Two Chairs ~ Three Versions

Assignment 7 for our BB2 class was to take this original picture by Kim Klassen, edit it in LR, and then move into PSE...or do whatever I chose. 

It was it totally up to us to decide what we wanted to do. 

This is my edit which started in LR with some Presets added, then moved it into PSE, and finally to RadLab for some final touches. 

Here I once again used LR, PSE, and RadLab, 

but this time I decided to convert the photo into one with gritty sepia tones.
Such cool shadows.

Lightroom 4 ~ My First Attempt ~ DP 11-4-12

My "Round Trip" eClass with Kim Klassen began for real yesterday. Our introductory class was on the Tuesday before. Class meets twice a week for 4 weeks. So far I have begun pulling my photos into LR4, adding keywords to them, and then placing them into collections. I have now brought over 670 pictures by first opening them in iPhoto and then just simply dragging and dropping them into the LR icon located in the toolbar of my MacBook Pro...Easy Peasy :-) Then I worked with the originals in LR, edited them some more in RadLab, and then returned them to LR to sit alonside the originals in my library. Here you have it... my first try...and LR even put my watermark in for me without my asking. I did not eve know I had been successful creating it. Guess that is what you call a "preset." It took me hours yesterday afternoon and night and then all day today to view and study all of the videos, take notes, figure out how to do the nitpicky things I needed to do to move in my photos from iPhoto, set up my LR library, add the keywords, and then place them into their appropriate collections. Geeze, it was tedious, but I had an awful lot of fun. Lesson 3 will be here on Tuesday.

This is the hook on one side of our 15 year Eddie Bauer or LLBean hammock. We bought it so long ago I do not remember from which store we got it. We are still using it 12 months a year.

This post is linked with Macro Monday, and I am going to try to work on catching up with my commenting once the posts go up.

A West Virginia Ride-By ~ Barn Charm ~ 10-22-12

What fun I had with this ride-by capture of the main homeplace and the little barn building just down the hill. First I started with iPhoto, then I went to PSE10, to RadLab, and finally I ended up with iPiccy...I LOVE that free program.  The texture from iPiccy in the first shot makes me think of Van Gogh and his skies with their circular movement. It took an awful lot of time, but it surely was fun. I did not take out the big, bold power lines because I think of them as a part of the "picture of life." Without them we would not be enjoying many of the comforts upon which we have come to depend. Therefore, I leave them and actually like the linear aspect they add to my pictures. I am amazed at the 3 different sizes of the lines.  My watermarks were almost washed out, but I will watch out for that in the future.

I love experimenting with different frames.

This is the main house up on the hill.

This post is linked with Tricia's Barn Charm.

Please consider doing away with word verification. Those of us who are older with eyesight not what it was when we were younger, have real difficulty identifying the words and numerals. I blow them up at least three times, and I still have to click for a new one 3 or 4 times. After I have written a comment and type in the wrong verification numerous times, I finally give up and move on. I am so sorry not to be able to share my thoughts with you. I have had not one problem since I said "No" to word verification.

Rose Study ~ Daily Photo 10-21-12

Pink Roses for Fall ~ Pink Roses for All Seasons
Question....Why do the leaves wilt before the blooms? I cut the stems at an angle, I add the food, and I treat them with loving care. Still, the leaves wilt.

This post is linked with:
Pink Saturday

 I Heart Macro

Macro Monday

Nature Footsteps Blo-Ma

Crimp Haven Alpacas ~ Daily Photo ~ 9-26-12

Sunrise down the road about two miles from the house. It was early yesterday morning on my way to school, but for some reason the alpacas were not out. Our road is just one little farm after another...some with cows, one with alpacas,  and others where the farmers rent the fields for growing hay for their animals in another location. Our world is definitely one of lots of little farms of one kind or another. Here is some interesting information about alpacas from the Crimp Haven Farm site ~ http://crimphaven.info

Perfect for a family farm, alpacas are gentle and easy to handle. They are safe even for younger children to work with, as they do not bite or butt. This is a venture that the whole family can work together on.

It is our vision that alpacas can become a vital part of the American economy. Well suited to the land and environment here they are also environmentally friendly, protecting the land that we love.

• Alpacas have soft padded feet. This leaves pasture undamaged, and usable for years.
• They have no top front teeth, so they are gentle grazers.
• The alpaca does not usually eat or destroy trees.
• The average alpaca only eats four pounds of food a day.
• Although they need a regular fresh water supply, alpacas do not require abundant amounts of water.
• The herd tends to deposit their manure in one or two spots in the pasture, making clean up easier.
• Alpaca manure is a fantastic fertilizer.
• One good acre of pasture can support up to ten alpacas.
• Alpacas require minimal fencing, as they do not challenge it.
• However, be careful to have enough fencing to keep them safe from predators (we use post and no climb wire fencing about 5 feet high).
• They can produce four to ten pounds of fleece a year.
• Their fleece produces 87 to 95 percent clean fiber compared to sheep’s wool.
• People who are allergic to wool are generally not allergic to alpaca fiber.

This post is linked with 'Barn Charm" and "Our World Tuesday
.http://bluffareadaily.blogspot.com

The Final Chapter of a Life as I Know It ~ 9-11~012

 MY WORLD SINCE AGE 20
SCHOOL TEACHER

Our Last Year Together

Rockbridge Middle School Is Closing 6-2013

Where we will all go no one knows!

Left to Right: 

Joanna~ Librarian and Daughter of a Minister

Megan, English 7 Teacher and a Minister's Wife

Genie (moi)...Matriarch of the School at 73

Gretchen ~ Science 7 Teacher ~ I taught her back in sixth grade.

Rita ~ Guidance Counsellor and Daughter of a Minister

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." ~ John Cotton Dana
"A teacher afects eternity; he can never tell when his influence stops." ~ Horace Mann
"A teacher's purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own images." ~ Unknown

This post is linked with:
Our World Tuesday
 Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesdays

Summer Memories ~ 9-8-12

Camp Maxwelton Farewell ~ 2012

Now, Just a Memory

My grandson, Henry, is the last boy on the right. 

""A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen."
~ Edward de Bono

This post is linked with Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

Water Hole ~ 9-6-12

The Drive to Work after a Night of Rain ~ 9-6-12

Before ~ SOOC

After Using RadLab "Troy"

Jack ~ Snow Dogie

My name is Jack, i’m 12 years old, and I’m  a very challenged dog to put it mildly. I’m a black and gray schnauzer who needs all the help he can bet. My mom and dad still love me lots and lots.

This post belongs to Kim Klassen’s Beyond Layers Group.

I-81 Barn at Fairfield, VA

This post is linked with Tricia’s "Barn Charm.”

A Maryland Barn with a Red Roof

The barn roof must have just been painted because it was really RED!

This post is linked with Tricia’s “Barn Charm.”

It’s Snowtime on Route 60 West ~ Our Road

This is another shot of the road which runs in front of our house. I posted it last week, but just a few days later it looked quite different after the snow. The new pictures were so pretty  I just had to post one of them. The snow started late Saturday afternoon and lasted until the afternoon on Sunday. We had no school on Monday, and then today it was all gone...the perfect snow...beautiful, wet and heavy so it stayed on the trees, and short lived.

I processed this with RadLab. It looks as if it is nearing dusk as the sun is setting. For me, experimentation with different processing programs is such fun.

“There are only two mistakes one can make 
along the road to truth; 
not going all the way, 
and not starting." 

~Buddha

This post is linked with "Our World Tuesday.”