3~11~16 My Favorite Backroad Pond

"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise.

 It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.

~Ashley Montagu

This post is linked with:

Weekend Reflections

Shadowshot Sunday2

March 3, 2016 ~ One Pretty House

"Life loves the liver of it."

~Maya Angelou

 A Home in Buena Vista, Virginia

Every Monday I eat lunch with a friend of mine in what we call BV...a.k.a. Buena Vista. As I was leaving and driving through the residential section, I came across this house, fence, and gate in such beautiful condition. Nothing was out of place. It was so pretty. Then when I stopped to take the picture, I discovered all of the shadows in the street and on the tree and even some reflections of the trees in the upstairs windows. I would love to sell this big old house with all of its upkeep and move to a little place like this. I would be such a happy camper. 

This post is linked with Teresa's Good Fences and Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

Special Shadows with My Family

 My boys riding the bicycle built for two. Two brothers in a beard competition.

 Ridge lives in WA, so he and Gene do not get together very often.

.

 This was “war” waiting to happen. I was a wreck as they would push 

each other until they would almost flip over.  Too much for a mom. 

This has been going on for 40 years. They are so cute together. 

Their love for each other warms my heart even if sometimes they scare me.

 Eloise learning to fish out at Douthat State Park. A first time for Eloise and the WA cousins.

Eloise and Ben

 They kept getting the hook stuck in the rocks,

 but my fearless Eloise was the designated finder.

Of course, Buddy was the teacher. Thomas with his red hair can be seen in the background.

I know these are not shadow shots, but I could not end this post without including pictures of Ben and Thomas. Thomas and Eloise are two peas in a pod (just like Ridge and Gene) 

and are both 10. Ben  is 12. 

Bud and the Cousins

Thomas

 Ben

This post is linked with  Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

“What greater blessing to give thanks for at a family gathering
 than the family and the gathering.”
~ Robert Brault

Spider Webs Galore

 This post is linked with Friday Fences, Shadow Shot Sunday 2,
and Weekend in Black and White.

Some Shadows from Richmond and Lexington

Gene and Patti's Kitchen in Richmond

Our Homeplace on the Creek

(double click and then click again to enlarge)

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

~Mahatma Ghandi

This post is linked with Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

Just Look Around You To See Nature's Beauty

As Buddy I were driving over to Richmond last Friday for his 10K run the next morning and for me to have my playdate with GD, Eloise, I took these photos while we were moving along at 70mph...with the exception of the shadow shots along the Afton Mountain fence guard. They are all SOOC with the exception of some cropping to place into the collages. 

This post is linked with:

Skywatch Friday

Friday Fences

Weekend Reflections

Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Friday's Shadows on the Creek

                               Friday morning after the storm, the creek went down and by noon 

the sun was out with shadows stretching all across the yard. 

I just  had to stop packing up the car for Buddy's 10K in Richmond to take these pictures. 

I will put up some great race pictures this week. They are a hoot!

"Find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows, 

the light and dark which that thing provides."

 ~ Junichiro Tanizaki

This post is linked with Shadow Shot Sunday.

What To Do With An Old Hot Tub

This is what we did with our old wooden hot tub from decades ago...we turned in into a goldfish pond and it works just beautifully. Every time we say we are going to pull it out and fill in that part of the deck, we think..."What would our fish do without us? and "What would we do without our fish?" The forested hill behind our house is what you are seeing on the right and on the left is the reflection of an upstairs bedroom and the roof. See the little goldfish popping up his head? He survived the winter along with the rest of his family :-) That always makes Bud and me very happy.

This is the correct orientation of the way I shot the picture. It looks like an upside down thicket of trees, the blue sky above, and what looks like some peculiar color of orange.

When I rotated the picture, then is looks like this, The trees appear more upright but the fish still look like fleeting orange. The yellow you see are the roots of one of the plants.

This post is linked with Weekend Reflections.

Chairs, Chairs, and More Chairs

 Plow and Hearth Main Store near Charlottesville, VA

Plow and Hearth Outlet adjacent to the main store. 

This post is link with Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

Lightroom to Photoshop and Back...Sometimes

Well, here it is...my first try at editing in Lightroom, taking the pictures into Photoshop Elements and doing some tweaking and texture work, and then back to Lightroom and publishing. All I can say is it has taken me hours and hours to start to figure this thing out...lots of wonderful video lessons to view over and over again, lots of note taking, lots of trial and error, and LOTS of eyestrain and quite a few headaches.  Oh, my goodness, is it hard...but so much fun. Three more lessons to go before the end of the class.

 Where Will All My Goldfish Go?

 Pile of Chain Link at Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia

 Cobblestone Street at Civil War Museum ~ Black and White

Cobblestone Street in Color with Texture Added

My Orchids Are Still Blooming

I {Heart} a Picket Fence

When we were standing on the street corner in Richmond waiting to see Buddy run by in the half marathon, this is one of the houses I saw and immediately fell in love with. Every part of me screamed out, “I want this house!” The picket fence is REAL wood and NOT plastic, and it has a little gate at the front walk. And, just look at that divine glassed in porch reminding me of our home in Florida.A nice and smooth sidewalk is there but covered in beautiful fall leaves. Finally, there is the red trimmed glass front door and those heavenly blue shutters...real shutters and not fakes. Yes, this is my dream house...BUT only in my dreams.

Here it is in black and white, but this is one of those times where I really do prefer the color. It’s the colors that add the perfect touch and make me want to move right in. 

This post is linked with "Friday Fences" and "Shadow Shot Sunday 2.”