Friday Fotos

 For someone who can't draw or paint . . . apps are absolutely beyond fabulous! 

I keep finding new ones to play with. My latest find is Waterlogue. If I worked in

watercolors the image below is what I would aim for. Though, the photo

above isn't too bad on its own. 

 These seed pods are from cactus that is growing near the Mail Room and 

in border around the gated community I live in. Doesn't "gated" sound grand? Or ostentatious?

 In the area I live in most of the communities are gated. 

Last week the sky was full of glorious clouds and for once I remembered to take

the camera/iPhone with me when I drove up to the Mail Room.

(I rarely use the iPhone as a phone) Coming out of the Mail Room this view 

caught my eye. But, houses and a portion of the parking lot . ..  well, didn't do

much for me. 

A little cropping, a little removing houses + the Waterlogue app

 and suddenly I was Italy? Well, a person can dream.

In the last post are some photos of Positano that until I discovered

the Waterlogue app I thought were the effect I was hoping for.

Both of the photos below are definitely more of how I "feel" about

the hotel balcony in Positano. You never know when something 

better will come along. I had hoped an app or technique would

show up with just the right effect, and it did. If only

everything in life was as easy. 

FF - Friday Fotos

Lately, I've needed to go to My Happy Place, the one that resides in my mind, and create

what I call Mind Art. I sit on this hotel balcony in Positano, Italy and breathe in the memory

of complete peace that I had there. 

The view from the hotel balcony. 

How come I'm living in the desert when it's the ocean that makes me feel so alive? 

It seemed like a good idea 8 years ago when the damp foggy days seemed to

be adding to the list of ailments. 

About half-a-mile down the winding road was

the restaurant we ate at the night before I took

this photo. If you look carefully you'll 

see where I wrote, "our table."

When I'm creating Mind Art I often think of how 

things were displayed on the streets in Positano.

There is an artful display of garments hanging

from the walls in the image above.

When one can't travel to Italy then Las Vegas will do.

Using a few photo apps I was able to get a

fairly decent effect of the Venetian exterior.

And below of the Canal, which did have

a Disneyland look to it. 

Positano. Five years ago this month. 

Memories!

And one for Caterina who posted an image of

Skeleton leaves on her blog that nearly

had me swooning. I adore decay.

Instant gratification through PSE

and Voila. a digital version

of a skeleton leaf.

Be sure to visit Caterina's blog where

I find beauty and peace. 

Friday Fotos - End of the Calla Lily and Sea Urchin Season

 Just as expected, the Calla Lily isn't faring well in the heat, but then neither am I. Hopefully, it

will return next year so that I can create more images of its sculptural magnificence. 

In the meantime, I will continues to play with the few images I was able to capture. 

 It's also the end of the Sea Urchin Cactus season. 

 The bee kept buzzing my hand while I was taking this photo; he wanted

the bloom all to himself.  All I wanted was one great

shot of the bee and I ended up with three. 

We both were blessed.

 Zoom lens photo of the Sea Urchins in the garden.

This image fascinates me. Roger and I often visited Hakone Japanese Garden in Saratoga, CA.

 Unhappily, I never got a decent photo of the Koi ponds or the bamboo gardens.

 I recently ran across an image of bark on a Eucalyptus tree that I blended with

a bamboo image; both images were taken at Hakone

And now I finally have a photo that feels like Hakone always felt to me, if that makes sense.
While watching this video of Hakone I was able to once enjoy the small garden
and remember areas that I had forgotten.
Gotta love armchair traveling.