Week 18 of Project 52

The simple dandelion...what possibilities!  Joining with Kent Weakley's Project 52 and Sweet Shot Tuesday. 

Musing on a Dry Hydrangea

My oldest hydrangea did really well this year....several large lime-white blooms. The dried flowers are about as interesting as the fresh ones--until the wind blows them off, as it's trying hard to do now.  I have used Nancy's newest texture, nc_weathered on the image for Tuesday Muse and Texture Twist. Isn't it a pretty texture??

nc_Weathered texture, and MJBlur frame (Steve Rich) 

Musing on a Neighborhood Cat

The squirrels and birds in our old Box Elder tree have attracted some feline neighbors.  Sunday morning, one young cat climbed into the tree, only to find an older cat already perched there.  They eyed each other warily, checked out the taunting squirrel above them, and then the older cat climbed down and sauntered across the road.  Before long, he climbed onto the hood of the neighbor's pickup truck and watched me---25 yards away in my family room with a telephoto lens.  

Joining with Nancy's Tuesday Muse. 

Nancy's new texture, "Alpaca" 

Musing on the Persistent Rose

I love this rose!  It's my $10 Walmart rose, and it has bloomed so wonderfully all summer.  Right now, in the midst of sudden, wet, chilly fall, the rose is blooming for the third time.  These are the smallest blossoms of the summer, but they are still beautiful.   Linking up with Nancy's Tuesday Muse.  

Cross Process edit and Nancy's "Jennifer" texture

Random 5 Friday

Nancy's Random Five Friday can be seen Here.

1. Our two sons and future-daughter-in-law spent a long weekend with us last week; it was wonderful. The son who is a chef in Brooklyn prepared a 4-course meal as our late anniversary present.  In my inadequate kitchen!


2.  The younger son hooked up my 4TB external hard drive, 
and it's hopefully protecting all my photos and documents. 

3.  Summer weather is in full swing with 90+-degree days, but wonderfully cool nights that are 30-40 degrees cooler. 

4. I used three cameras this morning; keeping the memory cards straight requires thinking.  I've also pulled my old Pentax DSLR out of mothballs and put it back into service, so I'm a memory card short.  (Actually, I have 8 cameras of  various sizes and types)

5. Inspired by Nancy's photos of the single blossom in a tiny glass
dish, I clipped one of only two blossoms on my hardy hydrangea bush to photograph in a glass bottle.  I'm hoping there will be more hydrangea blossoms ... the foliage is beautiful.  

Nancy's "Jo" texture 

Musing Upon Long Ago

In our rural area, there are several little--and very old --cemeteries.  One of them has only a few headstones scattered among some pine trees, including this marker for a young man.   I'm linking up with Nancy's Tuesday Muse.

nc-0416-1

Musing in a Different Location

When I visited my youngest sister today, I wandered around her flowerbeds to look at blossoms that aren't growing in my garden.   I used Nancy's "Pat" texture and a Pixlr-o-matic frame.  Joining Nancy's Tuesday Muse.

Musing on the Past

It's been a very long time since I was on a carnival ride.....they were never terribly appealing even when I was young!  Every summer I was  participating in 4-H livestock competitions at various stock shows, almost all of which had carnivals, and carnival food.   When  I visited a stock show this past week to watch my great-niece, I couldn't miss the flags!  Joining with Nancy's Tuesday Muse.

Nancy's "Melodie" and "Beth" textures

Musing with a Pincushion Flower

For Nancy's Tuesday Muse, I've chosen an image of a Pincushion flower (actual name is Scabiosa, which isn't terribly attractive-sounding), and added Nancy's own "Nancy" texture.

Textures on a Portrait of Kaelin

Kaelin is my 10-year-old great-niece. She's very tall for her age, a girl who loves dolls and horses, who wears cowboy boots with her shorts,  and is starting her second year in barrel racing club with other girls on horses.  I love to capture her in a pensive mood.   (Adding textures to portraits is sometimes tricky, but I think it works here.)  Linking up with Nancy's Tuesday Muse and using Nancy's textures.

Nancy's "Pat" texture (two layers) on a black and white image

nc 0416.1 (2 layers) and "Ola" (2 layers)

More Musing on Tuesday

I don't know if all dogwood blossoms start this way and then open, but I saw several that didn't even open.  Such an interesting shape!  It's Tuesday Muse, and I've used Nancy's nc_navajo for the texture.

Asian Influence in Pink

I "collected" a whole portfolio of PINK when I spent 15 minutes with a flowering tree (not sure of the variety) at my sister's.

"Asian Influence" texture by Nancy Claeys

Musing on Tuesday

On Monday evening, I prepare my posts for Tuesday memes.....generally I stay up until the memes become active. This week, I've chosen one of my dogwood blossom images to edit with a beauty of a texture from Nancy for Tuesday Muse.  (After church potluck Sunday, I talked my husband into driving across the mountains and 60 miles so I could photograph some flowering dogwood trees. Last weekend, the blossoms would have been in better condition, but I am happy with the images I've added to my files.)

nc_0416.1, vignette added

Rose and Glass

One of my online crafting friends is Lynn Stevens who lives in Idaho.  She is so talented, and when she opened an Etsy shop a couple of years ago, I made the first purchase:  a beautiful glass bottle, altered with fabulous vintage embellishments.   I chose that bottle, along with a dried rose, for Nancy's Tuesday Muse.  I applied two layers of Nancy's "Emily" texture.

A Muse Beyond Tuesday

This is my favorite grove of quaking aspens (not birches)....located 15 miles north of my home.  Over the years, I've photographed it in various seasons, and I've never been disappointed.  Late Sunday afternoon was no exception, and it's my choice for Nancy's Tuesday Muse this week.

Edited with B&W Effects 2 "Chrome" and Nancy's "Braveheart" texture

Pretty Painted Pony

I love my Painted Ponies..."artsy" horses designed by talented artists for a public art project that originally featured life-size acrylic horse sculptures.  The natural follow-up was a series of collectible figures, 14 of which are on a shelf in my living room.  It's all the space I have right now.  The photo was edited with Nancy's "Painted Skies" (sorry...but I flattened layers before writing down the number) -- two layers at soft light-- all for Tuesday Muse.  Aren't these terrific textures??

"Anasazi Spirit Horse" 

However, one edit wasn't enough.  

Texture:  Painted Skies 4 -- multiply x2, reduced opacity

Texture: Painted Skies 6 -- multiply and soft light (image was edited with the Orton technique first)

A New Meme---Tuesday Muse

I've followed Nancy's A Rural Journal for sometime, and I participated in her Rural Thursday meme until she discontinued it.  I've also added her great textures to my photos and to my ever-expanding texture file.  Now, Nancy is beginning a new meme, Tuesday Muse, which will feature other bloggers sharing her textures.  Thanks, Nancy!

"Linda"