Story Hour Photography Blog

I Think I'm Back....Not Sure Just Yet!

2011-07-18T08:35:00.000-04:00

I got mixed up by the addition of a tool that seemed to screw things up. I hope to be back with content once again and hope that people who used to be interested, will return. Stay tuned....

Hello From Maine

2011-03-16T13:37:00.002-04:00

I have been absent from this Blog since adding a 'Stumbled Upon' button which seemed to foul things up. Trying again to add new content. What's new?

Well, Ron was diagnosed with possible Celiacs Disease about a month ago. He had been iron deficient and they were searching for an explanation. Celiacs was explanation enough for me. I have purchased books, found web sites and learned as much as I can about it and have stopped eating wheat myself. Will be back soon to add more....

9/11 Stories: Where Were YOU/What do YOU Remember?

2010-09-11T10:49:00.012-04:00

Ok, I wasn't at Ground Zero on 9/11, but most of us weren't there, Still we remember where we were and how we learned of what was transpiring in NYC!! Share your 'story' here. Here's mine:

I worked for Early Intervention Technical Assistance (a collection of consultants who worked under a subcontract from the PA Dept. of Ed) and we had a meeting in Harrisburg that day which meant getting up early; driving to Harrisburg and sitting through a meeting all day.

We arrived at about 9:00 AM and when we got out of the car in the parking lot we were asked if we had the radio on. We answered, "No," and were told of the first plane crash into the World Trade Center. We went in to the meeting where a TV was on at the front of the room. The World Trade Center was the center of attention as it burned with smoke billowing.

Our boss arrived and taking the remote, she clicked the television off with the comment that, "That's enough of THAT!" Guess the meeting was going to come off come Hell or High Water? Simultaneously, a rumor flew around the room that a plane had crashed near Indian Lake in Western PA. One of our co-workers had a home nearby and her cell phone began to ring. She was very alarmed!

Cell phones were ringing around the room and I could hear crying.

Our boss's cell phone began to ring from her pocket. She left the room to answer her phone and returned to tell us all to go home. Of course, by that time the towers had fallen and we had met, though only briefly.

My passenger and I retraced our route from Harrisburg back to Pittsburgh with much discussion of what was happening!

Please share your memories of the day/catastrophe. Leave your comment below.

I remember not being surprised by the events of the day. It seemed the logical next step after the attack on the Cole. The World Trade Center had been attacked once already....rather unsuccessfully and we had kind of brushed it off and moved on. We were smugly self-assured and unafraid. How shortsighted of us!

I don't think I thought enough about what it would mean for us all. I wasn't aware that it would lead to war though I think that thought followed later. It wasn't obvious right away that it was a terrorist attack and without TV to organize our thoughts, it wasn't a big part of my thoughts about the outcome. It surely is a good example of how much we have come to depend on TV for our interpretations of major events...rather frightening in itself!

I understand that my mother-in-law (in her 80's)thought immediately of war. SHE knew, but then she had lived through Pearl Harbor and WWII!! I guess it made a difference. I'll be interested to read how many of you thought immediately of war? Did you? For me, war seemed far away and quite foreign. I remember as March unfolded and it was obvious that we would attack Iraq feeling very sad and frightened that we would resort to this old solution once again! It seemed as though we should have evolved beyond such solutions! And here we are today thousands of lives and trillions of dollars later!

Don't miss Bruce Springsteen's tribute! The year after 9/11 was filled with patriotism and flags. Visit a gallery that documents that year in "New American War." The comments at the end are very interesting! Check it out!

Panasonic 20MM 1.7 lens

2010-09-08T12:42:00.006-04:00

I have this lens which sometimes seems duplicative of the 14-42, but it is so much faster that it is worth having!

I experimented yesterday at the Museums of Portland, Maine on my grand daughter! I set the camera/lens to f1.7 and reduced the size of the focusing rectangle in hopes of getting a better return on the number of in focus images. I processed today and was disappointed at the ratio of OOF images to in focus images! There were far more OOF ones than I would feel was successful. You'll find images from this experiment on my pbase September, 2010 page. Scroll down to the images from September 7, for the applicable shots. Many of these were taken in very low light, so in that way, the lens did very well.

I have several though where the lens focused on items nearby rather than the subject on which the focusing rectangle was pointed. Disappointment!! It was my understanding that by making the rectangle smaller, I would have a far better chance of getting in focus images. NOT SO!

Still, I DID get some good ones after filling a 8 meg card with jpeg and raw files!

Yes, even in the near-dark, the camera/lens combination did fairly well...f1.8 at 1/80th second, ISO 1600 so fairly noisy....so exif info says. I thought it was 1.7, but I guess not!

There are so many windows in this old building that it makes for pretty good photo ops! Here is one where the window really helped!

M4/3 rds 45-200mm Lens

2010-09-07T08:33:00.006-04:00

Reviews of lens fault it for CA at the extreme ends of aperture and range. I can attest to this!

Here is an example of the lens at 200mm. This shot was taken in Oregon at Cape Perpetua
in the fog. There is CA around all the edges in this shot!

This was shot at 200mm and f5.2....close to the lower end of aperture range.

But the lens isn't bad when f8 is used...or something closer to mid-aperture range and at 200mm.... here are a couple of examples....

And this one shot at 200mm, but f7.1...

No CA in the 200mm shots when the f stop is set closer to mid-range....nice! The sharpness has been criticized as well, but these are not bad, I don't think. Oh, and for the last two, image stabilization ON the lens was used rather than camera stabilization. I have read that lens stabilization works better.

Cosina Entering M4/3ds Market

2010-08-31T09:05:00.006-04:00

It can only be good news that Cosina has announced that they will produce lenses for the micro 4/3rds market. That means new lenses for Oly and Panasonic cameras which are probably much needed/awaited!

Check it out here. Should be interesting!

Additionally, there are rumors of new lenses for spring 2011.

Here is a shot taken in the dark using the 'Night Scene' mode on the e-PL1 camera. This setting automatically sets the camera to ISO 200. That requires a good 'set of hands' capable of holding a camera still OR bracing it against a stable object while shooting. The feature image was shot from a railing on a wharf (shot w/ 20mm Panasonic pancake lens).

You will find many more images shot with this setting in nearly dark conditions at my August gallery. Many are much more blurry than I would normally use, but this was a family event that needed to be documented, so I relented and posted anyway.

These images are of particular interest to me because my long-term goal is to have a camera that will shoot very low light images w/ little noise! I guess the big Canon and Nikon SLR's are what would do the 'trick' right now, but they are just too cumbersome for me at this stage of life! I keep an interested eye peeled for very fast lenses in hopes of meeting this goal with a smaller camera...not YET!

My wish is for a 4/3rds body with high/effective ISO settings. That would be my most earnest hope/wish! Would love to have ISO 5600 setting in a small body...one that truly worked!! Maybe someday?

Reason to Shoot Raw Images

2010-07-05T10:36:00.004-04:00

I'm sure that you have read that it is important to shoot images in raw format rather than jpeg format and might have wondered why this is important. Well, this image illustrates it well, I think.

This image's color is rather extremely 'off.' I could play with Hue/Saturation in PS or some other photo processing software to try to fix it (I did to no avail), but if it doesn't work, I am stuck with this version. NOT GOOD! An image shot in raw has some pretty sophisticated tools for adjusting color in PhotoShop and other programs. I could quite easily adjust a raw image and have the color looking wonderful w/ a few clicks of a mouse!

I shot this in jpeg AND raw, so I have a raw copy to adjust color, but have not yet done it. I am having problems converting from raw to jpeg with this camera in order to process raw images. Hmmmmm....this is not a good thing! PhotoShop does not yet support this camera...I'm sure it soon will, but in the meantime, I'm stuck with this version which is good to illustrate the need for raw, but little else!

No need to reinvent the wheel here. Luminous Landscape has a very good explanation of raw vs. jpeg. Check it out!

Back from Vacation with ePL-1 Camera...a first for me!

2010-07-01T11:22:00.004-04:00

I note that the last post was put in place on June 4....we must have been 'on the road....probably in Chicago.'

We made it home on schedule without incident. I was worried about terrorist attacks on the train; earthquakes in Portland, OR; Yellowstone super volcano eruptions and being followed by the 'boogieman' everywhere we went. Heck! I dreaded the boulder that was going to drop on us from a mountain at Glacier. None of it happened. My fears far outstrip reality every time!

There are photos of the journey on pbase. Please check them out and enjoy! Know that they all were shot with the Olympus e-PL1; the kit lens (14-42mm) and/or a 45-200mm lens. I didn't use the 20mm lens at all....sometimes wonder why I keep it!

While it's a very fast lens(the 20mm), I don't often find myself using it! Maybe in time it'll get used? I was surprised to find myself shooting with the kit lens most of the time. I would put the long lens on when going out expecting to see wildlife or hoping to get something at a distance, but otherwise; the 14-42mm suited just fine! I found less distortion and/or CA using it.

Impressions after a month of shooting on vacation? Well, the camera was very light and easy to carry around. Even with the 'long' lens, it wasn't onerous to carry. I loved it! I noted that in low light I had problems getting images that were not OOF...or motion blurred.

I shot a series of a duck in the lake and when viewed in the Windows viewer, I thought they were all OOF, but when I looked at them yesterday on a larger screen, I realized that they were all quite sharp and in fine focus. (I carried my 10" Wind netbook on which to process all my photos...using Photoshop Elements 8.)I guess this small baby is good for travel (easy to carry), but is not the best choice for processing photos! The 45-200mm lens had done an admirable job! I did note some CA with that lens...especially when shooting an image that included a treeline against a bright sky. Otherwise; it seemed to do pretty well. This behavior is consistent with the reviews I read of the lens, so I am not surprised or disappointed.

I recently read a statement about the 70-300 lens and it was a glowing report, so I think I'm going to have to give it a second chance. I didn't take it with me, but still have it and will give it another try, I think. I am disconcerted with the noise it makes when focusing, but maybe I can get by that for certain kinds of shooting. I guess it wouldn't be so good for birds or wildlife!

I shot from the moving train and am not sure of my success rate. I don't think that it was any harder to shoot with than the Canon 5D was. Can't remember really. It's been that long!

I would post shots here, but you can see them all at the pbase site. Oh, I meant to mention that they are not all in good focus or the best of the batch. I posted things that were representative of the trip instead which forced me to post some that were not 'best work.' Please forgive this weakness in the collection. Still, I think there are some really good shots included, so don't avoid looking for this reason!

I was satisfied enough with the images I processed and prepared to upload to Acclaim at my first opportunity. I have four folders full of images (approximately 20 per folder). Check out Acclaim for my images.

Westward HO!!

2010-06-04T18:03:00.003-04:00

We headed out via Amtrak from Portland, Maine on our way to Portland, Oregon, then back to Glacier National Park for two weeks, on June 1! We took the bus from Portland, Maine to Boston and then the Amtrak from Boston to Portland, Oregon. If you are interested, you can follow our journeys here. In case you're interested, all the images in this gallery were taken with the Olympus ePL-1 camera using various of the micro FT lenses. We now (June 4) are in Portland, Oregon at our son's and leave here on Sunday for Newport, OR to visit my sister and her family. Then we come back to Portland to finish our the week before heading back to Glacier National Park for a two week visit. DO spend time with us and our photo diary of the journey here. It will be a photo diary to rival the best of them. I do this every year and enjoy it immensely! Comment if you feel like it!

Uncomfortable Thoughts on Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T14:28:00.010-04:00

Yearly we celebrate war and death on Memorial Day and we give credit where credit is due! Brave young men and women have left their homes to fight in foreign lands; risking life and limb! But life is risked by many people in many ways and always has been! Why this emphasis and glorification of war? Who benefits?

Historically, war was a male's way of guaranteeing the continuation of his family and nation. Childbirth was a woman's way of making the same guarantees with similar risks.

The childbirth death rate; "...seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, between 1 percent and 1.5 percent of all births ended in the mother's death as a result of exhaustion, dehydration, infection, hemorrhage, or convulsions. Since the typical mother gave birth to between five and eight children, her lifetime chances of dying in childbirth ran as high as 1 in 8. This meant that if a woman had eight female friends, it was likely that one might die in childbirth."

Death rate among soldiers in Iraq, "Thus, the annual risk of death for a member of the military in Iraq is less than half of that for a randomly-chosen American citizen."

Hmmmm......I know this is not popular info! And we DO thank our soldiers for serving! But, given this info and as unpopular as I expect it to be, why all the hype?

And then there's this, "...it is not difficult to find conditions equivalent to combat in American cities. In Philadelphia, the death rate for black males aged 20-34 in 2002 was 4.37/1000, 11% higher than for troops in Iraq." OMG!!! We tolerate this!! What does this say about us as a nation?

The death data for VietNam was much worse (and probably all other earlier wars), so the point falls apart if one looks at death rates for these wars! Still, it seems to me that we need to think in different ways about war than we ever used to! Glorifying it is NOT the thing we should be doing....it is suicide in this day and age! J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Bhagavad Gita said it well, "If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one." and "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." ....the ultimate solution to war which will incinerate us all! (Oppenheimer quoted the Bhagavad Gita when he saw his creation [the Atomic Bomb] explode!)

Men get credit for risking life and limb in war. Do women(or did they ever) get the same credit for risk when they got pregnant in the 17th and 18th centuries? Doubt it very much! Where is the tomb to the 'known mother?' Why do we not salute her sacrifice?

I must tell you that I share this info with extreme trepidation! Why should I feel that way asking you to think about an obvious comparison? Is it time to think differently about war (fortunately, much of the risk is taken away from modern day childbirth)?

As long as we glorify it and celebrate it, we will continue to fight wars and sooner or later it will get out of control and we will use the weaponry on which we have spent so much money! Should we be celebrating the regenerative sacrifices of childbirth and putting war where it belongs...and begin to think of it as a self-destructive endeavor in which we risk whole nations!

As a mother and regenerator of life, I MUST protest this very strange behavior we take part in each year! If one other person thinks differently about war as a result of reading this post, I will have done GOOD! Celebrate LIFE; not DEATH! Heck! We don't even need to celebrate life; but let's look more carefully at our celebration/glorification of war and death.

This statement refers to war worldwide; not just the wars the U.S. fights!

Quotes come from this site, http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=psc_working_papers.

First Steps in the Journey

2010-05-30T12:28:00.004-04:00

Yup, we head out to Portland, Oregon on Tuesday, so on Friday we ran our girl, Pesky Paisley, to Connecticut. Here are some images from that trip....Paisley appeared glad to see her Mom and then got a demo-walk to showcase heeling behavior. Ginger recommended obedience traing....for the girl and US!! :-)

I know we all could use it! Ron is leaning toward letting Paisley be a dog/pet first and not worrying about the pulling when she is walked. I can see it both ways!

This was our first step in a long journey...stay tuned....for more trip and more photos!

Thoughts on New Black and White Magazine Issue: May 2010

2010-05-27T09:43:00.003-04:00

Black and White came out with their 2010, Contest Winner Portfolio in May. I was interested in the winners. I noted that many of the images were not only blurry, but I could not see the reason for taking them, submitting them or their winning. I guess I'm just a dolt! Still, I wish there was some text to go along with photos that would explain why they were winners!

I noted that each selected photographer had 3-4 or more images posted....and they all had similar themes...ice, trees at night, nudes, shadows, distinctive faces, doll faces, underwater, street performers, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed this issue, but again, wish for more text! Obviously, I'm missing something! I wouldn't even know where to start thinking about submitting something as i haven't a clue what they look for!

I appears that they were looking for images that had never been done before...or published before. A closeup of a face as though shot through cracked glass...trees with motion blur or light writing, nudes underwater, closeup of skin texture, and more! We just need to think of a 'new' way to shoot a subject and we'll be 'in like flint?' Not sure as they don't tell me!

Thinking on this, I wonder if looking through a folder of images, one might select totally different images to highlight based upon the time? If I were to look through my files of 10 years ago, would I select different files to show? I bet I would!! I know that the images my father took 40-50 years ago are interesting for totally different reasons than when they were first shot! The history of place makes them seen in totally different ways NOW!

Makes me think about what I shoot and what I might be missing! I'm sure I'm missing a lot!

Putting it to Bed

2010-05-27T09:10:00.003-04:00

Putting what to bed? Worry about lens sharpness at 200mm...that's what! I tested it yesterday...the 45-200 and here's what I found...

Looks pretty sharp to me and it's shot at 200 mm! I did add a bit of post processing sharpening, but not too much. Wish it were an image with some corner detail to check for that. oh well...

The Answer is: Couldn't!!

2010-05-25T15:03:00.002-04:00

I played with the idea of buying a case for the camera,but spent the $$ yesterday morning on a birthday gift for Jordan instead. Hope we're there when it arrives, but even if we're not, I'm glad I spent the $$ that way!

Ok, I have promised to post images taken with the 45-200 and the 70-300! I am coming to the conclusion that the 70-300 is the lens that will have to go! If you are interested, let me know. It comes with an adapter for the FT's to MFT cameras. Maybe I should hold onto that? Not sure.

Anyway, here are some 45-200 images:
I like this one cause it shows how capable this lens is even in low light conditions! I think it also shows the capability of the IS system....I used the in camera IS instead of the lens one which is reported to work even better! Wow!

Not sure, but I think this one is a 200 mm image. I can't seem to get the EXIF info to come up, but if I remember correctly, I zoomed this one all the way to 200!

Impressions of the 45-200 compared to the 70-300? Well, first of all, I note that it is lighter weight and MUCH less noisy...and I mean the audible sounds the lens makes; not the grain of an image! The 70-300 grinds as it focuses, but the 450-200 is perfectly silent. Haven't looked/listened to a video with it yet, but I can't hear anything as it focuses.

I read that it too is less than sharp when fully extended, but I am not yet ready to make that judgement. I have shot much too little with it fully extended. I am finding that I just don't use it fully extended to 200 very often...not yet anyway. WE'll see how it goes on the trip. I plan to take it instead of the 70-300. I think this is a good choice!

I believe that it's focus responsiveness is considerably more sensitive than the 70-300 is. The Panny lens has the latest firmware already installed and the 70-300 does not. Perhaps that would make a difference? I'm not sure. I read that the firmware DOES improve focus speed. I am able to focus even in less than stellar light, but the 70-300 requires full sunlight to do a good job focusing and even then it doesn't always focus accurately or quickly.

Here is one that was shot at 200mm and isn't as sharp as it might be, but I'm not sure if it's my handholding or the lens...me or it? Not sure! Guess I've got to get the trusty tripod out to be sure. It was shot at F16 so, should have reasonably good DOF. According to my calculations, the DOF should be around 5.8 feet...enough so that the whole plant should be in good focus! The blossoms at the upper right look less than sharp to me...kind of fuzzy?

Should I or Shouldn't I?

2010-05-22T06:57:00.005-04:00

The leather half case I've been wanting for my camera has dropped about $20.00 in price. It's still not cheap at $80.00 though! It looks great, doesn't it?! Check it out on eBay!! Click the link below. I think I'd like a red one, but heck, green is nice too! What would YOU do?

MFT Lens Samples

2010-05-21T18:42:00.003-04:00

I now have the Panasonic lenses 20mm, 70-300mm and 45-200mm and the kit Oly lens, 14-45mm. I was concerned about the replication of the 70-300 and the 45-200. I really like the 45-200 compared to the 70-300 despite the shorter reach!

I am going to post a few images that I think are representative of what it can do even indoors in lower light. This is a slower lens, but it behaves quite admirably. Here are the samples:

I have been a bit disappointed with it's long behavior...at 200mm the lens seems to smear detail so that it is not distinct at all. Here is an example of that: no detail in the face or shirt! This one isn't even fully extended either! Is it motion blur or just plain out of focus? This was shot at 1/60th second.

Lens Update

2010-05-19T17:58:00.004-04:00

The 45-200 arrived this afternoon. I unpacked it and put it on the camera and tried shooting with it. First impressions here....

First of all, it is considerably lighter weight than the 70-300mm lens....no surprises there!

I just feels like it belongs on the camera, unlike the 70-300 which feels like an add-on...an after-thought!

I was very curious to see how it focused. It seemed to require MUCH less light to lock onto a subject. It hunted from time to time, but nothing like the 70-300! I set the ISO to 3200 and the f-stop to f5 and shot away. I got some OOF/motion blurred images, but over-all they weren't bad. Of course, I haven't looked at them on a computer screen yet....only on the lcd. Looks to me like this one is going to be a keeper while the 70-300 will probably go up for sale.

I was disappointed to see that the box that the 70-300 came in seems to be among the missing. I probably packed it into teh shipping box and it got thrown away! Ugh!! oh well....I have all the others.

I'll share samples from both lenses here as I take/get them. Stay tuned...

May 20: Took a shot of the moth from yesterday. Yes, he is back! The 45-200 had a hard time focusing on it. I think i was standing too close. When I stepped back, it did better. This lens is obviously NOT a macro lens! So far, I am not missing the extra reach that the 70-300 provides. I guess I had not yet become accustomed to how far it can reach!

Animal or Vegetable?

2010-05-19T08:41:00.003-04:00

Amazing isn't it that this can look so much like a leaf when in fact, it's a moth!?? This was shot with the 14-42 kit lens. I didn't think this lens was a macro lens, but it let me get close enough to get this shot at 42mm! I saw a bird pluck a moth from a screen a week or so ago, but this fellow has 'hung around' for several days now. I guess the leaf camouflage works!! Oh, and here's the exif info, 1/125s f/11.0 at 40.0mm iso800. It's raining today and he/she' s still hanging out under the overlap of the siding...to stay dry?? I should try to take a few more today. Did this lens focus on the texture of the siding instead of the moth? Looks like it! Guess the f-stop of f11 worked though. Handheld, it's still just a bit soft. Oh well...

The new lens is scheduled to arrive today. Can't wait!

New Lens on the Way

2010-05-18T08:57:00.003-04:00

Yup, I did it with my husband's help....my birthday gift this year will be a 45-200 lens from Olympus...or is it Panasonic? Can't remember! Still this will be duplicative. I already have the 70-300, but am looking for something lighter and quieter! The 70-300 is VERY noisy! When it focues, the motor winds to beat the band! I have found it an okay lens, but will be curious to see if this one is quieter and easier to use. Here's another 70-300 shot...

Not bad, but the other day I had problems getting it to focus in full sunlight. Wondered if it was a defective lens or my problem somehow. After awhile, it focused fine, so wasn't a permanent problem.

Anyway, i'll be interested to see how the 45-200 compares. I know it won't be as long, but I can live with that! I am accustomed to shooting with a 400 mm lens anyway...the Canon 100-400 USM IS. Not having to use an adapter and having a lens that weights 13 ozs. SHOULD make a difference! We'll see.....I'll be sharing here later.

Not sure why this image is so large compared to others, but it was uploaded from pbase instead of from a file....maybe that makes all the difference?

New Small Camera Out: What Would I Do?

2010-05-12T06:44:00.005-04:00

Ok, there is a new small camera with interchangeable lenses out and reviewed very favorably now. Does this make me feel regretful that I didn't wait? NO!

I am enjoying my smaller camera and finding that I am taking reasonable good shots with it. If I had a smaller camera, I'm not sure I could hold it still enough to get usable shots, so I am NOT regretful!

Yes, this was taken with the 70-300 Zuiko handheld!! I was surprised that it could be used handheld...didn't expect that! I've even shot out the moving car window to get usable results.

Here's one...Not much to look at, but it's sharp and usable!

So, Sony! Take your new toy and keep it! I'll stick with the eLP-1!

More Thoughts Based on More Days w/ the Camera

2010-05-04T14:34:00.003-04:00

Ok, it's been here for almost a week now. Thoughts? Impressions? Ya, I add to them daily, it seems.I am noticing a frustrating lag between teh time the shutter button is depressed and the time the shutter actually fires. I foresee missing LOTS of shots because of this. I have started playing with focus...focusing on objects in the field of projected image, setting the f-stop to a smaller option...f-8 to f 11; then firing the shutter when something worth shooting 'comes along.' This seems to work fairly well. Still it's frustrating to have this kind of lag. I don't know if it's a focusing issue or shutter lag. This camera has been reviewed to have a sluggish focus problem. Maybe that's it....not sure.

I am enjoying the camera despite these shortcomings.

I purchased a long 70-300 lens...Zuiko last week and am now waiting for the adapter that will make it possible to attach the lens to the camera to arrive. I am anxious to try it though I realize that it's going to be challenging to shoot with a lens that is as heavy as the camera itself!! I hope to have good luck, but it remains to be seen. I reflect that the Canon 5D is probably not much heavier than the 100-400 lens that I love so much, so maybe this won't be so different from that experience? It has a macro setting as well which should be fun to play with. I'll post some images here once I have everything in place and am ready to test it.

I note that there is firmware upgrade available for this lens, so I'll have to get to the library before I can use it. What a pain in the neck, but dpreview board members have cautioned that it's important to update this firmware. Don't know if it helps with focusing or what, but it IS an update and I'd be a fool to not take advantage of it!

Well, that's it for now. More to come as I expand this little gem!

More Thoughts on e-PL-1

2010-05-01T12:19:00.006-04:00

One complaint....the movie button is in the wrong place...too easy to hit it by mistake! And, when one flips the camera from landscape to portrait orientation, the screen gets impossible to see in daylight! It's almost as though there is polarization in the screen that forces the whole thing to become non-functional when rotated this way. Oh well...

Shooting from the waist is becoming easier and more successful w/ practice. Posted photo was shot this way and I was blown away by how successful it was...framed well despite not really looking to see how it looked! I had way too many movies interspersed with the snapshots. I had wondered why some of the images in the lcd were framed by a film frame....I guess this is the way that Oly distinguishes video from still images.

I can't seem to get the image uploader to open, so maybe there will be no image today. More thoughts on the Oly...

I have been setting the camera with a smaller f-stop in hopes to have a wider DOF and more success shooting images that are in focus. Guess if camera shake were the issue here, the f-stop would not help...images would be OOF anyway, right?

The shutter is much quieter than the Canon shutter. I had hoped that it would be silent, but it is not. The sound is not to be quibbled with though...very easy to deal with. Yesterday we attended a committal ceremony in a cemetery. The wind was blowing fairly strongly. I was worried about distracting people from the ceremony with the shutter sound, but I think it was almost unheard. Ron confirms that it wasn't heard.....HE didn't hear it anyway. I held the camera at waist level and shot away. Will post some of my successes another day since the uploader is not working right now.

I was thrilled to find that the Metz 20C flash that I purchased for my LX3, works on the Oly e-PL-1. How serendipitous! It's small, so that it doesn't dwarf the camera and though not a TTL flash, it is automatic at f-stops of 2.0 and 5.6f. I've been happy with the output so far. Glad to have an option beyond the small on-board flash.

Oh, I played with that flash for fill today. Was shooting a dilapidated stairway with much of it in the shade. Took one shot of it without flash, then raised the small flash and tried it. I could actually see the difference...it WORKED!

I ordered the 70-300 (140-600 equivalent) and discovered that I am going to need an adapter to use it. Oh well....don't know why I didn't think of that before though it might not have made a difference anyway. I will order the adapter tonight from B&H. I am a bit concerned about it's size/weight, but will report how it goes after it arrives (with the adapter, so that I can use it)!

I have seen sample images from it and they look wonderful! I'm hoping it will suffice for bird photography. I usually use a telephoto in daylight, so it should be okay! Anyway, sometime next week, I should have all the pieces in place to test it.

Right now I am using an old fanny pack for a camera case. It works just fine...seems a bit padded, so just pop the lenses into it and zip closed. It's perfect for easy carrying.....that is the really BIG advantage of this camera set-up...it is definately easier to carry than an SLR!! I barely use the 5D anymore. I have a 20D backup which never gets used! Maybe it's time to sell something? Almost sold the LX, but the sale fell through at the last moment. I wasn't ready to sell and the guy wasn't willing to wait! Question is, Could i live without an SLR? I think I might, but I'm not ready to say so yet.

I need to do some more child photography with it before ditching an SLR. I use the 5D whenever I want to get good images of my granddaughter who is five years old and in constant motion.

I MUST say that I enjoy seeing the Olympus logo on the camera. I have such very fond feelings about Olympus since I got some of my best output from an oly camera...the E10...over 7 years ago now. Hardly seems possible it's been that long, but it HAS! I am interested that the Panny lenses get better reviews than the Oly lenses. I guess the collaboration with Leica may have actually given Panasonic the edge...it paid off! I loved my wide angle conversion lens used with the E10 years ago...it was super! I expect that Oly will come out with some equally superior lenses for the micro 4/3's too. Time will tell.

I am not impressed with the build of the 14-42 lens. It's largely plastic, with some play in the front element, though the image quality is just fine. The longevity of this lens may be effected, but we can't know that right now.

I am ordering the Panasonic adapter...it's a bit cheaper than the Oly and apparently less plasticy than the Oly one. Strange! I was disappointed to learn that it was going to cost me more than $100.00 to purchase one. The Leica adapter costs only $35.00 and I'm not sure why there should be such a discrepancy, but there IS! I am tempted to buy the Leica one so that I might use a couple of Leica M lenses that we have. We'll see...down the road...so to speak.

I just thought of something else I need to try. I need to put the L-1 onto a tripod and shoot product stuff to see if the long DOF has an appreciable effect. Maybe in the next several days I'll get around to it. Not only does one multiply the reach by 2x, but one multiplies the f-stop to calculate DOF as well. So a 40mm at f-5.6 would be the equivalent of 80mm at 10.2f...with a DOF to match! So, an f-stop of 4.0, would give one the DOF of 8.0! Could be a problem in some cases.

Testing, testing, testing! e-PL-1

2010-04-29T06:32:00.004-04:00

yup, I've done it....I jumped in and purchased an Olympus e-PL-1 last week. I wrestled with the choice between the Oly and a Panasonic GF-1 which got better reviews, but the prices were significantly different, so I went the Oly route.

My thinking was that I would shoot with the Oly, start collecting lenses and then when something significantly better comes out, I'd sell the body and buy a new body. Well, at the end of last week, Oly came out with a firmware upgrade for the e-PL-1 which brought it's focus speed up to the speed of the GF-1 which was one of the major factors that made me want the GF in the first place, so it looks like we're even at this point.

I spent last week experimenting; taking photos and was not blown away. The camera feels very much like the Canon G11...about the same size and while very lightweight, it does not feel significantly smaller though I think it's sold as significantly lighter!

I bought the Panny 20mm pancake lens and the camera came with a 14-42mm lens which is not bad. I use it for the 'wide' end which is not really very wide. At 2x, that makes it the equivalent of 28mm's. This lens is a slow one; at the wide end it's 4.5f, I believe.

Images have been okay. I was worried that I'd not be able to hold this camera still enough to get sharp images, but yesterday we met Ron's brother in Kennebushport and I felt i had gotten some reasonable good images. The above is one.....

I set the f-stop to a middle-range(f7.1 or 8, I think) and then shot away. Not only is the lens multiplied 2x for 35mm equivalent, but so too is DOF!! This made the reach of the in focus field quite large, so the rocks in the lower right corner are as in focus as the reflected skyline in the back of the image!

I have had problems finding a program to convert raw images with this camera, so that is a real drawback and I've been shooting in jpeg format. It has a reputation for punchy jpegs, which is just fine. I downloaded Olympus's Master 2 which converts raw images, but I am having problems figuring out how to save those files to an external drive instead of my computer's hard drive. Once I figure that out, I may use it more. This software is NOT user friendly, I don't find!

I must say that the camera is a joy to carry around....NOT heavy or cumbersome at all....it meets expectations on that count for sure!

Tomorrow we go to Belfast for Butch's committal ceremony, so it'll get a workout shooting in a crowd. While it does not have a mirror and resultant mirror slap; it is NOT quiet either! Not sure what the noise is, but it is NOT silent! The 20mm lens makes a noise that I understand it makes for everyone....this when it is focusing. Then you have the sound of the shutter firing as well. I'll be curious to see if the noise is distracting to people expecting quiet.

I will also have to admit to having purchased (spent $$) a new camera with family. Not looking forward to that one though I don't expect any judgemental reactions. Edward will probably be most interested.

Well, will share more impressions as they 'develop.' (No pun intended.)

Oh, did I mention that the price was right? I paid $550.00 which I thought was very fair!! More thoughts coming soon....

Photo A Day: After The Fact

2010-04-16T07:49:00.003-04:00

Here's another one that was not seen until after the shot was taken! Hopefully Blogger will not cut the image so that you don't see the 'point.' It was taken way back in 2001 at a mall in PA. A little girl was playing on a big dog and when I opened the image on screen it became very evident that the posters in the store window made it look as though these young men were oggling her! I loved it! Taken with the trusty old E-10! My goodness, that Olympus surely got around!!

Photo a Day: mountain Tsunami

2010-04-12T08:22:00.003-04:00

This one from Glacier National Park. This one was shot just around the corner from Logan Pass at the top of the continental divide! We were shooting goats when I looked back to see this sight! We quickly skedddadled from teh top of the mountain afraid of what kind of weather was coming in. Sure enough, it turned very dark and cold! We were glad NOT to be on the mountain at that point! We were amazed how like water these clouds looked! They just curled over the tops of the mountains!

Photo a Day: Decisive Moment

2010-04-10T08:21:00.002-04:00

This photos was taken at the fountain at the Point in Pittsburgh. We were walking through a special event when this little girl stood on the rim of the fountain with the rainbow of water over her head and the city skyline in front of her. I saw it and snapped away with my E10. This was one of those times when I was sure I had gotten what I had seen. I could barely wait to get home to download my 'film' to see what was there. Sure enough! Got her!! Thank you, trusty Oly!

Photo A Day: Decisive Moment Again!

2010-04-08T07:03:00.007-04:00

I have a bunch of these, so I apologize for the repetition. This one was taken at Union Station in Chicago several years ago. We were walking through the station waiting for a train which would take us West when I saw this guy on the phone. He was reflected in the floor which made for an interesting shot....this was taken in the day when cell phones were not everywhere....it was shot with the trusty old Olympus E10! What a great camera that was!!

Did I tell you that I am researching a 4/3rds system and am looking at a Panasonic and an Olympus. It would be fun to shoot with Olympus again, I think! My reason is because I'd like a camera that doesn't weigh so much....my neck gets tired with the big 5D!! A smaller, lighter weight camera is in order, I think! I'm leaning toward the Panny because of the faster focus and the built in flash though the newer Olympus now has a built in flash and better high ISO behavior...both important! We'll see.....it's cheaper too...significantly! The Olympus has built-in IS as well while the Panny only has it in a few lenses! The Oly is sounding better and better! And since I now shoot with the old 5D, I wonder if there would be a significant difference between Canon ISO behavior and Olympus behavior! The old 5D probably isn't that much better than the Oly though if I were to buy a new 5D; surely the difference would be substantial! I don't think I want to go that route...even if I could afford it! My dream is to be able to shoot in the dark which I know is coming, if not already here!

A review of the Panasonic camera is here, and if you check out the comparison section, you'll find comparisons to the Oly camera!

Photo A Day; Desicive Moment

2010-04-07T16:54:00.003-04:00

These two teenagers are doing very teenage things....peering into a mirror in the hallway; looking without looking so that no one notices.

It's one of the magical moments that are emblematic of teenaers! This was shot at a 50th wedding celebration while crowds were in other rooms...shot with a Canon 1D and a 50 mm 1.4 lens. No flash....just natural light and a fast lens....my favorite way to capture low light situations.

Photo A Day: Decisive Moments?

2010-04-04T06:40:00.005-04:00

Here's another one from Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh shot with the old E10 in the 'olden days.' It's another example of a shot not seen particularly well when the shutter was released, but better seen when it popped up on the monitor! I just loved how the faces were ringed in light and how the exterior of the doorway, sets the scene...the formal dress helps too!

Someone suggested that I clone out the light above the player's heads and that sounds like good advice, but I have not done it here. The silent shutter was a big help in capturing without disturbing other audience members for this one!

This is another example of Blogger cutting part of the shot out. To see the whole image, go to this link.

photo A Day: Unseen....Until....

2010-04-03T14:40:00.004-04:00

....they were downloaded from the camera to a computer. These are images that weren't seen when they were shot, but seen later on screen.

This one was shot at the Sarah Scaife Gallery in Pittsburgh, PA! The guard appears to be oblivious to the attractive woman in the painting who is oggling him; instead he seems transfixed by the statue to her right. Their gazes produce a perfect open-ended triangle!

This one was shot with one of my old all-time favorites...the Olympus E10! It was a early 4 mp digital with true TTL viewing, but a prism instead of a mirror. This made it a superbly quiet camera; perfect for performance shooting even though you couldn't shoot at high ISOs. They weren't making anything at the time that could do that! This camera competed very successfully with the early Canon 10D. My brother had the Canon and we often shot together and compared our output which was very close in image quality!

This camera had the advantage that it did NOT have interchangeable lenses, so dust was not a problem! Of course, you didn't have the versatility of the 10D either....except that I bought conversion lenses and an adapter with which to attach them. I had (still have) a wide angle, a macro lense and a long...about 300 mm lens.....I think it was that long though it might not have been. I loved this system so much that I've kept the whole thing...it sits in a closet. The Oly wide angle lens was one of the best lenses I've ever shot with! Maybe one day I'll share photos taken with it and you can judge for yourself!

I'll post another tomorrow, so come on back!!

Photo A Day: Overdue

2010-04-02T17:12:00.003-04:00

I'm realizing that my photo a day offering is falling way behind!! Well, here's another one for today except that I can't take full credit for it. My husband pointed out this little mother sitting on a 'shelf' in a parking garage. I wasn't going to shoot it, but then said to myself, "What the heck!" and when I looked at it, I liked how the lines converged and the light played from the garage supports!

Just goes to show you....ya never know when something is going ot look better out of the camera than it does in real life. The frame of the image isolates the angles, lines and light in a way that the eye didn't see. It is not uncommon to shoot an image thinking it will be okay only to see something more in it once it comes out of the camera. I should start a thread with these! I have a few.....

As usual, blogger has cut my image so that all of it is not visible! Wish this wouldn't happen...sometimes it really effects how the image looks and this is a case in point!

The image can be seen in full here. hope you like it as much as I do!

Photo A Day: Appropriate Photo for Today!

2010-03-22T11:04:00.003-04:00

Wish it said, "Insurance Company Greed!" ( It says, "Stop Corporate Greed' Sorry you can't see it all...not sure why. No one has clued me in!) But it doesn't....well, it still seems appropriate today; the day after the insurance reform act passed! While it's not perfect, it's better than nothing! Why we couldn't have a public option, I'm not sure except that I suspect campaign donations were in the balance and senators and reps just couldn't bring themselves to forego them! Seems to me there are times when what's right is more important, but obviously they didn't think so!

Photo A Day: The Habba After Rain

2010-03-21T08:31:00.003-04:00

This one was taken from the East side of the Habba several summers ago. It was just after an evening rainstorm when everything had calmed down and was smoothy and glassy. The light was just amazing! I think this one was taken from our hotel room doorway...Brown's Wharf Inn, I think.

Photo A Day: Ms Piggy Fishes

2010-03-16T11:33:00.003-04:00

Yes, in spring a young pig's thoughts turn to 'fish.' This mailbox gets dressed for the season and has a costume change frequently to reflect what's happening. Check out Miss Piggy through the seasons here.

This porker awaits on Route 27 approaching Boothbay near the turn for Pension Ridge Road. She is a staple for the locals who watch for her frequent costume changes!

Last year she got a facelift with a new coat of pink paint which brightened her up considerably!

Photo A Day: Spring, 2010

2010-03-14T08:57:00.002-04:00

Ok, not quite yet, but it's so close we can almost taste it! Green, green, green! Anything green is very welcome even old moss growing on rocks nearby! Reminds me of a rug!

While you're here....

2010-03-11T17:06:00.002-05:00

Check this out!

Ever wonder where all the tax money goes? Well, this little illustration explains it about as well as I've seen! Like Oreo cookies? You'll like this one!

Beth

Photo A Day; Portland, Maine: Our Fair City!

2010-03-10T14:28:00.005-05:00

Being city people, we are glad to have Portland, Maine as our city! Yes, we come here when we feel the need for the color and excitement of a city. This old girl has much to offer! Being right on the ocean is one of the more important ones.

We also appreciate it's 'arts scene,' the architecture and it's old cobbled streets!
Exchange Street has a nice community of small shop businesses that make it interesting walking!

And of course, the concert hall is a place we find ourselves often!

I wonder if the musicians in photo one know they are sitting under an 'Impeach' sign? Musicians populate the Market on the day of the Farmer's market.

Photo A Day: Spring in Maine

2010-03-09T07:23:00.002-05:00

Spring brings light back to the state! The days go from 10 hour days back to long, warm, light days with time to accomplish LOTS!

And that light is WARM! Orange is a warm color and the sunshine on the water and boats brings out the orange in this one!
Lobstermen spend spring getting ready to fish for lobsters throught the summer. They take the warmer-longer days to paint their buoys; here are some colorful ones!

A drive through the countryside finds collections of buoys out drying from their new paint job!

In Maine, the colored buoys mark the place where a lobsterman has dropped his traps. Each fisherman has a different color combination and that helps him to identify his own traps!

Photo a Day: Well, We've Waited Long Enough!

2010-03-07T09:07:00.005-05:00

Sorry if these are out of order and the text is all over the place. Couldn't drag and drop images as I usually can. Oh well....here is our princess who think's there's nothing better!

What could be better than chocolate pudding on that pretty face? YUMMIE! Oops! I see the chocolate face one has disappeared! Such is life!

She surely was cute at six months, but then she's been cute at ALL ages! Or at least WE think so!

....to feature this little girl. We can't help it, if we're proud grandparents who of course, think she's about as pretty as pretty can be!

And this one is a classic! Chewing toes is an almost universal ability....at a certain age! Never again!

Photo A Day: Fog.....Again!

2010-03-05T11:48:00.002-05:00

Sorry to keep hitting you with fog, but it's a favorite! Surely, does put a different 'cast' on everything, doesn't it? And the top one was shot in Vermont....NOT Maine! The farm is in Pennsylvania. I was on my way to a meeting in Harrisburg when I passed this farm; actually I didn't pass it til I had stopped to 'shoot' it!

Photo A Day: March, 2010

2010-03-03T15:39:00.006-05:00

Well, it's March already and the snow's almost all gone! It's early for Spring here in Maine. People are reporting tulips sprouting and trees acting like they want to think it's spring. Spring is a fickle season here and what seems like spring one day can turn back to Winter in a blink, so don't get too cozy just yet!!

Here is the grounds of our favorite lighthouse in the 'neighborhood.' Aren't we lucky to have such lovely structures so nearby?!!

If you'd like to see the whole gallery, click the link.

These are my photo diary galleries. I add photos each time we have an event or outting to record. You can follow us through the seasons here.

I have had the theory that this fence around Pemaquid Lighthouse has such potential that I photograph it each time I visit. I think that sooner or later, I am going to get a once in a lifetime shot from this lighthouse/fence combination! Check out my Lighthouse galleries for further attempts at capturing this place at it's absolute best!!

We had a Nor'easter a week or so ago with winds to die for! We have visited Pemaquid in a gale, but this time decided to stick closer to home with the wind howling at over 60 MPH. Yesterday when I drove down the peninsula it was obvious that it had been a really unusual 'blow.' There were trees down in places I have never seen them before....and many more than usual blown over!

I would love to have seen the ocean, but then again. I noted that the second floor door onto the fire escape at the lightkeeper's house was gone; replaced by a slab of plywood. It must have been quite a 'blow.' The picket fence was rearranged around the house as well with whole sections down and others blow out of allignment. I think I'd have loved to be there! Oh well....maybe next time!??

In the summer, one can rent the second floor of the lightkeeper's house.I think that's something I'd like to do as well. I can't quite imagine the luxury of being there at sunset and sunrise for days on end!! Wow! Who knows....maybe someday???

Photo A Day: Is This Fair?

2010-03-01T12:19:00.005-05:00

I think that often Photo A Day sites actually share photos that are shot of THAT day....is that correct? Am I cheating by adding 'old photos,' ones taken in years and months past? I might be, but you will have to tell me that you dislike this approach, if that's the case! In the meantim e, I'll continue to share photos that have been around for more than a day or two! Here are a few more....

Here are a group of product shots. How were they produced? I didn't have a cube or box in which to shoot small objects, so I made one from a small box. I lined it with white opaque paper, so that light could shine into the box from outside. I cut the box so that it was a frame for the paper.

I shot these with the Olympus E10 set to Macro, then often used a flash to accentuate the sparkle! I racked my brain to find color-coordinated objects that could set off the colors of the gemstones. For years, I had a gem hobby, so this was an amalgamation of both hobbies...gems and photography. Visit the gallery to see them all (I still have some of them, and some I have sold).

I love the color and sparkle of gemstones AND I love capturing that with photography! I guess I should also say that I have since bought a cube and lights so that this kind of photography is considerably easier!

Photo A Day: How 'bout a Few More?

2010-02-28T07:41:00.002-05:00

Yup, those doors and windows surely DO grab ya! Don't they? Well, here are a couple more favorites...

First shot of stairs at Scaife Gallery in Pittsburgh with shadows and light from windows highlighting chef walking.....

Second one looking down on stairs from galleries at Sarah Scaife Galleries in Pittsburgh.

Photo a Day: Framed Photos

2010-02-27T16:17:00.004-05:00

Yes, I have been collecting images for this gallery for years! I started in Pittsburgh and have continued with images since moving to New England. Please take a few moments to visit the gallery.

You will find doors, windows and stairs from Pittsburgh and Maine/New England. I hope you find them as fascinating as I do! Please leave a comment to let me know what you think.

Hopefully the few images posted here will encourage you to look further!

Sometimes a photographer gets lucky and find doors and windows in ONE image! The shapes and light are fascinating to me! Or is it the architecture that interests? I'm not sure, but there's something about this subject that keeps me going back to share more! Please DO look at the gallery cause the ones here are but the tip of the iceberg! There are 153 images in this one gallery!

Photo A Day: Fryeburg Fair

2010-02-25T13:36:00.006-05:00

Fall is Fair time in rural states like Maine. The Fryeburg Fair is one of the biggest and most widely attended. Held at the fairgrounds in Fryeburg, Maine, this fair includes typical carnival rides, agricultural exhibits with lots of animals and of course, food, food, food!

But there are other fairs around the state as well and the Common Ground Fair would be the other BIG one that usually is scheduled for the end of September! This one is sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association (MOFGA). This one would have to be characterized as the 'counter-cultural' version of state fairs. And it includes lots of animals and food too! But this one is different!

Photo A Day: Rust Belt

2010-02-24T10:01:00.004-05:00

Yup, I told you I was a transplant from the Pittsburgh area. As a local resident, I loved the energy of the old steel mills...some were still working, but by 1980, they began to shut down. Here is an old train station near the mills taken in my old Olympus E-10 days. What a lovely camera (I still have it)!

The mills were stinky and made the air unbreathable at times, but how lovely they were in the early, pre-dawn hours as seen from a bus on the Liberty Bridge on my way to work all those years ago. One knew one was seeing history each time one passed! The ovens would glow orange in reflection over the Mon River and the skies filled with smoke of a similar hue! What a sight!

Here is an old Duquesne mill after it's productive days. This one fell down a few years back, but in May of 2001, it was still standing and I took advantage of the opportunity to record their loneliness and destruction! I can't help but think of the lives that passed in that place and the history that was written by hard-working men and women (They worked just as hard at home in squalid conditions with few resources)!

Find the whole gallery here. Happy reading and viewing! Don't forget to read the comments below the photos. They are some of the best 'stuff' here!

Photo A Day: Rust Belt

2010-02-24T10:01:00.000-05:00

Quotes: You Can't Win for Trying!

2010-02-23T08:30:00.003-05:00

I couldn't resist this one! It's a quote about being female and I apologize to anyone who is put off by it, but it seems to me there is a LOT of truth in it!

"Because women's work is never done and is underpaid or unpaid or boring or repetitious and we're the first to get fired and what we look like is more important than what we do and if we get raped it's our fault and if we get beaten we must have provoked it and if we raise our voices we're nagging bitches and if we enjoy sex we're nymphos and if we don't we're frigid and if we love women it's because we can't get a "real" man and if we ask our doctor too many questions we're neurotic and/or pushy and if we expect childcare we're selfish and if we stand up for our rights we're aggressive and "unfeminine" and if we don't we're typical weak females and if we want to get married we're out to trap a man and if we don't we're unnatural and because we still can't get an adequate safe contraceptive but men can walk on the moon and if we can't cope or don't want a pregnancy we're made to feel guilty about abortion and...for lots of other reasons we are part of the women's liberation movement." ~Author unknown, quoted in The Torch, 14 September 1987

Photo A Day: churches

2010-02-23T07:06:00.003-05:00

Ok, it seems like time to change partners and dance! Here are some favorite architectural images...mostly churches as the title implies....

The first one is an Episcopal Church in Gardner, Maine (or is it Hallowell?). the third one is a window in the Congregational Church in Boothbay Harbor. Now let me go find the Catholic Church in the Habba! It is one of the most photographed churches on the East Coast!! Oops! Sorry! I found Ye Olde First Parish in Wiscasset instead! This one was built in 1773...a lovely olde, addition to a New England community!

And how can I pass up another lighthouse...especially one that is so pretty? This one is Marshall Point Light.

Photo A Day: More Fog

2010-02-22T12:32:00.004-05:00

Ok, don't encourage me! Make a positive comment and I'm off and running!

This is another of my favorite fog shots! Taken on Ocean Point, Maine on a cool summer's day!

Oops! I don't know what's happening, but the pictures are being clipped! I thought it was cause i was posting images that were too big, so I chose a smaller version and it's still clipping! What gives? Anyone know? You are seeing only about 1/2 of the image here.....and as I add them, I see more! YIKES!

Photo A Day: There's Something About Fog!!

2010-02-21T12:59:00.003-05:00

Yup, there's something magical about fog...especially when the sun is peeking in from the other side! Here a little girl skips across the rock at Ocean Point on a foggy early evening. These were all shot with a Canon 5D, I believe.

And here is the epitome of a Maine vacation....vegging in the hammock on a foggy day with the sun glinting from the water as the dog watches us rest!!

Photo A Day: New American War

2010-02-20T10:07:00.004-05:00

Not so new now! In the year following, 9/11, I tried to document all of the patriotism I found all around me. I have a gallery called "New American War" (which it WAS at the time), click the link to visit the full gallery.

Flags were everywhere and the ramping up to war was palpable! We prayed for other solutions, but none came. Our President and his advisors gave us WAR as a solution. Wonder where it will lead? War always leads to more war and as long as people make $$ at war, we'll have it! Should I also say that as long as both sides believe in it as a solution, we'll have it? I think they both are true!

Unfortunately, war as a solution is a dead end! It will lead us to extinction, but we'll be extinct knowing that God was on OUR side! That MUST be worth a lot! The shot above was taken in the days following 9/11. Jet streams filled the sky. Wonder where all those plane were on the day the airplanes hit the buildings? Why weren't they scrambled in a timely fashion?

Raising questions, is probably not a good idea at this point! I am not a 'Black Helicopter Conspiracist' though it might appear so. I believe that 9/11 happened because our government was in full denial following the Clinton administration. They were in "No Mode!" If Clinton said there was danger of a terrorist attack, then it was time to "just say, NO," and ignore it! Heck! Bush even accused someone who warned him of 'covering his ass.' These were all shot with the old Olympus E-10, a very worthy camera! I think I did some of my best work with it. Only problem is, these are 4 mp images....too small for most uses...other than the ones I've put them to! (Fine for the web.) Oh, they DO reproduce at 8"X10" size...at least that's my experience!

Even Halloween Displays find a way of displaying the flag....Ameriween! Someone has a sense of humor! We all have looked the other way and we continue to do so by refusing to investigate war crimes or torture! Tell me why, PLEASE!

Photo A Day; Back to the Habba!

2010-02-18T18:49:00.003-05:00

In July, the tigers are in full bloom out at Burnt Island Light!! And this lighthouse marks the opening to the Habba! This lighthouse offers a guided visit with reinactors who 'play' the last lighthouse keeper's family. It's well worth the visit and here is an article about it.

Looking back into the Habba you may get lucky and see the East Wind as it sails out of the harbor with a load of tourists out for a sail on this lovely schooner!

Photo a Day: Two Favorites

2010-02-17T08:20:00.006-05:00

Yup, granddaughter AND alpaca! What could be better?

But I have promised to include more of the harbor, so here goes....the Habba can be for boating or other water-related activities.

This kid is having a good time...even on a foggy day. Fishing in the Habba is not uncommon...especially when the stripers or mackerel are running!

Photo A Day: Back to Ocean Content & PhotoShop FUN!

2010-02-16T07:14:00.010-05:00

Ok, it seems that photos of the bay are the most popular, so let's revisit some 'bay stuff.' I wrote an article about vacationing in Boothbay region over a year ago and you'll find it here. It reaches beyond Boothbay to places nearby, but over-all covers photography ops in the Boothbay Region. Enjoy!

The shot left here is of West Quoddy Light waaaaay Downeast in Maine. I was having fun with PhotoShop and compositing images, so here you get four for the price of one! This is without a doubt (on my part) the prettiest lighthouse in the state of Maine. If you disagree, please leave a comment with your favorite and a picture if you feel like it! I'm sure there are other very attractive lights...Nubble is very pretty during the holiday season when it's decorated in holiday lights!! So, please DO share!

More PhotoShop Fun!! Yup, this little guy (an alpaca from Win ter's Gone Farm) is a favorite! He is very friendly and sells alpacas for me! I would buy one, except that you can't own just one...they won't even sell them as singles. You must purchase TWO! They apparently are very social creatures and require company. So, I won't be owning an alpaca any time soon! Not only do you need to purchase TWO, but they are very expensive as well. I guess with all that soft wool, they are worth their weight in gold! Still, I like 'shooting' them and this one is particularly cute!

Speaking of ALPACAS!! Here is Lorelei, my granddaughter, having fun with Teddy her alpaca teddy bear...a real favorite! Teddy is particularly tolerant. He puts up with being dragged around here, there and everywhere; goes to bed with Lorelei and here plays toss, jumping into the air as Lorelei romps on the sofa!!

Sorry alpacas have taken over this post! Will try to get back to the ocean tomorrow! Stay tuned...

Photo A Day: Dino-Saw-Us

2010-02-15T08:21:00.003-05:00

Yup, I don't usually do this, but in this case, I composited two shots; one from NASA and the other a shot from the Canadian Visitor's Center at Glacier National Park of this dinosaur. The message is that if we continue to ignore the perils, we run the risk of going the way of this fellow. Yup, climate change is real, but to deny it is like suicide! We are fast approaching a tipping point where no matter what we do, the climate will get warmer and we will suffer the consequences, but the oil companies are intent on keeping us on our current track where THEY are making money hand over fist!

I just can't figure out where the CEO's of these companies plan to go...or to send their families! A person does not burn his own house down without an exit plan! Do they think they'll be able to exit this planet and leave most of us behind? Where do YOU stand on this issue? Do YOU believe that climate change is a sham? Do YOU believe that climate will change no matter what we do; why spend $$ trying to change the inevitable? Or, do you believe that it is NOT too late! With some effort, we CAN stop the warming before it gets so bad that it cannot be reversed? Please leave your comments.
Oh MY GOD!!

Photo a Day: LX3 Black & White

2010-02-14T07:32:00.010-05:00

Here is a shot from a kids' entertainment restaurant in Portland, Maine. We had gone for our granddaughter's fourth birthday celebration. I had a newish LX3 camera with a dynamic black and white setting I was anxious to try. Here is one of my first attempts and I love it! Of course, I would, wouldn't I?

This is a lighted game with a stool base and seat for play. The EXIF info is ISO 80 with f 2.8 and a lens speed of 1/160th second. I cleaned up some of the dirt from the lighted area with the clone tool, but otherwise it is minimally processed....converted from raw; perhaps tweaked with levels and curves...I really don't remember.

I find that the images taken in dynamic B&W require very little processing and if you are interested in seeing more images in B&W from this camera, check out this gallery.

And yes, black and white is wonderful! Some of my favorite shots are done in black and white....historically, I mean...not mine! Henri Cartier-Bresson would have some of the best examples...and I think he shot in nothing BUT B&W! He was shooting at a time when there were no other choices, I believe.

What is it about black and white that captures the imagination so powerfully? Please leave your thoughts/ideas in the comments section. Then again, my shot is a poor example because I believe that the most powerful BW shots are of PEOPLE! Mine lacks people at all. Of course, if one knows the place, people are implied. One can see them in one's mind's eye, at least. I do have ONE people shot from this day. Let me post it as I think it says a lot about the place!!

Here it is: This woman says something about visitors to this place. She is overweight and the pants don't really fit well. What do you know about her (and the place) based upon the photo?

Oh, and while I'm at it, let me tell you why I think B&W is so powerful....it leaves plenty for the imagination. With color, you have less to 'add' to the image, but with B&W, you are asked to use your imagination and it has a subtlety that is lacking in color! The tones and gradations of black/white/gray add to the mood in ways that color cannot or does not. The subject is laid bare accentuated by the lack of color! It seems to galvanize your attention in ways that color cannot/does not!

Photo A Day: Around the Habba!

2010-02-13T07:47:00.003-05:00

Sailing vessels aren't the only seaworthy items one can find around the Habba! Here a fisherman's glove hangs with a collection of clothespins on the side of a building at the Atlantic Edge on the East side of the Harbor. This was shot on a rainy day in July, 2009. This was shot during Scot Kelby's sponsored Photo Walk. For more information on Photo Walks, click here. It was shot with a 5D camera and the 70-200 IS lens. Not sure what ISO, f-stop or lens speed settings were, sorry! A stroll around the harbor finds many interesting things to shoot no matter what the weather is!

I'm sure there will be another photo walk this coming summer, but I am not sure that I will be leading it here. I have wondered about shooting Wiscasset instead of Boothbay Harbor. Wiscasset is known as the 'Town of Antiques' and has many lovely old homes as well as an architecturally significant church and Countyseat, side-by-side at the top of a hill. It is indeed a lovely and photogenic place. Perhaps my next few shared shots should be from there?

I don't know why, but blogger seems to clip photos leaving significant portions of them out. Perhaps I am trying to upload images that are too large? Sorry, but if you'd like to see this image as it appears completely, go here. This seems to be the only solution I know of to show the whole image! Sorry! While you are there, browse around. It's a very large gallery with 12488 images online! Back out of this photo to galleries and explore to your heart's content.

I was a resident of Pittsburgh, PA, so there are large portions of Pittsburgh photos as well. Enjoy! Beth

Photo A Day: More From Windjammer Days

2010-02-12T08:31:00.006-05:00

Here's another one (again, I don't know the name of the schooner) taken on the same day as the one of the Nathan Bowditch below. It was a foggy day, but that doesn't seem to detract from the event at all! I guess rain would be problematic. In fact, we heard that in bad weather fewer schooners show up cause they are reluctant to sail past Pemaquid Point in bad weather...where the lighthouse is! I don't blame them one bit!! So anyway, this is another schooner sailing near the same place in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. What a lovely event!

DO come to Boothbay in June for Windjammer Days! It's a photographer's dream and an event worth the trip! There is also a parade, Blessing of the fleet, Tug of War in the streets, crafts fair, toy sailboat races, fireworks and more! It's a three-day event with lots of fun!

Is this the same schooner at anchor the next morning? I'm not sure and it's taken last summer; I believe....not in 2004 as the first one was. We seem to have fog at this time of year often! Oh well....

It IS lovely no matter if there IS fog!! Sometimes I think the photos are more mysterious and attractive in the fog! If you are interested in more Windjammer Days photos, go to, http://www.pbase.com/cokids/windjammer_days_2009&page=all or http://www.pbase.com/cokids/windjammer&page=all. The second gallery contains photos of some of the other events of the weekend. I am told that his schooner is the Heritage. See comments below.

Enjoy!

2010-02-11T16:36:00.003-05:00

This is an all-time favorite! Taken at Windjammer Days one of our first summers here, it captures the adventure and beauty of the day, I think. It was processed with PhotoShop; dodged and burned in places, so it is fairly strongly enhanced. Shot with a Canon 20 D with 100-400 lens, I believe. It was shot from the Tugboat Restaurant through restaurant windows. I wouldn't usually recommend this approach, but at this time, it is so hard to find a place to shoot from without heads, arms and backs in the frame, a window is a minor annoyance. I often get reflections in the glass of ceiling lights...NOT good!

Come to Boothbay Harbor to see Windjammer days. It is truly a gorgeous event and not seen everyday. How often do two-masted schooners sail into port all at once? This year there were at least 5-6 of them coming into harbor. Usually there are that many, but not always.

2010-02-09T18:38:00.005-05:00

This one is from the Carnegie Museum during the exhibit of Eugene Smith photographs of the city. Here is a politician talking to no one, but himself. How many of our politicians do this? Too many! One must wonder how many pols are social deviates?!! To get to the place where a person runs for president, he must have an ego that is a mile wide and two deep! This guy, a former Pittsburgh Mayor, is talking to someone, but here it looks as though he's talking to empty seats! And who really cares whether or not there is anyone "home' when they speak to a group. Who cares if no one understands or cares what we say! Do they pay attention? I don't think so. We elected a president who promised us 'change.'

Do we have 'change?' NO! Change would mean reining in the insurance companies and corporations; it would mean prosecuting war criminals; it would mean ending war; it would mean putting health care reform in place (insurance companies be damned!); it would mean regulating the banks and bankers; it would mean reading the riot act to CEO's; it would mean returning constitutional rights to American citizens. Will that happen? NOT!

So, this guy is full of himself and empty seats reflect his powerlessness! He is powerful only if we listen and pay attention! We have taken the power by walking out on his pomposity! So, he is funded by the corporations and he represents THEM; not US! Time for the Supreme Court to rule that corporations are people with first Amendment rights to invest in campaigns just like you and I can afford to do? !! NOT!!

We now have taxation without representation! Sound familiar?

Shot with Olympus E-10 camera; no setting info available!

Blast from the Past Photo:

2010-02-08T14:23:00.002-05:00

Ok, it's winter and I am browsing through old external drives to find images that are usable as stock. When it gets cold, getting out to shoot becomes problematic, so having old files is helpful!!

This is an old abandoned house somewhere Downeast in Maine, shot way back in 2006!! It very much reminded me of the old homesteads that Andrew Wyeth painted so popularly! It sat up from the road in a field of blown grass/hay. This was shot with a Canon 5D and processed in black and white. Not sure of the lens or anything else about it. Enjoy!

Beth

photo A Day: Let's See Where We Go Today....

2010-02-06T08:00:00.004-05:00

...hmmmmm...let me see. How about more of Pemaquid Lighthouse? These were taken in August of 2009. I think they were probably taken with the Canon 5D. No info about it available. This lighthouse is accessible from DAmariscotta, Maine and you can walk all around it; out onto the ledges in front and see some spectacular weather when it comes! We were here in November several years ago to see a gale that made waves that were amazing! People were almost blown away by the wind! A couple of summers ago we saw a woman washed from the rocks here fortunately back onto the ledges and NOT into the ocean. If you get swept into the ocean here, it's the END for you!

It's a pretty amazing place! Let me go find more. Here are those ledges, and our friend Michaele! Sorry you can't see the ocean, but Michaele is facing it....several yards away. I've looked for photos of the lighthouse with the ocean showing, but haven't found any....maybe next time. I need to pull my external drive out with all my other folders.

Photo a Day: Here we Go Again!

2010-02-05T08:26:00.004-05:00

One from the archives and another season! In the midst of winter with temps down into the single digits, we remember these days well and long for their return!

This is the East Wind, a tourist boat that takes tourists out into the harbor in summer. This boat was built on a farm by the owners and they have sailed around the world in it; they tell the stories when you sign on for a sail! Great fun!

It winters over in Boothbay Harbor at the public docks downtown. I think that the owners live board in summer.

We watch the boats from this restaurant in summer . Here is our friend Liz who visits each summer. In the background you'll see Michaele taking a photo! This table is in the corner with a corner of windows for the very best view in the restaurant. The food is pretty good here too with nice fresh local fish!

Photo A Day: Failure!

2010-02-02T11:42:00.003-05:00

An unlikely couple, you say! But these were taken around the same time. My sister was visiting for my brother's funeral and we stopped at the Hariseeket Inn's Tavern for a buffet luncheon. This guy is on a wall there. Ain't he cute? Both shots taken with the LX3. The sister one was spot metered to avoid under-exposure from the window. Of course the window is grossly over-exposed, but what is one to do? Don' t you just love the wall color here?

She is now back in Oregon with her family and is probably much relieved to be home! We will see her again in June when we next visit Oregon. We very much look forward to the visit!

It is harder to post a photo a day, than I ever imagined! Just to remember to do it is a major challenge! Stay tuned though...I'm going to try to do better!

Photo A Day: Consumer's Fuel Company, Belfast, Maine

2010-01-26T16:17:00.002-05:00

This place is a staple of the Belfast waterfront. The building and company have been around since I was a kid, which would put it 50-55 years ago! Yes, this business has been around a long time! It has only recently---relatively---that it has been painted in this way. I have loved this paint-job for as long as it has been painted this way. This was shot in the late afternoon on a January day, so the colors are muted by the lack of light. It was processed in Photoshop and was shot w/ the Panasonic LX3.

Wonder how many more years we will see 'bottled gas' as an option for fuel companies? Fossil fuels must be on the way out, if not because they are limited in quanitity, then because we come to accept our role in climate change. Wonder what it will take for that to happen? Surely the fuel companies have more than enough money to fight any change-over to cleaner forms of energy. And now the Supreme Court has given them a 'red light' to spend it on campaigns...freely and copiously!

Where do WE come in to this equation? Where do people have a voice? Certainly NOT in this government. I can't afford to fund political campaigns as corporations do! It's now taxation without representation. Yes, I firmly believe that this is what we now have! When the Dems call asking for donations, this is what I tell them.
"I can't afford to give you money. I am not a corporation!"

Photo A Day: One Week Ago Today

2010-01-24T14:14:00.007-05:00

This is Belfast Harbor in Maine and my brother, Butch, on a late afternoon in January, 2010. Today is Sunday, January 24, one week from the day that my brother was found in Belfast Harbor. Gone a whole week and it barely feels possible!

It has been an exhausting few days with services and lots of family contacts to keep us busy and our minds occupied.

I would like to share here the stories I told at the service.

I grew up in a family of five children and this brother was the oldest of us. He was seven years older than I.

Over the past several years, he had had primary progressive aphasia and was losing all ability to use language (expressive, receptive, read and written). He was no longer able to speak and writing had been difficult for him for a long time. We struggled each time we saw him to know how much of what we said was intelligible to him. My nightmare was to see him and know that he no longer was there. With the grace of God, that never happened!

But we often struggled to know exactly what he understood of what we were saying. On Friday, December 4, 2009, we arrived at his house on a sunny, warm December day to take him to lunch and to Camden, ME via a back route near the house we grew up in and on this occasion, it was abundantly clear that he still had his memories and a stellar sense of humor! I was encouraged several times during the trip to realize that he remembered and was trying to share his delight at remembering several events from our childhood as we traveled that road.

One such shared event was from an accident we had shared while still in grade school. The school we attended was 2 miles from our home, so when I started first grade it was decided that I would ride with him to school on his bike instead of walking. They must have thought that such a small girl could not handle the long walk! (Yes! I grew up in the days when we walked through rain, sleet, snow and boiling frogs to get to school. ) I would perch behind him on the back carrier of his fat tired, one speed bike . We would whiz down the hills at breakneck speed so that we could get momentum to climb the next hill which was approaching fast and so too was a car! My brother swerved into the soft shoulder to avoid the car and lost control of the bike. We went over and got up with scratches and scrapes, but basically unhurt. I had blood covering my school dress because of a puncture wound in my chin. These kinds of wounds bleed out of all proportion to the severity of the injury, so it looked as though I had been badly hurt when in actuality, I was really quite well. My knees were scraped up and would be uncomfortable in the next several days, but we were very lucky to be relatively unhurt. We both walked up the hill to a small neighborhood store to call my mother to tell her what had happened and to get a ride crying as we walked. I think that I was crying more because he was than because of any hurt on my part. If HE (my BIG brother) was crying, I surely needed to be concerned and worried AND crying too!

As we passed that part of the road, he motioned to the spot where it had happened and I asked him if he was remembering our accident. He excitedly shook his head in the affirmative!

Then further down the road we came to the spot where my father had just about backed us over a cliff as he emptied garbage down a cliffside. This was in the days when 'green' meant the color of the trees! We thought nothing of dumping our rubbage into the ocean. What better way to dispose of unwanted flotsome and jetsome?? My father had a new Dodge Power Wagon with a fancy winch on the front, so this was a perfect opportunity to try it out. He backed down the roadside just a bit too far and when the garbage was disposed of, realized that he could not get the truck back onto the road! He quickly hitched the winch around a tree and pulled us free easily. I remember being afraid every time I passed that particular stretch of road after this experience and apparently, my older brother was equally impressed by the incident because he was remembering it as we passed the spot. I asked him if this was what he was gesturing and laughing about and again, he shook his head in agreement. His memory was perfectly in tact and his sense of humor active!

Many stories of his kindness and caring had been shared at the visitation the night before, so I mentioned that as the oldest of five, he got lots of practice at being kind and caring...in fact, he had cared for us when my father took his weekly day off on Thursdays. My brother would babysit us while my parents were gone for the day. The most memorable of days from his babysitting role was the day that he decided we would make a cake.

He decided this because he loved sweets; because he needed something to keep four kids occupied til our parents came home or because there was a new jar of marachino cherries in the frig and he needed an excuse to get into them. Cherries were not to be touched by kids in our house. They were for cooking or for the adults, so baking a cake with the juice made the off-limit perfectly accessible!

We got the ingredients out. I guess he had watched my mother bake cakes many times cause we didn't have a recipe, but Butch seemed to know what we needed. We poured in the flour, the sugar, the milk, the cherry juice and then realized that we were out of eggs. He gathered us all up and we walked about a quarter of a mile to the nearest neighbor in Kelly's Cove and knocked on Edith Worth's door. She answered and handed us two eggs when we told her of our plight and we carried them back up the hill. When we got home, we cracked the eggs into the batter and mixed. I bet each of us four kids got a chance to stir and Butch probably took a turn as well. We then poured the batter into a cake pan and popped the cake into the oven without fat or leavening.

The cake baked and baked as we waited in anticipation for it to be done. It was kind of like the days when kids sent away for small trinkets with boxtops from cereal boxes. The anticipation was palpable! The cake rose only minimally and when it tested 'done' with a clean toothpick, we took it out of the oven. It was only about an inch high and the most lovely shade of pink I think I have ever seen! We let it cool minimally and then cut it into wedges for tasting! Wow! It was the rubberist cake I have ever eaten, but the most delicious too! We had made a cake ALL BY OURSELVES and it was beautiful! My brother had just given us one of the most memorable experiences of my growing up life! He surely knew what made little kids happy and he was one super babysitter!

Yes, he was special and we all knew it. The stories from early and middle childhood as well as early adulthood illustrated his caring and character. We were very lucky to have such a brother! We will miss him terribly and every family get-together will be painful in his absence! I would like to invite siblings and anyone who knew my brother and has a story to share, to please click the 'Comments' button to add a story or memory!

Photo A Day: More of the same...and a Dog

2010-01-21T12:06:00.002-05:00

Sorry, I am not more creative today, but today is the day that the process of saying, "Good-bye to my brother" begins. We go to Belfast for visitation hours later this afternoon and for the services tomorrow. Will try to share some photos of him here tomorrow. He had primary progressive aphasia a rare disease that destroys the language centers of the brain so that all language ability disappears over time. My brother had come to the point where he could no longer be understood and understanding what people said TO him was now problematic as well. He was 'locked' in a healthy body (well, more or less; he also had diabetes) without the ability to communicate in any way. Writing and spelling had also become problematic.

Sunday in the early morning hours, he wandered from his home and was found around 1:00 PM floating in the bay in Belfast Harbor. No one knows for sure what happened to him. Did he slip on the ice? Did his blood sugar drop so that he lost consciousness (He was diabetic as well)? Or did he decide that it was time to 'get out of the way' and leave this world? We cannot know! What we DO know was that he was alone in his final minutes and hours. That is troubling!

Photo A Day: Supermarket Photo Ops

2010-01-20T13:48:00.005-05:00

Yes, my local supermarket has a flower department and it has some pretty interesting flowers in it. I don't know what this one is, but it is unusual...I love the lavendar petals interspersed with the pink....Mother nature surely knows what she is doing!

I think I should have gotten a shot of the whole stalk which I didn't! This is such an interesting shape!

The one on the right is of small pears. I loved the colors! Yummmmmmmmie!

Photo A Day:

2010-01-19T13:38:00.002-05:00

The LX3 does a nice job with what it calls 'dynamic black and white.' This is an example of it! Nice, huh? I have a whole gallery of LX3 black and whites.

Click the link to visit the gallery. This church is located on the Bristol Peninsula (accessed via Damariscotta, Maine) in New Harbor, Maine around the corner from the local grocery store....right behind the store parking lot.

Photo A Day: Thoughts on Beauty and Tragedy

2010-01-16T12:25:00.004-05:00

From the safe distance of Winter in Maine, we reflect on the TRAGIC disaster in Haiti. We live in relative peace and comfort despite the cold winters and heaps of snow, free from the threat of disaster....or so it seems.....one never truly never KNOWS for sure!

Yes, we see the crushed houses and bodies of Haiti with a feeling of detachment and incredulity! Surely, there MUST be something we can DO!?? We sign over money via credit companies, then read that they are taking a fee to process these donations; making money from other people'sTRAGEDY. Yes, that word keeps popping up....TRAGEDY. Surely it IS a TRAGEDY. Our President commits $100,000,000 to the relief effort then we hear that a Naval carrier has arrived in the harbor of Port Au Prince; and we read that it costs $2,000,000 a day to keep that vessel there! How long will the $100,000,000 last at that rate? Surely puts things into perspective, doesn't it?

Such poverty is beyond our imagination! This place collapsed under it's own weight(without building codes or regulations to insure that buildings could stand) and what will we do to see that something like it never happens again? What will we do to let people know that such poverty isn't okay? Then I read a David Brookes piece in the NYT's about the difficulty of dealing with poverty. Sending relief and dollars apparently doesn't change anything....surprise, surprise! He mentions places where money was spent to no avail. We are supposed to feel that it is hopeless? There is nothing we can do to make REAL change for people like this?

But I heard a commentary yesterday about the people effected by the earthquake in Haiti. The commentator noted that it had been an 'equal opporunity' disaster. It effected the wealthy as much as it effected the poor. And I suppose there's comfort in that knowing that death visits us all no matter our circumstances! No one escapes it! We come in alone and we go out alone; some of us with good nursing care and others of us.....oh well, I won't go there!

Photo A Day: Lady's Slipper

2010-01-15T18:03:00.001-05:00

It's interesting. This ladys slipper was photographed up the street from where we live and I found one in our yard last spring. What a glorious discovery. Two years ago while in Glacier National Park in June I came upon a stand of Ladys slippers on the grounds of MacDonald Lodge. These flowers were smaller than the ones that grow in Maine...more delicate and looking more like the shoes they are named after. They were lovely! I had never seen versions other than the ones that grow in Maine, so it was a revelation. What a nice surprise!

Photo A Day; Windows, Doors, Stairs

2010-01-14T17:26:00.004-05:00

Yup, i love 'em and have photographed them for years! Here's another one...Wanna see more? Go to pbase at Framed Photos, here. It's all doors, windows and stairs...many from our days in Pittsburgh, but some from Maine as well. I just love them!

This one was taken last winter in Camden, Maine. It's a frosty door on a side street....at a closed cafe. Just love the frost and the red frame doesn't hurt either!

Photo a Day: Portland Hmmmmm?????

2010-01-12T08:26:00.009-05:00

Ok, time to upload more. What shall I share? Portland, Maine, Fall in New England, Lorelei, Christmas, or something else? Hmmmmm????? Well, let's see.

Yes, these are both Portland images....one of the harbor and the other of the stairs to the balcony at Merrill Hall where the Symphony plays. These were both processed and are I think, both LX3 images. Oops! Sorry, but the harbor image is a 5D image, shot with the Canon camera.

Oh, and I apologize for any typos. I have carpal tunnel syndrome that interferes with my typing.....it's probably caused by the typing!

Photo a Day: Picnik and What it Can Do!

2010-01-11T09:30:00.005-05:00

Yup, just discovered Picnik and have played w/ it a bit and upgraded to full membership for the hugely unreasonable fee of $24.95 for a whole year!

As you can see, there are templates with graphics that really add to an image!

As you can see, you can do collages. I have done this with PhotoShop as well, but it takes a LOT more time and effort to do it! Wish there was a way to do layers with faded effects...maybe there is a way I haven't found yet. I'll do more exploring today! This is just great!

Ok, one more? We'll see if I have anything different to show...

Oh yes! They have holiday templates as well. I think we'll print our own Christmas cards next year! Check it out yourself. Enjoy and have fun!

Just Found Picnik

2010-01-10T12:09:00.003-05:00

And I think this will solve my travel photo processing dilemma! Here is a photo from the spread above that was processed in Picnik...I adjusted the exposure and think this version is considerably better! Amazing isn't it for an online photo processing program...and it's FREE! You'll find it at Picnik here! I would even think of paying their $24.95 a year for upgrades to their usage. There are several add-0ns of stickers, compositing and card formats that I think I might use. Check it out at the link above.

Photo A Day: Self-Published Book, Shutterfly

2010-01-10T09:03:00.004-05:00

Ok the book has arrived at last! That would be my biggest complaint...the time it takes for them to produce and send the book. They send via FedEx and if you are not home to receive the shipment, they take it to the PO to be delivered...part of the reason it took so long for me to receive this book!

I am very satisfied, otherwise! The colors are wonderful and the picture exposure is fine this time as well. Photos in my other books were underexposed in several cases. I wasn't sure if this was my problem or the publisher's. I think it's the publisher's!! The photo on the right looks under-exposed, but that is the camera's fault ...... or mine in the taking of the shot....not the publisher! In the actual book, it looks just fine! These photo are straight from the camera; not processed. Shot with the LX3.

January 9, 2010: Two Loves

2010-01-09T13:01:00.006-05:00

Yes, one can have multiple favorites when it comes to photography subjects or contexts. I love good old black and white photography and the newer LX3 camera has a setting for dynamic black and white that is really quite amazing! I also love Pemaquid Lighthouse on the Bristol Peninsula in Maine. I get out here very often and am forever trying to capture it's fence in a unique way.

I don't think I have yet done it, but these two come as close as I have gotten so far! The undulating, looping softness of the rope on the one to the left just makes the image with it's texture and contracts to the straight, hard lines of the fence. The one on the right I like because of the shadows on the snow produced by the fence at the middle of a bright, sunny day! What is a fence without shadows or flowers...really equally eye-catching! Thank God for snow in this case too. I don't think that shadows would be as accentuated without it! And the shadows provide a framework for the fence that wouldn't exist otherwise! Thoughts? Do you like them too and if so, why? Please comment!

I have gone to old files from the past year or more to mine them for POD photos, so stay tuned....lots more coming from this source!! Some nautical subjects; my granddaughter (of course) and then miscellaneous other subjects. I love architecture too, so you'll find some of that here in the days to come. Please come back and comment on the offerings! I am VERY open to comment and criticism!

I forgot to mention that these ARE processed files. They are offered on my stock site (http://www.bethsstockphotography.com/ ) for sale. Do visit, if you find something that interests you or you wish to purchase. They are available for publication and/or print...with framing and matting included, if so desired.

Photo Taken Today? NOPE!

2010-01-09T10:03:00.003-05:00

Nowhere did it say that photo had to be taken today! It says, "Photo A Day, " so I'm covered when I post photos taken on other days and I have lots of them!!

This one is from the supermarket trip yesterday and Hannaford's flower department. Yes! They DO have orchids! This one is off a bit colorwise...it was actually a cream color...NOT yellow. I have uploaded the jpeg file without any processing...if i'd processed, I'd have adjusted the color to make it more realistic. Oh well....This post opens doors to whole files of images. Maybe I should post some of my best instead of these quick 'grabs' taken on the fly? I think i will!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-08T16:36:00.003-05:00

Sometimes a trip to the supermarket can yield photo ops one doesn't anticipate! This would have been much more appropriate on New Years Day, but heck we takes what we can WHEN we can! Wish I could afford a bottle or two of these ! My hubby no longer drinks this stuff! Oh well....

Got some others that might work here as well....they have orchids in the flower section of Hannaford's Supermarket!! Yup! Pretty flowers that I now can't use cause they were shot today. Heck it says, A Photo a Day' not that they were all shot on the day that they are posted, right? Stay tuned....check back tomorrow!

When one Draws a Blank....dogs will always DO!

2010-01-07T15:02:00.003-05:00

I have yet to get more creative! This one speaks for itself, I think. Here Paisley is in heaven as 'Dad' pets her. She just loves attention and we love giving it to her!

She is a barker and Ron encourages it. He says we need a watch dog...and maybe we do, but she at times drives me crazy with her barking. She even barks at Ron as he drives out of the driveway in the car...as though HE is someone to beware of!

Still, she IS cute, isn't she? She weighs about 33 pounds these days. We are glad to see that she has gained weight each time we weigh her. For awhile she wasn't eating nearly as much as the breeder told us she would...she still doesn't! I think she's just a small girl who is never going to be as big as Scout was! She's a GIRL, after all!

This photo is another unprocesssed jpeg.

Of Toys and Birthdays

2010-01-06T18:58:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday, Rich! Yes, January 6, seventy years ago a brother-in-law was born to the great happiness of his mother and father, I'm sure! Woe to the poor kid who has a birthday too close to Christmas. Lorelei was born on January 3, so she's in good company and her toy sits here watching the scene. This unicorn came from Santa a year ago when she was on the cusp of 4 years!

This gal has wooden legs inside that stuffed exterior, so Lorelei can actually 'ride' her. Yes, it's a girl as are most of her toys. Something tells me that Lorelei identifies with women! We have not yet celebrated this year's birthday. Marta is working toward a splash party at the Y sometime soon...haven't heard when/if it's on....a 'Go!'

Will try to post a photo from the party when the time comes.

This is another LX3 image straight out of the camera in jpeg form.

PhotoADay: Toy Cache

2010-01-05T09:44:00.003-05:00

January 5, 2010:

I am still at odds about whether it's better to add new photos to the end of this thread or to start a new one. Please weigh in on what is the best way to handle this...from YOUR perspective. Thanks in advance.

This is a shot of my granddaughter's toy cache in the corner of our diningroom. She has to have a supply here as well as at home...she's here that often! It saves her Mom time...she doesn't have to pack play-things every time she visits. It's pretty messy...sorry!

This pile sits right beside the sliding glass doors, so there's lots of natural light. This was shot with the LX3 in jpeg mode....no processing.

The sword was part of a Christmas gift last year..it included a Viking helmet with horns! Wish I had that in the pic too! Though it's a plastic toy, it's still dangerous when swung around which is how it tends to get played with...I wouldnt' recommend it!

January 3, 2010 PhotoADay II

2010-01-03T09:11:00.006-05:00

Another photo for today...from yesterday and today....

Here Pesky Paisley enjoys a storm with icicles on her chin! You know a dog loves the snow when she grows icicles for you!

And here you find the famous lamp from 'A Christmas Story' with a foot's snow climbing the window beyond....one way to document the snowfall from the 'Great nor'easter of New Years, 2010! Yup, we had over 12" of snow to clear this AM! And it's still snowing "...thank God," says Pesky Paisley!

PhotoADay?

2010-01-02T09:52:00.014-05:00

Reading dpreview this AM, I came across a guy who is taking the challenge and posting a photo a day on BlipPhoto at http://www.blipphoto.com/

This made me think that this might be a way to add to the blog each day. Can I do a photo a day? Not sure, but I'll try. One of the disincentives for doing it is that I must process any photos on my 17" laptop instead of the netbook where I do not have any software appropriate for decent processing. Oh well....it's still worth a try, I hope!

Off now to open the Dell and start processing...it's snowing here today, so that's where I'll start! Yup, we're due to get a doozie of a snowstorm....it's coming tonight, but started snowing yesterday! Due to really dump on us tonight overnight with up to 50 mph winds. If the electricity goes out, I won't be posting a shot tomorrow...not til it comes back.

What a great exercise! I downloaded a batch of waiting images; processed them....all the stuff from Christmas Day til New Years! I needed to work on these anyway and they can now be found on pbase on my diary gallery. What's Up...January, 2010. Yup, there's a new gallery each month of the year. I keep a photo diary on pbase as well as this now new Photo A Day here! Wow! What commitment!

I'd love to hear your comments, so leave them here or on pbase. Either way, I'll read them. I'll try to get more creative after today. I realize that this shot is pretty mundane and boring. Sorry! Compare with snow heights tomorrow for some real excitement!

I published another Shutterfly book...this one is "Life is good," about Lorelei's fourth year. I think when it comes, I'll make it my photo of the day. I'll shoot the book to share here. They said it would take 5 to 10 days to ship and i got notice two days ago that it had shipped. Soon!

January 4: I've been debating whether or not I should add new photos to this post or open a new one each day? Thouhts? Seems hard to get from here to there, so I'm leaning toward posting here...even though I opened a new one yesterday. Hope this link helps! Sheesh! Don't forget to come back here for today's post....later, of course.

I've taken a couple of shots today in the now newly fallen snow to show how deep it is, but haven't processed yet. Stay tuned....

Ok, here's the aftermath!! Our wrought iron furniture is buried! These sit beside the house; near the lp gas tank. Ron shovelled a path to the tank and put some of the snow here, I think. Still it's pretty deep. See the snow almost to the window ledge and that ISN'T shovelled snow! We easily got 15" of snow...maybe more! With the wind blowing it was hard to tell exactly what we got.

Oh, and I need to let you know that these shots are right out of the camera. I always shoot a raw and small jpeg. These are the small jpegs, so if they don't look 'top-notch,' you'll know why. Some days when I download using the laptop, I WILL process, but when using the netbook, they will be right from the camera as is the case today. I'll let you know which is which though.

And if you need to see it in a larger size, go on over to pbase and click the image to open in another size. This one is not there. Some are; some aren't.

January 5:

I am still at odds about whether it's better to add new photos to the end of this thread or to start a new one. Please weigh in on what is the best way to handle this...from YOUR perspective. Thanks in advance.

This is a shot of my granddaughter's toy cache in the corner of our diningroom. She has to have a supply here as well as at home...she's here that often! It saves her Mom time...she doesn't have to pack play-things every time she visits. It's pretty messy...sorry!

Through the Woods and Out the Other Side? So It Appears!

2009-12-27T08:53:00.003-05:00

Well, we have come through the first few weeks of life with Pesky Paisley. We have finished with the spaying and she has survived. The stitches are still there, so we'll continue with the t-shirt pajamas for a few more days....it's not yet been fully two weeks.

She is now eating after Ajax being here. He was eating on the deck yesterday and she was watching him. She kept challenging him for the food and he of course, just kept eating. She curled her lip and 'pushed, ' but he ignored her! What a good boy!

She ate ravenously after this bit of bravado! This AM, I shared my cereal milk with her and she drank it happily!

She woke everyone over the Christmas holiday with morning barking. She would go to the stairs (she still doesn't climb stairs), bark an invitation for Ajax to come down and play. He of course, ignored her! Then when he DID come down, she would bark her enthusiasm gleefully! I think she's glad to be with a dog again...after leaving her liter mates a few weeks ago.

She loves to bedevil Flicka too. Flicka loves to lie on the rug in front of the warm woodstove and Pesky Paisley will try to dislodge her from her perch!

We had been getting up twice at night to get her out for walks, but over the past week, that has been reduced to no night walks! She sleeps from around 9:00 PM til 6:00 AM when she needs to get out. Thank God, for that!

I think I was waking her to go out, truth be told! She would stir in her sleep and I'd interpret it as a need to go out. No more!! We are sleeping again!

Princess or WHAT?

2009-12-27T08:19:00.008-05:00

This little one loves all things princess! This year Nana brought her this sequined gown with matching gloves, crown, jewelry, shoes and purse! She donned it right away and wore it the rest of the morning as she delivered gifts to everyone present despite the winter temps. She is never cold....or so it seems!

We ALL should have such lovely gams! Don't you just love the shoes?

The purse went with her as she delivered gifts! Then all of a sudden it was gone! We searched bags of thrown away wrapping expecting to find it there, but she found it somewhere else. Guess it's just too hard to keep track of everything when you're a busy princess like this one!

Then it was time to play, but the dress stayed on! "Show me how the camera works," Dad!

She's a fast learner and is soon 'shooting' everyone!

Then it's time to just play quietly with Barbie! A big girl/princess and her princess quietly play. Another Christmas has come and gone!

Top 10 Peeves Dogs Have W/ Humans

2009-12-22T14:46:00.002-05:00

1. Blaming your farts on me..... not funny... not funny at all !!!

2. Yelling at me for barking. I'M A FRIGGIN' DOG

3. Taking me for a walk, then not letting me check stuff out. Exactly whose walk is this anyway?

4. Any trick that involves balancing food on my nose. Stop it!

5. Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons. Now you know why we chew your stuff up when you're not home.

6. The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw. You fooled a dog! Whoooo oooooooo what a proud moment for the top of the food chain.

7. Taking me to the vet for "the big snip", then acting surprised when I freak out every time we go back!

8. Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests. Sorry, but I haven't quite mastered that handshake thing yet.

9. Dog sweaters. Hello ??? Haven't you noticed the fur?

10. How you act disgusted when I lick myself. Look, we both know the truth. You're just jealous.

I can't claim these, but found them and thought them funny and worth sharing! Enjoy!! Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

Me

Are you a Republican or a Democrat?

2009-12-22T09:19:00.001-05:00

I couldn't resist! This one is just too good!

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him,

"Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above ground elevation of 2,346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.

"She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be an Obama Democrat."

"I am,"replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct. But I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."

The man smiled and responded, "You must be a Republican."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You've risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow, now it's my fault."

Publishing Experiments

2009-12-21T14:22:00.005-05:00

Well, I published a book with Shutterfly and SnapFish this year. the Shutterfly one came out the best of any I have done so far. My only complaint with them was that their book didn't have a white page between the cover and the first page. There was a white page in the back between the last page and the back cover. I think I'd prefer it in the front, but who am I to ask!?

I had a calendar printed via SnapFish, but it hasn't arrived yet, so I can't comment on it at this point. I got some neat links to share along these lines. This one compares publishing sites and is very interesting, though I must admit to not having had much time exploring it yet. Here it is, Print on Demand Book Test Results, is what it's called.

Then there's another one of the same info laid out in graph form.

Will let you know how I like the calendar when it comes which should be soon! I was warned that the photos were just a bit too small for the intended use, so will be curious to see how they look. I think I used the same photos as the ones for the Shutterfly book, and they may be just a bit larger in calendar format.

Just got communication from Lulu.....the calendar was made with them, not SnapFish as I had thought. They were writing to apologize for the delay in getting the calendar out to me. They also explained that they had upgraded my shipping so that the calendar will arrive by Dec. 24!! I hope so as it was intended as a gift! I am glad that it is a Lulu item as I have yet to use Lulu and this will give me another point of comparison.

Stay tuned...

December 27: The calendar came from Lulu the day before Christmas...thank God! The photos were just fine even though I was getting the notification that they were not quite large enough. The enlarging of them to fit into the calendar didn't apparently effect them negatively! They were all well exposed and just fine, unlike the images I published in books from Shutterfly and SnapFish. I was worried that it was my color management or monitor calibration that was off, but my Lulu and Blurb books/photos have been just fine, so I think it's not my processing that is at fault. I think that Shutterfly and SnapFish just aren't as careful..and probably with the crunch of Christmas they are even less careful!

Christmas Fast Appoaching!

2009-12-21T13:54:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's the first day of Winter and with snow on the ground, we are trying to get ready for the holiday. We still don't have a tree up yet! That comes from having a pup in the house who is a real challenge to keep healthy. She was spayed almost a week ago and we have been struggling to keep her from chewing sutures and sabbotaging the healing process. Her breeder shared a t-shirt wrap (we call it her pajamas), to keep her from disturbing the stitches and so far, so good! Here is the link to photos of how it works. Pesky Paisley hates having it on, but it surely beats the collar. She panicked when we tried that one! We'll sell the collar at the Animal Rescue second hand shop...or give it outright to the Animal Rescue League. Surely they have such devices to protect their charges after neutering and spaying!??

We will have Marta and family here for christmas. We don't even have a tree up yet, but will have to deal with that tomorrow, I think. We absolutely MUST have a tree, if Lorelei is coming...and she is! Would any self-respecting Santa visit a home without a tree? I don't think so!

Saturday we spent the day (part of it) with Butch and Karen getting lessons about how to deal with diabetes. This is in prep for the day that Karen mightn't be able to care for him (due to illness?) and we would have to be her back-up. Wow! What an involved process that is! It's frightening to think that this is one of the fastest growing diseases in the USA! One must wonder how many people are prepared to deal with it! NOT easy!

Our homework is to count carbs for each of our meals between now and when we go back in january. It is amazing how much carb we eat and aren't even aware that we are loading ourselves down with it!! If you drink sugared sodas, it is even worse! Go to MacDonald's, Wendy's or B'King and see meals that are almost totally carb! Take that little hamburger out of the middle of the bread and you have taken the only part that is protein away! No wonder diabetes will be a killer in the coming years!! Maybe there will be enough of us who can tolerate carbs and glucose that we will evolve into carb consuming machines? I doubt it!

I ate a salad out today and realized that still I was getting plenty of carb! The corn bread I ate, the cake for dessert, the M&M's they served with the bill and the mulled cider all had carbs a'plenty, I imagine. How to calculate it is beyond me though. I guess if I developed diabetes, I wouldn't be eating out very much! Or if I did, I'd be eating very differently!

Let me think on cameras for a moment. I take my LX3 with me everywhere. I feel naked now if I go out without a camera! My nightmare is to be out without a camera when that ledgendary Maine moose crosses our tracks. I'm sure it'll happen one day and surely it'll happen when I fail to take the camera. Oh NO! I find myself taking junk shots though just to make exposures while out....NOT good! I keep thinking that one day one of these junk shots will sell or be needed by someone. Not likely....still I persist. Anyone else doing this? I guess I just don't feel productive unless I'm punching the shutter button. Wish I could get this kind of drive for communicating with potential photo buyers. I don't do nearly enough of this! Maybe that would make a good New Year's resolution? Something to think on.

Dec. 16: Photography Wish List

2009-12-16T09:13:00.002-05:00

Ok, the holidays approach and it's time to think about one's wishes. Well, I hate to say it, but I really don't have many. Or the ones I have are so large that they are 'out of reach' and almost not worth talking about!

I think if I were to purchase another camera, it would have to be the Panasonic GF-1 with a few lenses. That would only cost me about $4-5,000 dollars! Geesh! But I COULD use a smaller camera with interchangeable lenses....and such a pretty tool it is! Yes, what a camera LOOKS like is important to me. Why should that be?

I love fine instruments (cameras, pens, watches) and how they look is as important as how they behave! This micro 4/3rd system is indeed a gorgeous package! I read reviews of the Olympus Pen too, but believe that the GF is a better choice...for me! It has faster focusing and has a built in flash..both make/or/break items for me. The focusing speed alone would be enough to make me wish for the Panny. I shoot with their LX3 now and often rue the length of time it takes for the camera to lock onto a subject. To speed that up would be heaven. I also shoot with the Canon 5D and it is super fast. I am spoiled by it, but it is so heavy! My neck cries out in pain every time I carry it for any length of time. Oh, to have the capabilities of the Canon with the weight of the Panny! Maybe someday, but obviously, not this Christmas!!

Dec. 15 Is Spaying Day

2009-12-15T08:58:00.005-05:00

We took her in this AM to the vet's to get spayed. She had gained 4 lbs despite her finicky eating. I guess she needs less food than some pups? Must be!

I am nervous about her being spayed. I am washing her crate pads so that she'll have clean 'bedrooms' when she comes home...in the van and in the bedroom. I know that she is going to have to stay quiet...no running or jumping...for 2 weeks. She is irrepressible, so that will be a challenge. Any tips anyone has will be much appreciated!

She got into the vet's office, then turned around and dug her claws into the rug trying her best to escape out the door. She is a typical dog in this way. They all seem to learn pretty quickly that the vet isn't a place they want to be! The attendant said they'd call us after the surgery to let us know how she's doing...by 9:30 to 11:30 AM. We will wait anxiously to hear!

More to follow...stay tuned...

Wednesday:

Well, we came through okay. it's alarming that humans stay in the hospital for a number of days when having a hysterectomy, but dogs rate only a few hours. Poor puppy seems uncomfortable despite pain meds. She whimpers and paces. We got about 3 hours of sleep last night. She slept from 9:30 PM to 2:00 AM straight through....'dead' to the world!! I fell asleep sometime after 11:00 Pm and then woke with her at 2:00...was unable to sleep again needing to keep her from licking or chewing sutures! Yikes! 3 hours just isn't enough!

This AM Ron is out doing errands, so I'm home alone with her again and she is very restless and whining now and then. It worries me. Maybe I should get onto a bulletin board somewhere to see if this is normal. Or I should call the vet. The sutures look okay...not red or swollen. Still she's NOT a happy camper! I'll be so glad when we are through this one...it reminds one of having a sick dog over a year ago now. NOT fun!

Later: We have tried everything that has been suggested and we're still dealing with whimpering; pacing and general unhappiness! The sutures and incision all look perfectly healthy, so we can find no reason for this behavior! I went out and purchased a 'collar' today. She practically panicked when we put it on. She ended up sitting in my lap with the collar balanced on her head and neck. It was obvious that it wasn't going to work. We've also tried a T-shirt and jockey shorts...neither stayed on. The vet has now suggested a sedative...tranquillizer.....give me anything that works at this point. I don't think I will survive another 3 hour night!! She is now napping peacefully on the floor...after Ron left for a funeral this afternoon. Hopefully she'll sleep a good long time and he'll come home with the meds to get us through the night! We checked out her incision this afternoon and it looks very healthy and healing. That was a relief. After losing a dog to brain cancer a year ago, her unhappiness brings back difficult memories! To lose her would be just awful...beyond imagining! I have decided that she is one extremely high maintenance dog! She is high strung and easily gets upset at anything that interrupts her usual way of being. A slippery floor; food that isn't to her liking; all have thrown her for a loop in the past month or so. Today she startled herself twice and spun out on the floor going for a tumble; not a good time for it with the incision and sutures!! Hopefully she didn't injure herself which would explain some of the behavior! If she is still hyper tomorrow, we may take her back to the vet for a quick once over to be sure everything is going well. We shall see.

Stay tuned...

Puppy Update

2009-12-01T13:36:00.004-05:00

December 1, 2009

Yesterday we drove to Brunswick to visit the dog store and to buy a new crate at WalMart. We needed a second crate...one for the house and one for the van. It was getting too onerous to move a house crate to the van every time we wanted to go somewhere with Pesky Paisley! Now we have one for each. That will make traveling with her so much easier!

We picked up some new toys as well. She was chewing toys to shreds that we had been told were nearly indestructible. She was chewing pieces off and swallowing them. I was in fear of an obstruction. So far, so good. She has passed everything so far....an continues to smile!

We bought a nyla-bone which she has chewed a lot this AM. She already had tooth marks in the knobby end of the bone. They say to throw them away and replace them when that gets worn down. I expect she'll make short shrift of it.

I also have put dog cookies into her Kong toy. She doesn't chew it exactly, but she does play with it in order to remove and eat the cookies!

When not busy, she tends to chew the fringe on the rug and get into mischief.

Last night she slept through the night for the first time. Ron walked her at 12:30 AM before going to sleep himself and she slept til 6:45AM which is a first! HOORAY for a full night's sleep! Hopefully, we have crossed a threshold here, but I expect we'll go back to some wakeful nights before this is a permanent pattern. She loves being on the bed with us, but we're just a bit wary of the ticks that seem so attracted to her!

Enough for now...

Dec. 2:

Well, I was correct. She didn't sleep through last night, but now that she's done it once, we will reach for this goal...very hard! If she can do it once, she can do it again! Unlike Em's friend, Joanne, we will NOT be getting up to take her out at night at age 3!! Now there is a dog who knows very well how to train his people!

She's barking her head off right now...playing watch dog....as the furnace people come into the house to fix a bum furnace....we woke to cold this AM...no warm water, no heat! That wasn't all bad with temps in the upper 30's this AM, but if it had been below zero, I'm not so sure we'd have taken it so well.

We're going to Portland later this AM to pick up rescheduled Amtrak tickets...for our June, 2010 trip!

Photo Books

2009-11-27T11:29:00.006-05:00

I have only done two of these....one at Shutterfly (haven't received it yet) and another at Blurb. They both are okay.....though I think that the paper used by Shutterfly (a cousin's wife made a book there and I looked at it fairly carefully), is heavier. It isn't quite as glossy, but over-all I think the quality was better.

Yes, this task is time intensive! It took me the better part of an evening to upload 20 images, write the text and have a book ready to print on Shutterfly recently. The upload process alone takes the lion's share of the time unless you have a very speedy internet connection. I have satellite and while faster than the average dial-up, it is NOT speedy, by any definition! I now have a nice book though and if it comes back as nice as I hope, I will turn it into 2 Christmas gifts which makes the investment of time and energy well worth it!

There are LOTS of companies online where one can make and have a book printed. I will try to include a few in this blog.

Here is a start:

SharedInk, One recommended by the Nikonian site. I know nothing about this one, but plan to check it out more carefully after reading a review. Pricey, but perhaps more professional than others? Not sure!

MixBook, offers pretty reasonable Black Friday prices! I can't comment on the quality though.

SnapFish, also offers books at a price. I forgot that I DID make a book with SnapFish and it came back with images that were significantly darker than the images I have on my computer. I can't say for sure if that's an issue with my image production or the SnapFish site. I have not calibrated my monitor and printer, so it could well be MY problem!

KodakGallery, also produces a book for your formatting and with Kodak's reputation one would expect it to be first rate, but I cannot vouch for it. One can spend anywhere from $10.00 to $70.00 for a book here, so be careful! It can get pricey!

Picaboo, is software that you can download and then format your book from. This one may allow more creativity...check out the streaming examples at the bottom of the page!

Lulu, Produce photo books in hard cover or paperback from $15.00 to $26.00.

Shutterfly, Use ShutterFly here! Follow directions and Voila! You're done!

Shutterfly's Process Explained and Illustrated, Yes, "More Than Just a Babybook," explains how it works.

More reviews of photobook sites:

The Simple Path to Fun Family Photo Keepsakes, Article about photobooks! All about the photobook experience at Shutterfly.

Photobook Service Reviews, This one has a nice comparison chart.

Online Photo Album Sites, A forum with reviews by users of sites...nice way to gage the usability and quality of a service!

Making Your Own Photobooks, An article from the Nikonian site about photobooks.

Stay tuned....more to come....

Dec. 1, 2009:

The "Princesses" book arrived yesterday and it is quite nice. The paper is the equivalent of Blurb's...about the same weight. The cover was wonderful!!! It was a hard cover with glossy photos on the front and back...very nice! One change I would make would be to NOT print text in gray on a black page which is what I mistakenly did. It is VERY hard to read!! I will give the book to my daughter and her husband. I think it will become a favorite of Lorelei's to read before bed....who could resist a story in which YOU are the main character....with photos!!??

Princesses in Maine

2009-11-23T08:24:00.002-05:00

Ok, we needed an amalgum of photography and Christmas, so I went to Shutterfly and put together a book that will become a holiday gift to her Mom and Dad and Nana. Please visit and comment on princess book .

I find that it takes an evening to devote to formatting something like this. Still it's great fun and in the next day or so, I will share other places where you can make quality books with your photos.

Enjoy!

Paisley: More Than Fabric Design

2009-11-18T12:23:00.004-05:00

Yup, paisley is a design characterized by swirling colors and intricate designs. Our new doggie came with the name, Paisley, though her real name is Miss Kongeneality and she lives up to that name for sure!

She is a very friendly girl who rushes up to people asking to be petted. She is very skittish though and has developed an aversion to walking on our laminated flooring. I have scattered rugs along any path she might use so that she can get around the house without being carried. Yes, she'd stand on a rug and cry rather than walk to a place where it was necessary to walk on the floor. Is this something for which we should be thankful or not? It's fine now while she's small and we can carry her, but what happens when she is 40-45 lbs. and expects us to ferry her from one area to another? We aren't getting any younger!

I've noticed that she startles herself and it's when startled that she spins her 'wheels' and gets nowhere on this floor. Her claws scratch and skate, but she tends to slip and slide rather than gain traction. Maybe we should call her Sonja for Sonja Henny, the famous ice skater?

Our plan is to scatter more rugs so that she doesn't have to lay paw to floor at all, if she doesn't want to, then we'll slowly withdraw them as she becomes comfortable getting around on her islands of fabric! Oh!!! There's that word again...FABRIC!! Yes, maybe Paisley is a good name for her!?If she didn't already have a Grandma named, Bunny, we'd think seriously of THAT name. Her ears are so big and floppy that she looks a bit like a bunny (or an artic fox?)! I've thought of Flopsy or Mopsy from the Peter Cottontail stories. I guess it'd be better to have a name that starts with a P or rhymes with Paisley. Flopsly? Mopsley? NOPE!

We'll keep thinking....

Paisley Comes Home!

2009-11-17T09:39:00.005-05:00

Paisley is a six month old Norwegian elkhound who came from Connecticut. We drove down on Saturday to pick her up in the remnants of Hurricane Ida. It rained most of the way down and ALL the way back! We met Ginger and Arabella in Connecticut over lunch and signed documents, then drove home.

While Paisley will never be a 'show dog,' that is not what we wanted and she IS very smart and friendly. That IS what we wanted. Here are some of her first photos...

Here she greets Ron in the rain! She isn't shy about people though when we get her home we discover that she's very shy of wood floors. The smoothness must be what's freaking her out. She won't walk on it! I have placed scatter rugs in paths around the house for her. Now she will walk to food, water and friends without having to carry her which is what we were doing!

Here (to the right) she sits in her favorite place...right by the couch. She has a rug there to help her to feel safe and she's sitting right by my usual sitting spot! She is VERY social...Miss Congeniality, it says on her AKC registration....well-named, I'd say.

Looks Like....

2009-11-10T08:26:00.005-05:00

....we'll soon be the new family for a cute, little elkhound!! I emailed Ginger yesterday for a confirmation and we got it! This means that Saturday, we bring Paisley home....Ron will rename her....not sure what yet. Michaele suggests, "petunia," and Ron says, "pretzel." That was supposed to be a joke, but Ronnie liked it too, so that's probably what it'll be unless we can come up with a native American name between now and Saturday. Suggestions?

Doing a search on Native American Girl Names, I find "petunia" (Michaele's suggestion) and learn that it's an Indian name for "Flower." We'll see if she ends up a 'Petunia' or a 'Pretzel.' I think it'll be 'Pretzel.' Oh well....

Disapppointment!!

2009-11-09T12:32:00.005-05:00

Yes, we went to the dog show in Fitchburg, met the doggies who are in question, but did NOT come home with one. Ginger told us that the AKC forbids the sale of dogs at a show. That makes sense, but I kind of wish we knew this before we went. Of course, Ron would not have gone, if he thought we would not come home with a pup. Perhaps Ginger instinctively knew that?
Could be!

Well, they both were really cute dogs. At six months of age, they look like mini-elkhounds. They have many of the characteristics of the grown dog, but are about half as big.

Paisley was so very friendly! Here she is jumping up to greet Ron and kissing one of the handlers. She was very sweet as was Taro.

We were 'taken' and Ron is talking about calling Paisley(our choice in all likelihood), Pretzel. Michaele suggests Petunia. Either would be cute. We'll see if we indeed bring one home first! Yes, we are scheduled to visit Ginger and dogs on Saturday in Connecticut. She said she'd forward the contract this week, but has not yet done so. I'm not sure exactly what is going on. She even offered to deliver a dog here to Boothbay after next weekend after Ron mentioned a course he is attending on Sunday. What gives with THAT? It was very generous of her, but would put off our having a pup for how many more weeks? Not sure! Is she reluctant to give them up or doesn't she trust us? Not sure!

Well, that's the puppy story to date. Stay tuned...