Trials and Tribulations with Black and White

I’ve not shot in black and white since “real” film disappeared from the shelves, but after looking at the photographs on “The Weekend in Black and White,” I decided to give it a try. Monochromatic pictures have always been my favorites, but with our filmless cameras I never thought I could do it. Geeze,  I am getting old.  It was so simple...all I had to do was go into the menu on my Canon Rebel and change the settings to Monochrome. Don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out that one! I’m just a little bit slow on the draw. Having a creek on our property gives me ample opportunity to see if I can capture the light bouncing off of the water in this medium like I can do when I’m shooting in color.  The creek is low,  but still I was able to catch those magical light bubbles dancing on the surface. 

“There is no black - and - white situation.  It’s all part of life. Highs, lows, and middles.

~Van Morrison 

My Friday Favorites

Tuesday morning it was sunny but not too hot, so I decided to put on my hat and sunscreen and take a hike up on North Mountain to look for bugs and butterflies and play with my camera. It is a favorite spot for Buddy and me as it is only about 15 minutes from our house. How lucky we are to have such beauty so close by... lots of trails and out-of-this-world views of Virginia and West Virginia. Here are a few of the pictures I took including a moth and a frog...I could’t resist including them. Be sure to click on the mosaic so the shots will be enlarged and you can see the beauty of these magnificent creations of nature. The grouping as it appears here on Blogger just does not do them justice. Many thanks to Vicki over at Cherry Chick for suggesting I use my butterfly photographs for this week’s “Friday Favorites”.

Purple Lattice Quilt Completed!

This week I decided to finish another of my quilt tops from the “To Do Basket”. Entering another period of high temperatures I had a choice:  sweat outside or sew inside in my one air-conditioned room.  Obviously, I went with the second. It was just about a year ago that I pieced together the top of this Lavender Lattice Quilt. I started out following the pattern of one of the “Baby Block” quilts but then went off on my own tangent using muslin and a lavender Moda jelly roll.  Since it was one of my first attempts at cutting (with a rotary cutter) and piecing in over 40 years, there are places that are not as straight and aligned as I would prefer, but it was a good learning project and in the end you really cannot see the irregularities unless you go looking for them.  I know this is not the usual way to baste the sandwich together, but it works the best for me.  I thread baste the top to the batting, and then I pin the backing to those pieces putting in the pins from the top. For this quilt I stitched 1/4 inch on either side of the seams and bound it with one continuous piece.  It fits my little kitchen table perfectly and even looks nice on my dining room table. I love using lap size quilts on that little table, and because both the kitchen and dining room are lavender I chose these particular colors.

Telephoto Practice Flower Mosaic

Year before last I sponsored our middle school yearbook and had the opportunity to use a Canon EOS Rebel XSi. Then last year I went through a hugh “camera withdrawal” having to do back to my point and school Canon.  Finally, about 6 months ago I decided to treat myself to the same camera - which incidentally is not being made anymore - which came with a fine Canon EFS 18-55mm lens. I used it until about a month ago when I ordered a refurbished Canon  EFS 55-250mm lens. Well, it is the greatest with a magnification from afar which is unbelievable.  These are all flowers from around our house using Big Blue Labs Mosaic Maker - I followed the tutorial from Little Red House entitled  “Making Photo Mosaics: A Tutorial.”  Also, and so VERY important, Vicki over at  Cherry Chick has been the best teacher in the world for me.  Her patience and continual help with my blog is greatly appreciated. She is so patient with my being so slow at catching on!  If you have not checked out her blog be sure to do so RIGHT NOW!!! She is even having a give-away which is especially nice of her. Click on the “Cherry Chick” above and you will go right there.

“You don’t take a photograph.  You ask, quietly, to borrow it.”
~Author Unknown

The Grandchildren Come to the Creek for a Cool Weekend

The Grandchildren Come to the Creek for a Cool Weekend
Originally uploaded by buttonsforbaga

It was so hot in Richmond Eloise and her mommy and daddy came home to the creek to cool off. Then Uncle Andy drove down from Maryland to pick us her cousins Willy and Henry from Camp. They all ended up here at the house and we had a GREAT time. Now they have all gone home, and the house seems VERY empty and a bit sad and lonely. The good news is Baga only has a month until we will all gather at the beach for a family reunion.

A Rural Rednesday from Rockbridge County, VA.

A Rural Rednesday from Rockbridge County, VA.
Originally uploaded by buttonsforbaga

All of these photos were taken within 15 miles of our home out in the country. They represent an interesting cross-section of how red appears in all of our scenrey. Just click on the mosaic and you will go directly to my Flickr page...if you click on it there, you will get an ever larger picture. I’m determined to master this mosaic thing, but it can really be confusing at times.

And the Waters Rained Down From the Heavens......FINALLY!

Over the past two days, we have gone from no rain to two HUGE monumental storms.  They were so impressive I decided to try to document our little spot on the creek in photographs.  Here we go!

7/04/2010...Creek with Little Water-Rocks Exposed

7/8/10 - Creek Water after Rain #1-Hoodoo with Fewer Rocks Exposed

Genie’s Cooling Chair with Rock Table after Rain #1

Limbs of Tree Touching Ground from All the Rain after Rain #1

Close-Up of Tree Branch after Rain #1

NOW GET READY FOR THE BIG CHANGE AFTER RAIN #2

7/9/10 - Partial Hoodoo with No Rocks Exposed 

Genie’s Chair but No Table Exposed 

How in the world my cooling chair managed to survive that onslaught of rushing water without ending up in the Maury River I will never know....guess I was just lucky! It is amazing what two HEAVY rains in less than 24 hours can do for an almost dry creek.  We were desperate for rain, and it finally came with a vengeance.  Thank you, thank you, thank you! Our prayers were answered.  The birds, bees, flowers, grasses, trees, and of course, Buddy and I, are so happy.

Our family and friends delight in building hoodoos in our creek and along the river.  In a good year, before they are washed away, we can have as many as a dozen all up and down our creek.  If you are curious about the “hoodoos”, here is the definition:

A hoodoo (also called a tent rock, fairy chimney, and earth pyramid) is a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland. Hoodoos consist of soft sedimentary rock topped by harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects each column from the elements.

~And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow. Gilbert K. Chesterton 

My First Attempt at Creating a Collage

Free photo collage customized with Smilebox

For a while I have wanted to learn how to create a collage for my blog using photos I've taken of flowers, nature, and interesting things from life.  Today I decided to take the plunge and just do it!  After reading about Smilebox I thought I would give it a try and went with their 14 day free trial package.  It does leave you with their ad under the collage, but it is't too obtrusive and I'm OK with it.  It was a fun first attempt at a digital grouping.