I washed the fruit I had bought.Having a colander filled with fruit meant that the phone had to come out for a picture. The fruit reflected in the stainless steel colander gave a nice added effect.

Thought for Today:

There is a child in each of us that delights in nature,and delights to share that moment with others.

Snow,Family and a Bird

I am still playing with my new camera.On Monday we were in the midst of a blizzard.Steve brought Kai over to my place and because I was standing at the window,camera in hand,I was able to get a couple of action shots.He has a four-wheel drive vehicle so this snow drift was not a big problem.

This is what it looked like right after he came through.Fun stuff,as long as I don't need to go out.

Kai will not allow me to take her picture very often,but Grandma can be sneaky sometimes.

Here she was sitting with her Mom and I could get this pretty shot.She is such a beautiful girl.

 I was allowed to take a close-up picture of her earring.Right now it seems that its all about 'peace signs'. The fact that these earrings are very sparkly is a great bonus.Sparkles and peace signs make a great combination in her mind.

And just to prove that I am still taking pictures of birds,here is a sweet Black-capped Chickadee.I took this from on my deck,using the powerful zoom of the CanonSX50 HS.I am quite pleased with the quality of the picture.

We had an extra day off on Tuesday.The storm was over and the sun was shinning,but many of the country roads were impassable.As a School Bus Driver,I look forward to these storm days,as much as any child.

I do hope this is our last blizzard of the winter,but in reality,we could get several more.

 I may have used today's thought before,but I think it is fitting again.

Thought for Today:

No winter lasts forever;

No spring misses its turn.

Hal Borland

More WInter Shots

On a recent drive in the country,I came across a small flock of Grey Partridges on the field.From past experiences,I was pretty sure they would take off as soon as I stopped the car.Well these must have been extra hungry,as they kept right on feeding for a while. The last picture I got was this one. I like the one in flight.

Back at my house,a cold snap created some more frosty patterns on my windows.This one is rather unique.To me it looks like a piece of delicate knitted lace.I don't remember ever seeing this kind of frost pattern before.

After reading about the new Canon SX50 HS camera,I decided that an upgrade to my point and shoot was in order.I have at least one camera and lens which I almost never use,so will try to sell that  to pay for this new one.This is a remarkable little camera with a 50x optical zoom.It also has amazing macro abilities.Here are a few shots I took with it recently.

I know that I will not be giving up my DSLR and long lens,but this little camera will be nice to have with me on casual outings.Another snowy scene captured with the new camera.

This is  yet another shot. I might add that I have done nothing to these pictures. I am very happy with the colour and clarity.Did I 'need' another camera? Probably not,but in my opinion it was 'Happy Valentine's Day' to me.

Thought for Today:
It will work out perfectly -
if you let God take control.

Snow Art

I enjoy driving around the country-side looking for potential photos. In summer I find flowers and grasses and birds.In winter I see a different landscape,but no less beautiful.

On a mild Sunday afternoon,recently,I was out and found,what I call,snow art.

A winter landscape may look barren and dull at first glance,but when I take a closer look I see so much beauty there.

A closer look reveals some of the  patterns in the snow.

In every direction,the wind has created snowy artwork.I enjoy seeing all the swirls and designs.

Zooming in still closer and more details are visible.

Still closer. I am amazed at the  beauty the wind and snow can make.I shouldn't be,because they are directed by God's hand,and creating snow art is no big deal for Him.

When I took my focus off the snow details and zoomed out with the camera,I was equally impressed with this scene.The leftover stalks of grain or whatever it is,made a great addition to this shot. I am quite certain that this particular spot would not attract my attention so much in summer,but I sure like it here.

 Pointing the camera towards the sun,I saw this path of light across the field. Yet another pretty scene in my eyes. When we have our eyes open to finding beauty,it truly is all around us.

On another drive early this week,I saw,what I call my first 'spring bird'.This is a year old Golden Eagle. Now lest you think I am smarter than I really am,I was told this by a Dr. of Ornithology.I'm thinking he should know what he is talking about.The light patches on the wings and tail are what told him that it is not an adult bird.Whatever the case,I was pretty happy to see this and also get a few pictures.

Thought for Today:
If you tend to think melancholy thoughts while you walk,
or mull over problems,
next time make an effort to notice every speck of nature around you and thanks God for it.
from the Perpetual Calendar:365 Great Things About Nature.

Playing With Macro

With the lack of exciting photo opportunities in the outside world,I am playing with Macro photography. I find that when the birds return I tend to not take the time to play with macro shooting,but now that is a good diversion,while I wait for spring and the return of the birds.

Some time ago one of my blogging friends sent me 5 crystals from an old chandelier.

I love having crystals in my window,because then when the sun shines I have rainbows all over my walls.Thanks Anita for sharing these.

I have taken some pictures before,but have had fun recently trying to capture some special macro images.

Here is another picture.The different angles just look interesting to me.

While I've got the macro setting going,I also captured some of the beautiful ice crystals on my window.

All these swirls and leaf like forms are so pretty.This almost makes the windows worth keeping,even though they need to be replaced.

Here is just another frost picture.I saw these as I was at the sink,washing my dishes.I guess doing dishes isn't all that bad after all. Actually I don't really mind doing dishes.

Since I had Strawberries in the house,why not use them as photo subjects.

I have to admit that these berries look a lot better than they tasted.

I have not edited these,except to crop the picture a little.

From my "365 Simple Acts of Kindness" calendar:

Be Kind Today

Think before you act.

It's Coming

Since we are now into February,it is time to look ahead to what is to come.

February 18 is the start of the official Hawkcount in southern Manitoba.

I am looking forward to frequent trips to the Pembina Valley where we hope there will be lots of action this year.

A blue sky and birds like this immature Bald eagle flying low over the valley is what we are all hoping for.

Of course we see lots more than just birds of prey,or Raptors,as they are called.

Across the road from where we stand to look for the raptors,the Eastern Bluebirds are often at the nest box to entertain us when the action is the sky is slow.

Sometimes some drama unfolds before our eyes.Here a Raven was harassing an eagle.Not a wise choice in my opinion,but it made for some excitement and good photo opportunities.

I might add that they both flew away unharmed.

A dark phase Red-tailed Hawk is a thrill at anytime,but even more so when the sun is shinning in that clear sky.

In my opinion,this is my all time favourite Bald Eagle picture.The sun was getting close to dipping below the horizon and the golden light of evening gave this eagle a wonderful warm glow.

All of the above photos are from the migration time of 2012.

Here is a bonus picture. I put together this collage to showcase the Bald Eagle.

Some pictures are from 2012,but some are also from earlier years.

Keep watching this blog,as I will hopefully be adding new pictures from the migration of 2013.

I do hope the numbers will be way up from last year,but whatever it will be,I am looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones as we watch the skies over the Pembina Valley.

Life in The Valley

This post is a follow-up from the one done on February 1.

Here are a few more places we visited that day.

Some of you may remember seeing this bridge on this blog before. 

I was here in early fall,so it was nice to go back for another visit in winter.

AS I stated before,this used to be a railroad bridge. The tracks have now been removed,but for now at least the structure is still standing.

As we were driving through a valley area,I saw this cliff and asked the driver to stop.

I just want you to know that the picture is straight,but the angle of the hill and all the textures really caught my eye.

As we were stopped I noticed the detail in the side of this hill. You see it is made up of shale,so there are these interesting layers.

Here is a wider view of the cliff.Shale makes all these layers and they become a magnet for a photographer. Isn't that just a unique look?

In the heart of this valley,known around here as Snow Valley,is this old chimney.

I could try to tell you all about it but instead I will share this link which tells it much better than I could.

The first part of the article is here and the second part is here.

These articles are not very long and tell the story of a family trying to make a living in this valley.

This is a picture I took from the Internet.I wanted to show at least one picture from an earlier time.

Our forefathers had a much harder life than we do now.The particular family in the above artless are unfamiliar to me,but I find the story worth reading.