It’s been over two years since I’ve posted anything here. It has been a busy two years.

I’m posting today because I’m researching FASO.com for my boss who is a fine artist. I thought it said I could link to an outside blog, but so far it hasn’t worked. Perhaps a new post has to be made, and to that end, I’m posting here.

The picture I’m including is a picture I took of one of the tulip plants my daughter gave to all the members of Uncle Garry’s family when he died in March of 2009. We all love him and miss him and every time I run across this photograph, which I used on cards to his immediate family, I think of him and miss him again.

Over the past few years, I’ve gone to school for an Office Admin degree. I’ve learned a lot, not the least of which is that I don’t have a really good head for numbers (as used by a bookkeeper). But I do have the gift of gab. This year I’m in a class about the Internet and Social Media Marketing and I’m finding that very interesting. I learn something every day. And that has prompted me to look again at this blog and consider continuing with it.

As my fellow Grand Valley residents know, yesterday (May 29, 2011) was a windy day. Utah began to move in around 3:00 p.m. and it stuck around into the night. It’s windy today, too, but nothing like it was yesterday. AND, it’s chilly again!

For those of you familiar with my view of Mt. Garfield, this shows how much dirt was in the air.

This shot was taken later when even more dust was in the air. Even later, I couldn’t see St. Mary’s Hospital, which you can see in the distance here.

What I’d planned to be a relaxing and photo-centric weekend turned into something of a bust for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is my inability to plan well and a well-honed ability to get completely distracted.

The highlight of the weekend was the realization that the ladder-in-the-wind noise I had been listening to was not my ladder (left in the entryway for a good day to run water to the swamp cooler). It was instead a section of rain gutter wildly fluttering in the wind above my house. This was cause for much concern. The wind had detached the rain gutter at one end, ripping out a small section of the facing on that eave, had bent up and over the roof, and was hanging on by a few more nails at the other end of the gutter. I could see those remaining nails weren’t likely to hold the rest of the day if the wind continued or intensified. The rolling dirt cloud to the west suggested this wind was going to hang a bit longer. With each irritating gust of wind, it appeared more likely this section of rain gutter was going to detach completely and become a missile of neighborhood destruction (and eventual hostility toward me).

I got on the roof to check it out and realized that there wasn’t much I’d be able to do from there. The wind was blowing that section around in such a manner that I was afraid it’d eventually whack me in the head or rip a chunk out of me if I didn’t get off the roof. I won’t even mention the foolhardiness of being up there in the first place, the wind gusting as it was. But I did lay low when it blew the hardest and moved only when it was calmer.

Once off the roof and assessing the rest of the situation, I thought I’d pull the “free” section toward me and off the roof, then take the nails out of the rest of the gutter and in that way guarantee the neighborhood wouldn’t be in danger of flying house parts—my house parts. It wasn’t long before I realized I didn’t have the strength, or even a sense of safety, to drag that thing toward me and off the roof. Besides, there are windows and a fence I could also destroy in the process of decapitating myself.

So I did what any woman would do in  a similar situation. I cussed, I cried, I bitched vehemently at the wind, and then called my dad. 🙂 He got here pretty quickly. I never call for help, so I think he thought I might need help.

Between the time I lost it and called Dad, and his arrival, I settled down a bit and remembered WHERE “that” rope was, got it, got back on the roof, and tied the rope to the end of that gutter. It had to be done in spurts, coinciding with wind gusts that required I simply hold on tightly to the that twisted hunk of metal so as not to acquire an unwanted piercing.

Dad got here, assessed the situation as it then was, and declared the problem “handled for now.” We visited awhile longer as he continued to talked me further from the “ledge.” Sometimes I guess a gal just needs her dad. He and my brother will help me yank the rain-gutter weapon off the side of my house and off my roof, and I’ll go from there. We have to wait until the wind calms a little further. Does anyone want to hazard a guess when that might be?!

When Dad left, I made a few more adjustments to my knotty work on the roof and in the entry way. I submit these photographs to amuse. The rain gutter went NO further in the wind, but this rope work cracks me up. (Incidentally, that red “rope” on the park bench is a bathrobe tie!)

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As the wind continued to blow items, big and small, across the valley, I amused myself suggesting that if anyone happened to see a length of bent and brown rain gutter fly by, it was mine.

Thanks, this day, goes to the many veterans who gave of themselves in the name of freedom. Happy Memorial Day.

Sitting in the sun in San Diego (when the sun is visible) has provided me a nice break. I’ve done little or nothing, and I guess that’s fine. I’ll start a temporary job on Monday and I probably better take advantage of the structureless time while I have it.

I’ve taken a few pictures, and will take more.

Geraniums:

Aeonium decorum variegata: I had to look this one up — a LOT. There are many varieties of aeonium. Who knew?! I like this one because it’s green and trimmed in red/pink/purple.

I want some of this in my entry way. It looks like it’s good at 28°, but not much less than that for extended periods of time. Perhaps it would be better inside the house.

On with vacation. Happy Monday!

I’m planning a trip to San Diego. This time I will drive. I like how quickly a plane can get me from one place to another, but that process eliminates a lot of adventure. And I believe that’s what I need more than being plucked from one location and deposited to another.

Each time I’ve told anyone of my plan, with few exceptions, I am questioned, “Why don’t you fly?!” Dad appears to be one of the few who understand the need for time rather than simple relocation. Even so, the Interstate between here and there doesn’t offer a lot of visual stimulation to make it a worthwhile trade for time, but I do love that stretch around the NV/CA state line. The terrain turns into something I well remember from childhood. I always want to turn toward Death Valley and up toward Bishop and Mt. Whitney. When I was a child, we went to Death Valley and Mt. Whitney many times during summers. If I had a couple weeks, I might try it. I’m not up to taking off-paths to my destination this time.

Here’s a picture I took in 2003. I love the color in these hills:

Life has taken such a turn, and it appears to still be in something of a spin. I’m restless and feel the need to run. I’ll have to drag me along, so the therapeutic value of this journey will be somewhat limited. But when I get back, I believe this time I’ll feel as though I’d been somewhere and done something, even if I do next to nothing when I get there.

Better get busy!

Like so many others this morning, I was surprised to wake up to snow on the ground. I got out in fashionable wear, for all early morning photographers; shorts, Ugg Boots, and my fuzzy bathrobe. (If any of you see pics of THAT on Facebook or Twitter, please send me a link.)

I started in the entryway, moved to the back yard, and then into the front yard. It is at that point my attire may have drawn attention. Or not. Maybe they are used to it. Maybe they have other things to do. In any case, fashion aside, these are the images I captured.

Entryway shade garden plants, up close and fairly personal:

The neighbor’s lilac bush overhanging the fence:

Weeds I need to pull or “whack.” But aren’t they pretty in snow?:

Driveway art:

Leaves of the lilac bush out front:

Sunshine and snow on pine:

It’s the last day of April, 2011. Have a great Saturday!

It’s been a busy few weeks—and most of the “busy”ness and turmoil was not of my making. Yesterday I even quit about 5:00 and didn’t look again at the computer until about an hour ago. I did keep track of a particularly vehement exchange on Facebook last night, but as often as I wanted to add my two cents’ worth, I did not. It was an interesting exercise in self-restraint. 🙂

Yesterday the rain poured down and eventually cleared off to a large degree. I love the rain, and since yesterday was one of few days recently I’ve had the luxury of  sleeping in, I did. I listened to water falling gently on my skylights, and enjoyed doing NOTHING and worrying about NOTHING.

What a great way to start a day.

Late yesterday morning I happened to look across the valley and noticed Mt. Garfield in full, glorious color. I’ve often noticed how rain (and melting snow) will deepen the colors of the Bookcliffs. It’s even more pronounced closer, but difficult to get a picture on the Interestate. What is generally a sandy and not real “colorful” landscape (unless you just love it, as I do), turns rich brown and is especially set off by the slate grey of surrounding clouds.

That’s all I wanted to say. And I present this photo of evidence that color does exist in them thar hills—even if those colors are brown. 🙂

Have a great spring Wednesday!

For some time, I’ve wanted to write about a new iPhone Photography App I found. But I also wanted to do a few comparison shots; shots done with the iPhone 3Gs’ default camera software, and the new discovery.

Camera+ is a really cool software. Its most useful feature to me is the ability to change exposure separately from focus. It doesn’t always make a big difference, but sometimes it really does.

I shot each pair of pictures one after the other so lighting was generally the same, and I tried to keep the camera in essentially the same place.

The following pair of photos are taken above my neighborhood and I set focus on Mt. Garfield in the background. The iPhone version isn’t bad; colors are rich enough. Seems whites are pretty good, too. In the Camera+ version, the clouds are brighter and the white of the house in front is much whiter. In fact, this is more what I was seeing, standing on my balcony.

Another one is somewhat more striking, but it’s got some problems of its own that are only exaggerated by that change in exposure. I think this demonstrates how much more detail you can get, but you can also abuse it and blow out parts of your picture you don’t want to. I think the left side of the boy’s head looks a little too bright. I don’t care about the sunshine streaming in, but I probably shouldn’t have taken it so bright. Compare the two:

The last pair I took inside, and was VERY careful about where I was focusing and where I would take the exposure reading. The focus was on the face of the smaller elephant; the exposure was read in the darkest part under the larger elephant’s head. Neither photo is bad, and each has its strong points, but I just like the lighter exposure of the second one AND the wall color is more true, which is not yellow (or GREEN), but a dull white.

I’m afraid without further adjustment, the white balance is still off, leaving the wall a little greenish.  And, there are ways to fix that using the other features of this software. Rather than show you all that here, click on this link to Camera+ that will show you the various things the software can do and be used for. I recommend you watch the video, too.

If you take photos with your iPhone camera, you can also import them to this app to play with exposure, white balance, cropping, framing, etc.

To transfer these photos easily, and wirelessly to my computer this afternoon, I used another very useful app that I believe I mentioned in an earlier post. I think it’s worth another mention here because I have totally gotten my money’s worth. The app is Photo Transfer App, and it is $2.99. I have saved, many times over, the cost of this app just in time saved to get a couple of photos off my phone to my computer. You can also transfer files from the computer to the phone. This might seem odd, but I have lots of photos that lend themselves well to filter play, and some of the coolest photo filters and treatments are on my phone. That being said, if it’s something you want to do, I recommend changing the size of a hi-res photo so that it more resembles the size of photo taken on the phone. Too large a file will bog down the phone and the software, and that’s not fun at all.

I’ve had a lot of fun with the Camera+ app and to date, it is still only 99¢. I only wish I had an iPhone 4 with the better camera. One day….

Happy playing!

I’ve posted pictures I took of some very happy birds this morning. They seem very busy today, as I should be. Birdsong fills the air this beautiful spring morning.

I love the colors on this little fellow.

Here, he appears to be looking at me. I’ll bet he wonders what that beak is on my face (camera lens) and in what way it’s useful for gathering food and building nests.

Perhaps I’ll figure that out one day.

They are wiggly little creatures. It’s hard to get good focus. That little limb looks great though, doesn’t it?

This one turned out surprisingly well considering the bird wouldn’t sit still, and the camera kept trying to focus on those branches.

Welcome, Spring!

Old Tree on Clark's Bench above Bangs Canyon

This gnarly old tree trunk posed beautifully, didn’t it?

On Sunday, I got a spur-of-the moment invitation from @cllecr to hike Clark’s Bench above Bangs Canyon. Luckily she and her husband waited for me. I took out from the house without my purse (with driver’s license) and like I knew where I was going. It took me several tries in the wrong direction to find Little Park Road.

How many years have I lived here?!

It was mostly only overcast as we headed out, but darker storm clouds moved in from the south as we neared the top. The accompanying wind was cold and biting. In the distance, snow fell on the Grand Mesa. Still, it was great to be outside and with interesting people for a few hours.

On our way out, of course it cleared off! Isn’t that always the way?

Happy Monday!