Favorite Photos ~ Post No. 2

 

Watching our garden grow.

(and how I loved that hat -- long gone now)

Favorite Photos ~ Post No. 1

A subway station in Stockholm, Sweden

(I didn't notice all the red highlights when I took the picture. 

Now they are the reason this is one of my favorite photos.)

Playing In B&W

Some day, hopefully, I will learn my camera and a picture like this will be better. I think I'm pretty good at composition, but I need to know how to make a small bird stand out. 

I haven't taken anywhere near as many pictures with my - no longer - new camera as I thought I would. 

This One Is For Gracie, Samson's Girl

who wrote him a song to let him know she was worried about him, what with the fires and all. We are OK here, the fires are far away, we were under Red Flag Alert, but we are safe and no more alerts. Winter is coming to the canyon and Samson and I can't wait. We wish we had some of that snow you got. Faith says she's glad as long as the snow stays away.

So, sweet Gracie, here's a picture of Samson. He's a bit upset because his table broke. He has had that picnic table to stand on and look bigger when the coyotes come by, he has slept on it, Faith too, but it has truly been his table. And now it's gone! I had to take it apart and the neighbors helped me get it out of the dog yard. He doesn't know it yet, but he will get a new table soon. 

Faith Says: Thank you Gracie for thinking of us and for writing us a song. And what a good song it is. Samson says he will write you soon. Meanwhile he's sending you his picture. We both loved the picture of you for Halloween. Stay well, we are both sending you our love. (Samson's bent out of shape because mommy took his (our) table apart because it broke just a little. But he'll get over it. She also took his best chair away the other day, so he's not happy right now.) 

For those of you who don't know: Gracie is Samson's girlfriend. They were about to get virtually engaged when Errol got ill and then that sort of fell by the wayside. Gracie lives on this blog: http://gracieownsme.blogspot.com/

in Maryland and they have a loving friendship now.

Visit there to see her Halloween outfit and read the song she wrote to Samson. So sweet!

My Galaxy S6 Camera Created

this photo on its own. 

When I took this picture, it wasn't dark, the sun had not set, it was just hiding behind the juniper. I like the way my phone camera captured the old truck and the halo effect aroud the tree.

The S6 camera exposure setting is too dark. I haven't tried to correct it, but I have accidentally clicked something that resulted in much lighter pictures. So I know it can be done. Right now I have so much on my mind that I won't play around with it. I use Picmonkey when I need to lighten something. Later, I hope to learn a lot of new things. I just need to free up my mind, which is too old to do too many things ~ and I'm not talking about at the same time ~ more like in the same month! 

Stockholm Tube Station ~ For Hilary

This is one of my favorite pictures of all time. 

And Hilary, this one's for you. No ghosts in Stockholm, just pretty shiny escalators. (A sort of private joke, referring to Hilary's post about ghostly escalator innards she never got to see ~ you can read all about it here.)

Yellow Highlights ~ Railroad Again

Waiting to make a right turn at a stop sign, I took a few pictures of men working on the railroad. As I began to drive again, making the turn, I took another picture out the side window. I had no idea if it would work, or even what I had just snapped. This is what I got and I feel lucky about the overpass structure and the yellow stripes in the road.

I'm enjoying trying for scenes other than nature and want to thank my blogger friends who like to mix it up for your inspiration. 

Red Highlights

Busy trying to capture the locomotive as it went by, I completely missed the nice composition of the red highlights in this picture. 

I'm always so thrilled when something I didn't see appears to make a picture so much better. Does this happen to you too?

Samson Weathers the Storm

I'm using Samson to check out and learn about the features of the various photo programs available to us now. How times have changed ~ remember when you had to take your photos to the drugstore to be developed? That wasn't all that long ago. 

I hope you will enjoy these new Samson posts.  

Inspired by Madsnapper Sandra

I once again try to capture a train through my rear view mirror while the front of it goes across the railroad crossing in front of me.

And this time, I succeed and manage to confuse myself. I intended to capture exactly this, but seeing my camera facing backwards in the mirror, I don't get it how the front end of the train shows up in front of me, up there in the right hand corner, as it goes over the railroad crossing. I guess I'm having a senior moment. I'm sure I'll figure it out later, so no need to explain it to me.

A cool picture though, right?


Click here to check out Mad Snapper's blog.

Old Tow Truck Left Behind

Another picture of the old tow truck left behind up by the barn.  I'll definitely take more pictures of this truck, it's a great subject ~~ and it stands still (as opposed to the critters I try to photograph)!

When You Can't Sell Your Old Trucks & Cars

just drop them in your field, next to the highway.......

An Old Shed

I drove down this road that I had never been on before and liked the way the trees framed this old shed. I found a few more interesting things on this road for later posts.

An Old Apple Shed

Apples are a major crop here. This old shed is on the main street of our town. You can drive by it often and not notice it, but once you do, you wonder about it: The flag is out, is it being used for something now? Why is it still standing here, rusting, on valuable real estate? And, of course, what went on here in days gone past.

What Would Madsnapper Sandra Do While Waiting For A Very Long Train To Pass?

She would snap train pictures of course! Most likely she would try to capture one end of the train in her rear view mirror, while the other passed in front of her. So, inspired by my friend Madsnapper Sandra I try .........

But I have a long way to go before I get to be as good, fun, and creative as she. Please go here to see Sandra use everyday items in a way you've never seen done before. She also has a way with flowers and nature, showing off her backyard in gorgeous pictures. Visit her blog several times (it's never the same from day to day) and you will soon be addicted. Promise!

In only one picture did I manage to capture the train both in the mirror and in front of me. Squint a bit and you can see the train in the left corner of the mirror. 

After that, I completely blew it. But I had fun,

which was good since this was the longest train that took forever to slowly wind its way down the tracks. 

This train would have been a trainspotter's delight as it wound its way around the Tehachapi Loop, the first cars passing over the last as the long train looped around, went through the tunnel, onto the overpass, and traveled on top of itself. 

The structure behind the train is the Lehigh Southwest Cement Plant, an eyesore on the road home and a major health danger as it releases mercury and other toxins into our air. I don't think I would like to be stopped here with small kids in the car. 

I will tell the story of the plant and a company town that is no more in a post about The Murals of Tehachapi.

Thank you Madsnapper Sandra for the inspiration, I will definitely try this again. To see Madsnapper's fabulous blog, please click here.

An Old Green Barn

Enjoy the world gently

Enjoy the world gently

If the world is spoilt

No one can repair it

Enjoy the world gently

Yoruba song

A Barn Below the Mountains

The days grow long, the mountains beautiful

The south wind blows

Over blossoming meadows

Newly arrived swallows dart

Over the steaming marshes

Ducks in pairs drowse on warm sand 

Tu  Fu, 8th century

Old Truck

Out driving on a country road, I came upon this old truck ~ secure behind a tall fence. 

Country Sheds

Found these sheds while out looking for poppies.

Note: I have created Pages for the posts from my three A to Z Challenges. Just click on a tab at the top of the screen to access my A to Z posts.

Shadows in Black & White

something old ~ something new

and, yes, our shed needs to be painted