GoPro, HDR and the Easter shark… why not?

A frugal nature has come to fruition with the annual appearance of “The Easter Shark.” No bunny costume?  No problem. Just dig out an old Halloween costume purchased for $1 on clearance at least 15 years ago and you are set. Apparently, we don’t believe in sheltering our grandchildren from the scary elements of the world, either. Things usually are not as scary as they seem… lesson learned.

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Perfect time to try out a Hero 2 GoPro camera purchased used on Ebay. My first idea was to attach it to our one-year-old grandson’s head as he crawls towards his prize eggs, but we did not come up with a good method of attachment. Duct tape was one suggestion, but I don’t think removal would be pleasant. Plan B involved the hubby holding it on the stick attachment and using various angles.

2015Easter-8hdrcrwebAlways plenty of “selfies” with the GoPro as you access the menu and settings with the lens facing you. Oops!

2015Easter-6rHDRwebWith no playback or viewfinder, you never know what you have until you download the images.

2015EasterHDRcrwebI had a little too much fun with the HDR process on Photoshop CC 2014. It’s always fun to play and experiment.

2015Easter-9HDRcrwebTook the GoPro inside to see what it would do. Some were blurred and this one is a little soft. I think I’ll reserve this little toy exclusively for outdoor images.

Upon viewing these results my husbands assessment of the experience with the GoPro Hero 2 was… “Well, it takes pictures.” Yep, it does.

Goal for 2015 includes duct taping this GoPro Hero 2 camera to a turtle participating in the Gary, SD July 3rd turtle races.

Hmmm… who’s going to let me use their turtle?

Stay tuned…

We are not alone…

Blended image by Joyce Meyer
Blended image by Joyce Meyer

 

 

From there to here in just one year…

I love to think that the day you’re born,
you’re given the world as a birthday present.

Leo Buscaglia 1924 – 1998Des10x30NB_1web

Just give me cake…

5x10_OneyrcakewebAn extra-special one year old and his cake. Doesn’t get much better than this.

My blanky and me…

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Security objects are used by toddlers to relieve stress and anxiety. As adults we also look for security items in our own lives.  It may be the comfort of a certain easy chair, pillow, or comfort foods that make us feel full and content.

What provides security and comfort in my life?  I ponder a moment and material things just don’t seem to answer this question. I need more.

During this Lenten season I am reminded of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for us with his death on the cross so that we may experience the comfort and security of heaven. It doesn’t get better that that.

Psalm 46:1  ~ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Yes, it’s all going to be O.K…

 

Floating through life

Same… but different.

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We each walk our own paths in life with a mixture of purpose, pleasure and pain. It seems as though we all “float” along in our journey with each step a temporary moment in time. Both images were captured on the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. The two hikers are passing through while the floating image is farm woman in Galicia.  As I write this, I’m thinking I should reverse these images. Hmmm…?

 

(Click on image for a larger viewing window)

 

Struggle past and present

The run-down streets portray struggle, while the earth can feel the pulse of a proud ancestry.

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Blended image by Joyce Meyer

HDR image of a neighborhood street in Playa del Carmen, Mexico blended with an image of a costumed Mayan gentleman taken at the Chichen Itza archeological site. Blended image layer transformed to appear to be part of the earth. Click on image for a larger viewing window.

 

 

Show Your True Colors

It’s Monday…

Go ahead and show your “true” colors!

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Image by Joyce Meyer

 

 

The Last Wildcat “Swish”

It was a warm, summer day as my mother accompanied me on a trip to a little South Dakota town just across the border from Minnesota.  A job interview was scheduled for a teaching position and the day resulted in a job with a new life living in a small, farming community.

Yeah, I can see myself doing this a couple of years…  which stretched out to 26 years plus additional substitute teaching years.

It was an emotional ending for the last Grant-Deuel High School sporting event held in the Revillo, South Dakota gymnasium. I listen for that memorable roar of Go, Big, Blue!,  smell the fragrant concession stand popcorn and gaze at the sea of blue and white filling the stands… now merely memories of days gone by.

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Blessed be the memory…

 

 

 

 

 

Presidential Trivia

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Just a few interesting facts for Presidents’ Day (mistergworld.com):

George Washington 1789-1797:  Teeth were made from elephant and walrus tusks, not wood.

Andrew Jackson 1829-1837:  First president to ride in a train.

William Henry Harrison 1841:  President for only 31 days, died of pneumonia.

John Tyler 1841-1845:  Loved kids, had 15 children.

James Buchanan 1857-1861:  Never married, his niece was White House hostess.

Rutherford B. Hayes 1877-1881:  First President to use a phone – his phone number was 1.

Chester Arthur 1881-1885:  Changed his pants several times a day – he owned 80 pairs of pants.

Warren G. Harding 1921-1923:  Gambled away a set of White House china.

Herbert Hoover 1929-1933:  Spoke Chinese to his wife to keep their stories private.

Harry S. Truman 1945-1953:  Read every book in his hometown library.

Jimmy Carter 1977-1981:  First President born in a hospital.

George Bush 1989-1993:  Survived 4 plane crashes during WW II.

For more fun facts to know and tell, click on the link below:

http://www.mistergworld.com/12-002.htm

 

…washing the dust of daily life off our souls. ~ Picasso