Alone and Roaming ...

... but not very far. Spent the day at the apartment and didn't venture out due to some crazy calf charlie horses (my electrolytes must be off) and a whopper of a headache.

But, my! What a place to have to roam:

Seriously rooms with a view ... It is fall here, the weather is divine - especially when leaving something that is getting uncomfortably hot. It does mix one up a bit - leave in the sweltering heat and end up here - with absolutely perfect weather (ahem ... except for the occasional foggy morning ...). I'm not complaining.

Spent my first night alone in the apartment. Was a bit weird - but nothing I can't handle. Woke up at 11:00pm and discovered that Gary had a Photoshop assignment for me - thus passing away some sleepless hours. Got enough sleep to start to acclimate to this time zone - and I have been fairly alert and awake today - so maybe it won't be so much of an adjustment. When you are an insomniac to start with - jet lag just doesn't seem to affect you - you are ALWAYS jet lagged - so no biggie ... see how simple that is?

Here is the place to be on a day like today:

One of the balconies - we have two small balconies that pretty much cover the entire end of the pie shaped apartment - the big piece being the view end. It is where you can enjoy the weather, the comings and goings of life on the river and this:

It is one amazing view and apparently I cannot get enough of it or photograph it too much ...

Not much photo taking today. More reading, talking to myself, walking out charlie horses, viewing Photoshop CS5 tutorials and general lazing about. Did notice that the boats that are docked in a particular area looked to be in a parade - being blown about by the wind and looking a bit more like they were in motion rather than in a boat parking lot:

So ... "Boat Parade" was pretty much it. Other than a new technique I am learning about in Photoshop CS5 called 'Puppet Warp'. Oh, yes - Puppet Warp. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of Gary with his legs spread and arms spread or ... what fun I could have - placing 'pins' in his elbows and knees, feet and hands and making him dance! It is truly a phenomenal tool and let me bend water today:

I took this:

and turned it into this. Skipped the step where I threw the drops in so it does not look very realistic - but it is a work in progress - I just lost interest when my head started throbbing - don't know why I am posting it ...

And, of course, the flower update:

My tulips are peeking!

They are going to be beauties:

So, tomorrow Gary gets back - which will be a definite plus - he is at a ranch that he says I would LOVE to photograph. I told him to take pictures for me and so I could play with them. Not really my style, playing with others photographs - but it will have to do ....


And the botanical gardens is on the agenda for tomorrow - I need to see my lily pads! Are they open? Dead? Just gotta go see them and hope to find my very large lounging lizard while I am there - they are always fun to photograph!


So nothing new - but this month (I am here till the 25th) is really just to hang with Gary and don't have anything extraordinary planned. It should be nice and restful ...

One Wild and Crazy Ride ....

.... OK, probably just really LONG and TIRING ... and this got long and tiring - I don't expect anyone to read it except my mother ....

It starts late. My friend tells me she is going to be late and is only 10 minutes late – but you know me … I start to fret. We get to the airport with more time than is needed for an international flight and I am just going to LA. Well – for now.

I clear security in a heartbeat, having not a single soul in line. Even my two computers and 3 bin requirement for all my detritus don’t deter me. I check the departure screen to see what gate I am at and discover that my flight has been delayed. Great. Hours to go and missed Gary's call – my phone not ringing loud enough for me to hear it.

I get something to eat, purchase the Internet, because I discovered that I could download the new Photoshop CS5 30 day trial about ½ hour before my friend picked me up. The clincher? It takes over an hour to download and Gary has downloading restrictions with his Internet provider in Australia – thus my friend wisely suggested that I use the time sitting around in LA to download to my laptop. I decided with the two hours I had – I would do it in Houston. Barring my battery failing. I had a trough of diet coke with all the refills that I could handle and started the download.

No go – my poor battery was not going to make it. Darn! But then I decide to wander the restaurant and see if I can find a plug and what do my eyes spy? But a plug right by a table! Moved my stuff and completed the download – boring – but gives me PLENTY to do in Australia – there are a bunch of new features and the tutorials are already out on Adobes web site.

I get to the terminal with about 10 minutes to spare. Get on the plane. E-mail my missing husband that I am on the plane … where was he? No response. Maybe something in LA.
The movie actually looked good, so I got out my headphones and watched - made the time go by quicker. The 3 hour and 13 minute flight is just a practice in patience for me – trying to set the mood to get in the AIRPLANE ZONE …

The movie ends – unfortunately there is still an hour to go in the flight. Bummer. Get out my trusty baby laptop and here I am … typing away as the sun is setting. Should get into LA at 8:00 with my flight to Australia leaving at 11:30 – so I need to prepare for the AIRPORT ZONE … or just go shopping ….

*********

Arrived in LA at 8:00pm – a full 3 and ½ hours before my flight to Brisbane. I didn’t go shopping – I just basically sat and vegged – well – people watched – a hobby of mine – but got incredibly bored. I was worried that I was bored out of my skull with one hour before boarding and THEN had to endure the 14 hour flight …

I was counting on the entertainment system – or if the row was empty – to lay down and try to sleep. It was not empty …. Just wasn’t my night – so the entertainment system it was – and I hijacked three of the seats for ½ hour intervals just to give my legs a rest – the lady sitting in the other seat was very nice about it and apparently could sleep sitting up – something I have yet to master …

So – I’m watching movies – some good, some not – but they pass two hours so that is a big plus. I reward myself after every movie by walking the plane and taking a potty break.

Almost there – one hour to go … I’M GONNA MAKE IT!! This is about the time the captain comes on the PA and tells us there is fog is Brisbane and that we are diverting to a dinky airport in somewhere called Rockport. He mentions we are also low on fuel because my stress level was not ramped high enough as it should have been. So landing and refueling in Rockport and waiting for the fog to clear in Brisbane. I was less than excited about this and said a few choice words, but then, hey – I was watching the most dismal movie (The Road) of all time so it seemed appropriate and fit in with the theme of that two hours …

Diverting to Rockport:

We get nearer and nearer the ground and all I see is cow pastures – this is a LITTLE airport. Since it is not an international airport, we cannot clear customs so we cannot get off the plane.

Airport - (window is fogged up - but you can still see how dinky ...

I swear there are cows out there:

Gary has a 3 day … something … and is not going to be at the apartment, but said he would stay until I got there and then leave. This sort of put a damper on that, and I had no way of letting him know I was not going to show up at the appointed time. So being brave – I asked a perfect stranger if I could use her phone and let him know not to wait for me … she was very gracious. So no Gary when / if I finally arrive in Brisbane But there is a bed … a really, really nice, comfy bed ….

So here I sit – blissfully typing away – because – hey – what else is there to do? Sitting on the jetway watching the cows?

*******

It occurred to me that I was in a (pardon my French) 'big ass airplane' and in a little town – thus on a little runway. I was a bit worried about the takeoff. Since the captain had made it clear we were landing there because we were out of fuel … I had my doubts about getting this behemoth off the ground before we ran out of runway. Who knew you could punch a jet to do THAT? Sort of like a roller coaster ride – which does remind me that this was the BUMPIEST ride so far in all my bumpy trips to Australia. They ACTUALLY PUT ON THE SEATBELT SIGN … 4 TIMES!!!

Qantas just doesn’t do that. They turn off the seatbelt sign while you are still at that steep pitch climbing – try going to the toilet during THAT - trust me – it is an experience!

But since the captain was in a confessing mood he had said that we had burned extra fuel while being buffeted by those horrifying winds and thus the reason we were running on empty. So – FUN TIMES ALL ROUND!!!

We clear the runway, make to Brisbane – to a beautiful sunny day – the fog just a memory. Then the waiting in the customs line, then the waiting in the line of ‘did you bring something naughty into the country’ (oh, don’t go there – you know: fruits, nuts, sawdust, soil, etc …). Was sent past the dog instead of the x-ray – the airport god smiling down at me for the first time – till the dog honed in on my bag – but then another smile when the dog handler believed me when I said I was not carrying any food of any sort (true) and was not strip searched because a beagle could smell Charlie or something on my laptop bag …

Got to the taxi stand and in a taxi with an obviously new driver. I told him to take me to 30 Howard street – across the street of the downtown Marriott taxi stand – and he seemed to know where that was, but I was unsure. Would I know if we were going the right way?

On the freeway we go – for longer than I thought that I should have been on the freeway, but then like silent sentinels my buildings and landmarks I recognized started popping up. With each one, I calmed down from this 30 hour wild and crazy ride just a little bit more. BP’s buildings A, B and C, Breakfast Creek and the hotel, the river and the old boats tied up on the docks. I can see downtown and it is so comforting to know that I was almost there … almost home.
Inside I find a new fan in my bedroom since it is cool here now at night, but my room has no ceiling fan, and, of course – flowers - POTTED no less! No withering and dying here ...

E-mailed Gary and told him I was here. It just might take me the three days he is gone to get feeling better. It is so late now in the day (about 1:00pm Wed) that it would be dumb to go to bed now...

... and it is just too beautiful a day in MY city to sleep through it...

See ya tomorrow ...

Per Gary's Request ...

... sort of. He just mentioned that he was sure if you broke him open that he would be full of sawdust ...

I know, I know - I am back to the creepy ... (but creepy seems WAY more fun than rainbows and butterflies ....)

Enough with the Creepy ....

So ... apparently I am a photographer - I take photographs.

I thought that I would:

a) avoid life, packing for Australia or anything travel related
b) review my photos
c) put photos on my blog that I took this week ... only this week


I take a lot of photos .....


There multiple sessions of my "Lothario Lizard Luring the Ladies":

The dove (?) that would not fly away, but refused to face me and be photographed properly (so shy ...):

The place a threesome of us ate lunch (look closely at the people ...):

A light from the same restaurant:

The 'Nameless Statue' of a man so famous in Richmond, Texas, he needed no identifying plaque (or they could not afford it). Of course I had to ask, not knowing who he was - apparently he has been the mayor of Richmond, Texas for 30 some odd years ...

A lovely set of shacks outside the restaurant, the first one taken after lunch when the sun was shining on it:

This one (before my Photoshop work) taken before when it was in the shade ... and I had noticed the flowers in front of it - they are nearly invisible in the one with the light shining on it:

And it's uncomely neighbour:

A friends roses caught my eye - one of them was out of focus - darn! Can you tell which one? Yes that is the beauty of 'posterize' in Photoshop and a fuzzy photo:

Random flower - out of order - they were by the 'Nameless Statue':

On one early morning Sonic Run, Charlie had to endure sitting in the car while I took photos I mentally titled 'The Long Way to Sonic' ... since, well, it is ....

I don't really 'title' my photos - just mentally - but this one is titled 'Sentinels' since I noticed all the herons (?) in their own personal space lined up along the lake - it was weird ...

Then there is my series of 'Photos taken while driving my car' - seriously. Out the window. I know, I have issues - but sometimes you just have to snap the shot ...

The church (with a 'dry brush' filter):

Playing even further in Photoshop with our church:

A beautifully shaped tree - that I am hoping is not dead - just slow in getting its leaves - but I have sure enjoyed the beauty of it's branches while waiting for my Route 44's ...

An entire meadow of flowers. Never have bothered to stop and take some close ups - road seems too busy ... or maybe it is just I'm always too busy ...

And discovery of discoveries! MINIATURE PONIES!!!!! Next to where Charlie gets groomed:

Who could resist snapping photos of MINIATURE PONIES!!!!?!!!!

And, well, that is pretty much it ... for this week.

Next week will be chock full of Story Bridge and such ....


... until then ....



... happy photographing!!!

Experimenting II

Saw this in a magazine and wanted to try it ... and didn't know what to do with it when I was done so I am posting it. It is the bloggers way of taping something to the fridge I think ...

I took this stock photo (from a website - don't know her, not my photo ...):

And using nothing but Photoshop, make the eyelets, lace, place them (tedious):

And end up with this, also creepy, image:

Photoshop is waaaay more powerful than I thought before I cracked open some magazines until 3:00am this morning ....

Experimenting

Fairly tame (but hard to do ...)

And why do I gravitate toward the creepy? (Exceptionally hard ...)

And just because that one was not creepy enough ...

The Dreaded 'Encounter'

Jessie: "Mom, I go play with toys."

Me: "Jess, there aren't any toys up in your room anymore. I gave them to other children who would play with them. You are a big girl now and don't need toys."

Jessie: "No toys?"

Me: "No toys."


Jessie: "I go see."

If you didn't see those blogs, I converted her room (due to a huge need to move on) from this:

To this:

Jessie comes back down.

Jessie: "Mom, no toys."

Me: "Nope, but you do have toys in the kitchen cupboard - lets go play with those ..."

Jessie: "Nah, no toys. Can I have crackers?"

Photoshop Addiction

Been having waaaay to much fun with Photoshop lately. It is amazing what you can do with it. I read their magazines and get ideas then go to town. It has helped my proficiency and speed with the product enormously.

Adding 'glows' to flowers takes just a few minutes:

Emphasizing flowers in a photo takes more time, but hey, I needed to work with the 'shape' tool more anyway ...

And then there is the Orb:

Or, if your file is not quite square the Oval:

It is a piece of cake:

1) Take a photo of flowers and crop to a square size if you want it round

2) Select: Filter - Distort - Polar Coordinates and click 'Polar to Rectangular' in the pop up menu

3) Rotate your photo 180 degrees

4) Select: Filter - Distort - Polar Coordinates and this time click 'Rectangular to Polar'

and voilà you have the 'Orb' ...