Feeling Sentimental

Today I am feeling a little sentimental,OK,honestly,a lot sentimental and lonely.

Because of this I am choosing to share some of Jake's pictures.

I want to remember what a good photographer he was,even though he would have never admitted that.

Here are a few more slide scans,taken many years ago,but the beauty Jake captured is still just as lovely.

This first picture was probably taken about 18 years ago.This is an Obedient Plant,in our garden here in town.

The Screech Owl goes back much further than that.

I will not venture a guess on when it was taken.

Same goes for this Tree Swallow.

I know we had several nest boxes up for them in the country,so it must be at least 20 years ago,maybe more.

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker,was perhaps about 18 or 19 years ago. I do remember the location and the circumstances from this shoot.

Dates don't matter,the bird still looks just the same.

Oh how I would love to be at this place with my Sweetheart.

Memories,Sweet memories.

This is taken in Whiteshell Provincial Park,in eastern Manitoba.

I cannot tell where this might have been taken.It matters not,the scene is one of beauty.I think it may be close to Whiteshell Park,but I could be wrong.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing some more of Jake's work.

It makes him feel so much closer when I see these images,so I am doing this as much for myself as for others.

This is a verse I still claim and remind myself of often,

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;and when you pass through the rivers,they will not sweep over you.

when you walk through the fire,you will not be burned;the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:2

Birds and Smiles

Today I share with you a variety of bird pictures.

I hope you enjoy them at least half as much as I enjoyed getting them.

A few weeks ago when my sister,Becky, and I were out just looking around ,these American White Pelicans came soaring over.

I never get tired of seeing these large birds,soar so effortlessly in the sky.

I showed one other picture of a Black Tern,on a previous post, who was unhappy at my presence.

Here is another one,or maybe the same bird,giving me that evil look.

As I watched these birds I realized quickly why the distress.

Here you can see a Tern sitting on what I presume to be a nest.

I was quite excited to have found this nest,because I had read that they are usually well hidden.I guess there is always an exception,as this was right beside the road.

A little further up the road,this Eastern Kingbird was ready to serve lunch.Yummy!
OK,so I,personally, would rather have a burger,but I'm sure the waiting young Kingbirds will have enjoyed the meal.

On a different day,while I was out alone,I captured this Eastern Bluebird doing a wing wave.The female was just out of the picture,so,this was perhaps a signal to her.

Or maybe he was waving good-bye to me,in hopes that I would leave.

Birds are so fascinating to observe.I am thankful to have had these opportunities to capture these images.


Today I was reminded of a saying my Dad had,so that is my thought for today:
Of all the things you wear,
Your smile is the most important.


Back when I was teenager (that's a long time ago) I would get very upset when Dad used this saying,as I complained about not having anything to wear,or that my hair was not behaving just right.
Today I understand what he meant and agree with this statement.

A Few Random Shots

Here are a few random shots,taken over the last few weeks.

This Eastern Blue bird and his mate gave me many chances for pictures.

Today I am just showing one shot,but there will be more coming in the future.

Milkweed is in full bloom.I have seen a few Monarch Butterflies around,but have not found any eggs or Caterpillars,yet.

Daisies are so simple,yet so pretty.

This pair was blooming in my garden.

Unfortunately with all the heat we have had the flowers are fast fading away.

A little over  a week ago,Steve called to say that he and Kai were flying kites.

What's a Grandma to do,but hurry up there to be part of the action.

These kites are far more elaborate than any I had as a child.

I think the one above was bought more for Daddy and this one is definitely a little girls kite.It has all the right colours,pink and purple,and it is a butterfly.

I don't know about other little girls,but my Granddaughter has to have pink and purple and lots of pretties.She is definitely a little princess.

Speaking of my princess,here she is ready to be a flower girl at a wedding.

Thought for Today:

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.

Psalm 145:3

Guest Post — Frames

I have asked Steve to explain how we got the frames on my pictures.

                                        I might add that I first saw similar framing at 

Picture Imperfect     Thanks Krista for getting me started on this idea.

Here is Steve's post.

A little while ago Mom asked me help her out with creating an action in Photoshop for a framing effect that she wanted to use for her blog posts... turns out a lot of you have really enjoyed this little effect and so she has asked me to "guest post" on her site and let you know how to create this simple yet pretty border look.  So here goes...

This was all done in Photoshop CS5, the steps should be the same for any other version of Photoshop as well, however I'm not sure if Photoshop Elements would allow for some of these or the creation of this as an action.  So to start with we'll go through the creation of the action.  First open up the image of your choice, then make 2 duplicate layers by hitting Cmd+J twice or go to Layer > Duplicate Layer and hitting OK twice from the menu.  Now make sure the top layer is selected and hit Cmd+T on Mac or go to Edit > Transform > Scale from the menu, at the top of the screen you will see several sizing boxes with the 3rd & 4th ones being set to 100.00%, click on the "Link" or "Lock Aspect Ratio" button between these two and enter 90% and hit enter.  You can set this value to any value you like but in our examples this is what we have chosen.  No go to the bottom of your layers palette and click on the fx button (second from the left) and choose drop shadow.  This will create a layer drop shadow behind the image, in our example we have used the following values, Distance 0, Spread 18, Size 73... keep in mind that we are doing this to full resolution images, if you decide to do this with smaller images these values will change accordingly.  Next select the next layer down which should be Layer 1 and add a Gaussian Blur... Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur... we have chosen a Radius of 40 pixels in our examples.  Then lastly we did a slight Levels adjustment to make the background slightly lighter then the main image by going to Levels, you can do this by hitting Cmd+L on Mac or going to Image > Adjustments > Levels and setting the mid point value which by default is set to 1.00 to 1.34.  Then save the image as a Jpeg ready for printing or web use.  

So this runs through how to create the action but there is one more little trick that is wonderful if you have 100 images you'd like to run this on.  Navigate to http://www.russellbrown.com/scripts.html , Dr. Brown has created an absolutely amazing little scrip that you can install in CS5 to make your life so easy.  Scroll down till you find CS5 Scripts and look for Image Processor Pro, it's a free script and it will allow you select 5, 12, 23 or how ever many images you like in Bridge and running this action on all of them at the same time.    I won't go into details of using this script or installing it as he has also created a very helpful video tutorial on it on his site.

I hope this answers all of your questions on this framing action... enjoy!

Steve Hiebert

www.expressblog.ca

www.expresslife.ca

www.personalexpressions.ca

Time to Cool Off

Put on a warm sweater and pour yourself a cup of hot cocoa or coffee.

No I have not lost my mind.

I need something cold to look at and I thought you might enjoy this as well.

The temperatures are super hot and high humidity,all not the kind of weather that I really enjoy.

A peaceful winter scene.

Snow formations courtesy of the wind.

All these angles and designs,and no human hand has touched this snow.

This amazes me.

Looking out over a winter field.

Here too, you can see the snow sculpting,done by the wind,as directed by God.

Sunlight streaming through the trees in the early morning light.

Every bump in the snow is clearly visible.

Of course I had to show at least one winter bird.

The Common Redpoll is only seen here in winter,and oh,how welcome they are.

I hope this has helped you to feel cooler,I know that is has done that for me,or maybe it is the fan blowing over me that is doing that. LOL

Thought for today:

The treasures of the crystal snows,

And all the wonders nature shows,

Speak of a mighty Maker's hand'

That all in love and wisdom planned.

Framed Flowers

I think I am spending too much time playing,but I'm having so much fun.

I enjoy adding frames to my blog images and recently Steve showed me an easier way to accomplish this.

I will show you the results,but might have difficulty explaining the how-to.

This first image is a Clustered Bellflower.

This plant is quite invasive and I am trying to rid them from my gardens.

The flowers are beautiful,despite it's invasive nature.

Good old-fashioned Peonies are still a favourite of mine.

I have three shades of pink,this being the medium one.

This plant came from my Dad's yard,so I have a special attachment to it.

Jake loved his Lilies,so I have many different colors and varieties.

Again,they have more meaning to me now,than they ever did before.

I took these pictures earlier in the summer,and these were the only colors blooming at that time.

I do not have a proper name for this flower.What I do know is that it is hardy and has a very long blooming season.

They can also be a little invasive,but are readily controlled.

I hope you enjoyed seeing a few of my 2011 flowers.

Obviously the frames show up better on some images than others.

Thought for Today:

One today is worth a thousand tomorrows.

Reflections

Here are a few reflections I captured on Friday,July 8,2011.

My sister,Becky and I had gone to a nearby city and camping area,to see the flooding.I did not get really good pictures of the flooded area,but it is sad to see expensive cottages standing in water and agricultural fields under water.

This first picture was in a park.I always enjoy the Waterlilies there.

I had not noticed the reflection,until I saw it on the computer.

I am not an artist,but with my camera in hand,I can pretend to be one.

This is my rendition of a water color picture.

Upside down Day Lilies.

OK,I admit,someone else planted the flowers and I just saw a picture worth taking.

Here is the whole scene.

We checked out a small,yet usually beautiful park along the river.

This is the sight we saw.Still beautiful,but water where there should be green grass and picnic tables.

You know I have a hard time doing a blog without at least one bird photo.

This Black Tern and a few others were very annoyed at our presence.

They would hover in the air,and scream,letting us know they didn't like our presence.

I found out that they had nests not too far away and we were considered a danger.

At least I was able to get some good shots before walking away.

Thought for Today:

Prayer changes things;

Worry changes nothing.

I need to remind myself of this one daily.

My Home

I thought it might be about time that I share my humble home with you.

Here are a few pictures of where I live.

Here is my house,simple and small,but I call it home.

For those of you who recognize cars,yes,I do drive a Chrysler Neon.

The bare strip  you see beside the driveway,is where my neighbour took out a row of Lilacs for me.

Here is my yard,as it looks when I step outside.This is looking east,and if you could see past all the trees,you would see a farmers field back there.

I walked to the back of the yard and looking west,this is my home.

Looking at this picture,just to the right of the house is my newest flower bed.

Here is the new flower bed.This is where we used to have a small garden pond.I felt the need to remove that,as it took a fair bit of work.

I now have the small fountain at the head of this bed and the birds seem to enjoy it as well.

Last but not least,I have to show another Lupin shot.

This was taken after one of our many rains.Notice the raindrops decorating the flowers.

Now if only you could all join me at my house,I would love to put the coffee and tea on and sit down with you for a chat.

Though for today:

A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.

My Flowers

With the arrival of the Crocuses and Tulips,my gardens have a constantly changing display of color.

Today I share with you a few of my Irises and a Lupin.

Let's begin with an Iris bud.I love all the detail seen here.

This is a promise of more to come.

Here is a different Iris.I wanted to show with detail of the beard.

Again,note all the veins in the petal,or fall,as it is called.

Yet another Iris,different color,but every bit as lovely.

Irises are some of my favourite flowers.I think they have a regal look to them.

OK,I'll have to admit that ,my favourite flower is usually the one I am looking at.I just love flowers,all shapes,all sizes,and all colors.

Seems like I am sharing all the close-ups today.

I could stand and look at these for hours and not get bored.

God has placed so much beauty into these flowers.

I would be amiss,if I didn't show a Lupin.

Lupins were a real favourite of Jake's so this year they have special meaning to me.He tended them carefully and enjoyed each stalk of flowers.

I do have more Lupin pictures,but they will have to wait for another day.

Thought for today:

GOD'S GLORY SHINES THROUGH HIS CREATION.

A Special Thank-you

This bowl full of roses is being sent to each of you as a way of saying thank-you.

So many have commented and are praying for Jake's sister,it is indeed humbling.

Helen,Wayne,Jared and I wish to thank-you for your prayers and support.

Here are Helen' words:

How wonderful and encouraging.

She and her husband Wayne,together with their son Jared wish to thank you for praying and ask for continued prayers.

Helen is seeing the surgeon on Tuesday,June 28.

She is asking everyone to pray that this will give some positive results. 

Words cannot express how thankful we,the family are for concerned friends like you.

Prayer

I come to you,my blogging friends,requesting prayer.It was just 7 months ago that I said good-bye to my dear husband,and now his youngest sister,age 63,is battling the same cancer he had,pancreatic cancer.
Please pray for this lady,her husband and her adult son.
The pain is very raw at this time.
Actually Jake's whole family is reeling from this news,as we all have not finished grieving the loss of one so dear.
I thank-you in advance for your prayers and caring.

A Day at A Rocha

On may 28,2011,I had the opportunity to visit one of my favourite places,the A Rocha Field Station in Manitoba.I know I have mentioned this place before,but for those who may not remember or are new,this is a Christian Conservation association.The scope of their efforts are to bring awareness about our world,from a Christian viewpoint.We are stewards of this planet and therefore should take care of it responsibly.

On this day they featured a workshop regarding the Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas,which I as well as many others are helping with.

After the workshop,we went on hike,trying to put our newly learned skills to use.

Of course we were out to find birds,which we did,but on this day most of them were identified by song or at best a brief glimpse.

This American Redstart,sat just long enough for me to one shot.

Seeing that I am a photographer,I see more than just birds.

This little scene demanded that I stop and get at  least one picture.

I am not sorry I did.

Even before we set out on our hike we saw lots of birds.Seeing that they came to the feeders,they were easy photo subjects,and of course I couldn't resist.

Notice the chewed up base on the feeder.It would be my guess that a Squirrel has wanted some of those tasty seeds.

This is a male Purple Finch.I love their color.

Waiting patiently in the Oak tree was this male Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Unfortunately,it was an overcast day,so the pictures are lacking some of that sparkle.

As I left this place,I noticed the dark clouds.

I once again had to stop and get some pictures.Those clouds looked very ominous,but for this day,at least ,they didn't bring much rain.

I hope you enjoyed this little look into a day at A Rocha.

For a short video about A Rocha and what they do go to this link:A Rocha Video

This will tell you more than I can.If you have a quick eye,you may spot both Jake and me in the shots,as well as some pictures we have taken.

Thought for Today:

You have made known to me the path of life,

You will fill me with joy in Your presence,

with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

Psalm 16:11