Convergence

Found this one in the Denver airport during a layover on my trip to Bean Town.  Stay tuned......

Convergence

Tools for Fun

It always pays to have the right tools for the job.  When out on the boat these are definitely some of the tools for fun that come with the water time.  And, I gotta say, finally having a boat with a tower and racks on the tower, it is very nice to have a place to store these tools up and out of the boat.  Sure I have been on many boats with racks but now there is one on my (whoops! gotta remember that this is my wife's) boat.  We have racks that will hold six different wakeboards and our surfboard.  Bring it on baby.....

Tools for Fun

Only you

It's that time of year....the hot, dry days of summer.  All over the country we now have wildfires burning out of control and displacing thousands of people.  This was just the beginning of one near my office.  Remember, only you can prevent wildfires......

Only you can prevent wildfires....

Life is about connecting

Having fun on the boat is something I love to do.  Life lessons and metaphors abound.  The pleasures available behind the boat all depend on the key connection to the boat.  Whoa, there's a profound one right there....  Life is all about our connections too.  Connections with our loved ones, our family, our friends, other people.....

Yep, life is about connecting.  How are your connections?

Life is about connecting

Ahh... Nice afternoon on the boat.

Nothing better than a nice afternoon on the boat.  Time to play and time to relax.  Today's post is all about relaxing.

Ahh... Nice afternoon on the boat.

Surf's Up!

Surf's Up!  Just hop on behind the boat for an endless wave.  Let's go surfin now, everbody's learning how.....

Surf's Up!

Let your light so shine

Let you light so shine...... (Matthew 5:16)

Let you light so shine

PIzza Oven--last in the series

Here you have it.  The last in the series.  Nothing better than a thin crust pizza from Arella's Pizza.  They do wood fired pizza as well as anyone.

Pizza Oven

So let's look back at the series now.  Over the last three days I have posted three final images taken within moments of each other at this pizza restaurant.  It is a lesson in looking around and using the camera you always have with you (iPhone 4S in my case) to take pictures.  Then, with a little creative post-processing with Apple apps, the images over the last three days were created.  

Just to help show more of the process, here is the original jpg image from the camera of the above picture before any post processing....

Original image from the camera

Now looking back over the previous two days here is a little explanation of those images too.

Yesterday's post was this image.

Getting a little easier

The original shot of the above image reveals just what the subject is....

Hanging Restaurant Lights

As simple as seeing the hanging lights in the restaurant and then moving in for a close-up photo, inverting the image and doing some post processing.

Here is the mystery image from two days ago...

Guess What

This image was taken right at the restaurant table.  Since we were at a pizza restaurant, there were these stainless steel, round, elevated stands made to hold the hot pizza delivered to the table.  I just took a photo looking straight done on the top of this pizza holder and captured the reflections from the overhead lights.  The original camera shot is here...

Pizza Stand

A little cropping, curves work and color changing in the post processing world can do wonders to change an image.

See how fun this stuff can be.  In a matter of just a few moments, at a pizza restaurant no less, I snapped photos of the pizza stand, the overhead lights and the actual pizza wood fired oven.  The capture phase was complete.  Then long after everyone else was in bed for the night I began playing with the images, using post processing apps, until I came up with the final images.  

Maybe you enjoy the final images only.  However, I know some like to occasionally see the "behind-the-scene" efforts.  

The lessons learned--

1. Always have your camera with you.
2. The best camera is the one you do have with you.
3. Even the mundane can be turned into fun, creative images with a little imagination.
4. Have fun!

Getting a little easier

This is the second in a series of three images all made in the same place within moments of each other.  The guessing gets a little easier with this one for those local folks who have been here.  Remember, the message of this series is to always have your camera with you and to Look Around!  There are opportunities everywhere.  Enjoy....

Getting a little easier

Guess What

Today's image is the first in a three part series.  They were all taken within moments of each other in a place that will be revealed on day three.  The moral of the story is to look around where ever you might be and find subjects close by.  Oh yea, always have your camera with you too.

So start guessing and find some pictures to take today.

Guess What

Just along for the ride

Joe is back.  For you newcomers Joe makes an occasional appearance in my daily images.  It has been awhile since his last appearance.  Today he is back.

Have you had one of those lazy summer days when you feel like you are just going with the flow and taking things as they come?  Joe has them too.  This concept is illustrated in today' image.

Just along for the ride.

Lazy Summer Day

Ingredients:
     1 hammock brought from Mexico by your son
     2 large shade trees spaced just right
     2 tie-down straps
     1 warm summer day
     1 tired daughter
     1 thin blanket to keep the chill off
Secure each end of the hammock to a shade tree at about shoulder height.  Wait for the afternoon when the shade is full and the long, warm day has taken its toll.  Stretch out on the hammock and fall asleep.

There you have it.

Lazy Summer Day

Get a handle on it!

Life is full of challenges and opportunities.  Get a handle on it and enjoy the ride.

Get a handle on it!

Rooster

If you are going to have a rooster in your home, or anywhere in your neighborhood, and you like to sleep in past the crack of dawn then this is the rooster for you.  And if you have a neighbor with a strutting, crowing live model of this bird and you would like to sleep in longer you could try ear plugs.  You could also try one of these as long as your throwing arm could launch it across the fence for a direct hit......because you probably only have one chance.

Rooster

Cactus Flower--Anytime

My Aunt Susan figured out how to keep her cactus in bloom 365 days every year.  Some simple silk flowers, a glue gun and a live cactus.  A little crafty, gluey, dab'll-do-ya bit of work and there you have it....cactus flowers all the time.

Cactus Flower--Anytime

Unique Urinal

In all my 50+ years I have to say I have never seen a urinal quite like this one.  Not that urinals are a prime photographic subject for us accidental photographers.  This one, however, deserved to be documented.  The restroom was dark inside and the photo is grainy.  However, since the best camera is the one you have with you at the time, my iPhone camera dutifully recorded this once-in-a-lifetime event--a unique urinal in a pizza restaurant in Lynnwood, Washington.

Unique Urinal

The Light

So many of my daily postings are testaments to the adage "the best camera is the one you have with you."  Today's image is no exception.  While on a 1,600 mile road trip to purchase and take delivery of an item, we arrived at our destination a little early.  That gave us time to get some lunch before we met the appropriate parties for our transaction.  So we found a nearby pizza restaurant and went inside.  This image is part of the decorative motif of the restaurant.  The wall adjoining each table is made to look like an old brick structure and has a light over the table.  A snapshot of the wall above an empty table across from where we sat is what you see here.

The Light

App Happy

Yesterday's post was an image of a water tower.  Today's post contains the same subject and is a result of just playing with the various features of my processing apps until I created something a little different--the result of my digital app darkroom.

App Happy

Water Tower

:Lunch on a sunny, but windy, day at Thanksgiving Point.  To get to the deli I walk right by this water tower.  Of course I had to pull out the camera I always have with me (my trusty iPhone) and snap a few photos.  A few post processing tweaks using iPhone apps and this is the result.

Water Tower

Wood Grain

Oak grain close up makes today's image.

Oak Grain

Golden Light Sunset

I love the golden light that sometimes illuminates my neighborhood at the magical sunset time.  Living in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains gives me the opportunity to see this magic light on the hillsides. It reminds me of the Alpenglow effect even though it is not truly Alpenglow (which comes only from reflected sunlight rather than direct sunlight).  Yet, it is almost as magical to me.  On days when this golden light effect is present, I just want to sit on the porch and bask in the magical effect it has on my soul.  Today's image is helped with some HDR and saturation effects to make this golden light sunset really pop.  Although this is more saturated than the actual scene, this is how I see these sunset effects in my mind--a brilliant golden light enveloping the hills like a burning, yet soothing, fire.

Golden Light Sunset

Sticks

Get a vase and you can make about anything look decorative.  Works even with a bundle of sticks.  See what I mean....

Sticks

Fruit of our labors

Summer is upon us.  Local fresh peach season is still a few months away.  Not to worry, there are still a few bottles of home bottled peaches in the storage room.  We just might make it unless we keep giving bottles away to my parents.  They seem to enjoy them even more that we do.

Fruit of our labors

The lunar eclipse that got away

The highly anticipated lunar eclipse came recently.  As we gathered together to watch the event we actually witnessed the beginning stages as the moon started covering the sun.  Then to our disappointment the clouds moved in front of the whole show and we got to enjoy the cloud eclipse instead of the lunar eclipse.  Sort of like the big guy in a tall cowboy hat standing in front of the movie projector and refusing to move until the climax movie scene is over.  We enjoyed the moment and watched what most other people saw in the news stories and photos that followed.

The lunar eclipse that got away

Yes, I remember

Not long ago one of my grandchildren asked me, "Grandpa, do those hurt you?"  I had no idea what he was referring to.  Upon further discussion it turns out he wanted to know if the wrinkles on my face were painful or not.

I wear those wrinkles proudly as a sign of wisdom and experience.  My grandson see them as a sure sign that I am an old fart.  I am, however, old enough to still have the vivid memory of being a passenger in my father's care when we pulled into the Slim Olson gas station in Bountiful, Utah to fill the car with gas. I actually still remember that gas was priced at only 24.9 cents per gallon that day long ago--even cheaper than shown in this image.

Yes, my grandson, sometimes those wrinkles do hurt....

Yes, I remember....

Entryway

What lights your entryway?

Entryway light

Forget-Me-Nots

The last couple of days posts were made from remote locations and posted directly from my iPhone.  I was out of town on an 1,800 mile road trip.  A long drive to pick up a birthday present for my sweetheart.  So we celebrate the birthday today and she has her used Malibu Wakesetter VLX boat sitting inside the garage.  Finally, a long overdue replacement for the Malibu Sunsetter we sold over a year ago.  The last one was mine.  This one is hers.  After a long, three day trip she gets the boat but not card or balloons.  So in commemoration of this great day, today's post is of the tiny, tiny Forget-Me-Not flower blossoms.  A beautiful flower in such a tiny space.  The size does not matter. Flowers of any size work.  Happy Birthday Honey!

Forget-Me-Nots

Star Creature

An unlikely star creature hanging from my ceiling? Actually just the
view from under the entry way light fixture after running it through
Filterstorm, Snapseed and PhotoStudio apps

Proud to be an

Bullet Magnet

Some things never change.  Put a sign out in the "less populated" areas frequented by hunters and teenagers and all it takes is one bullet.  The first bullet tells everyone that a new target is available.  Not long after it gets peppered with holes and dents.

Oh, wait!  I just had a memory blast from the past.  Today you almost get arrested and certainly get expelled from school if you even take a squirt gun out of the house into public view.  This sign is from a bygone era when life was a little different....

Bullet Magnet