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Rain Maker….
…..bring us some rain. I made a discovery earlier this week….for a mere $40 I would learn how to make a rain barrel with the barrel and conversion hardware supplied. This is a class provided by the Hampton Master Gardeners and the City of Hampton several times each spring. I signed myself up and off to Bluebird Gap Farm I went. They had a short class prior to barrel making on water conservation and recycling. Afterwards we went outside and proceeded to make our rain barrels….. My 55 gallon olive barrel from Spain with conversion hardware. The holes are pre-drilled prior to our arrival. Using nuts, washers and caulk, the faucet is installed…
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Please allow me to introduce myself….
My name is Debbie and I am a chicken little when it comes to critters and creatures. Many of you who have been visiting for awhile know I love to photograph sunsets….sunrises too but I don’t get the opportunity to shoot those that often, so I mostly have sunsets. One of my favorite locations for sunsets is the boat docks close to my mother’s house. Actually, a few small piers and the ability to put a boat in the water….but it is called the boat docks. You remember my post earlier about spring gnats…..and my extreme dislike for them. Well, my earlier encounter with them was nothing compared to Thursday night. They swarmed over me as…
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New Bird Bath?
The birds have decided the new fountain makes an excellent bird bath. Maybe because it is something different? Maybe it is the bubbly water on top….a birdy bidet? It is actually a puzzler…I fill the bird bath with fresh water each day ~ I have to because I must have some really dirty birds, the water is filthy each afternoon. I refill the fountain with fresh water. I come inside and wait ~ here come the birds….straight to the fountain. I think the word has gotten around….they are all anxious to check out the cool bubbly water bird bath ~ cleans up their bottoms just right. 🙂
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Nashville
I had heard about the rain and flooding in Nashville this past weekend…..neighborhoods under water, lives lost. I have seen the same aerial views on television over and over ~ tragedy has struck again. Today I had the opportunity to see it through the eyes of a photographer that lives in Nashville ~ a more personal view if you will. Michael Deppisch originally set out to document the event the best way he knew how….but instead of still images, he created a video. His story about this video can be found here.
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Chocolate and Rambling Thoughts
I got a great surprise in the mail today when I got home from work. One of my oldest and dearest friends in Colorado (Hello Carole!) sent me some chocolate sunflower seeds to grow. Yes, you read and saw that correctly ~ chocolate sunflower seeds for planting and growing chocolate sunflowers. I can’t wait to see these flowers!! I wonder if they will have a chocolate taste? Will the birds go from eating the regular sunflower seeds to these and feel like they are getting dessert? If I succeed in growing these, photos will most definitely follow. Thanks again Carole ~ I’m so happy you thought of me! 🙂 I read an…
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The President’s House
The President’s House at The College of William and Mary is the the oldest official residence for a college president in the United States. For more on the history of this house, visit this site.
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Outside My Window ~ 5.2.10
Outside My Window…is a very warm morning. Already the temps are at 78º with partly cloudy skies…actually more sun than clouds right now. Combine the humidity it feels like 81º outside at 9:25 am. Our forecast high for today is 94º with winds 15 to 25mph. This sounds like a forecast for a summer day, not early May when our average temperature is 70º. The beaches are definitely welcoming visitors this weekend but with the winds, you will feel like you are being sandblasted. To get some relief, you may venture into the water….except while the air temperature is very hot, the water temperature is still spring temperatures…that means you will be wading…
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Removing Color Cast From Photos
Yesterday I showed you a photo with a color cast and another of the same photo after I fixed it….. Today I promised to show you how to do it. I use Photoshop Elements 7. You will probably be able do the same thing in earlier versions. Let’s begin…….open you image and duplicate the background (control J). While working in your layer copy, select filter->blur->average….. This will reveal your color cast…… Now select Layer->New Adjustment Layer->Levels The opportunity to name this layer will appear, you may leave it as is or name it “gray adjustment”. Click OK…..once it opens, select your gray dropper…….. ….and click on your image. It should turn gray…
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Eureka!
I have posted a few scanned photos taken years ago when I lived in Denver. These photos have been a challenge because of a color cast that has developed over the years. There are quite a few photos that have this cast over them. But look what I learned to do….. 🙂 I will share the secret to my success with you tomorrow!
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A Day To Rest
I stayed home today….I awoke with a thundering migraine this morning. Thankfully, I rarely get headaches….but when I get one ~ it generally knocks me out for a few hours until it goes away. After I woke up and was feeling better, I played around on the computer a little bit ~ working again on the tutorial I discovered. Oh, and the name of the individual the effect is named after came to me last night. Hmmmm, maybe that is why I got the headache ~ straining my brains too much to think of the name. The tutorial is called the “Dave Hill Effect”…….and if you want to check out…