2/17 Large Cup of Hot Chocolate

Large Cup of Hot Chocolate

2/17 Photograph Wide

Step Back / Expanded / Vast

This was a fun shot to do today and it was a new skill that I hadn't done before. I had a willing subject and a cute mug. There was some kitchen cleaning that went on to get the shot and then I moved to the other side of the kitchen. When I first started, I had not dropped the aperture to it's lowest and there was quite a difference from f/5.6 to f/3.5 with the background depth of field. I also noticed that once I got closer to the subject, the background blurred even more. And wasn't I lucky to have such a willing subject today?

Top picture f/5.6, 18 mm and bottom f3.5, 23 mm

#2 was home because he got rear-ended last night while trying to stop at a stop light. Of course, it's a new car, but he did great and avoided a bigger impact by pulling into the empty left lane while the person behind him was not so lucky. He did not have any visible damage, but still took it in today to have it checked out. Everything was fine and he is relieved, still kind of scary to have happen.

Went over to my friend S's today for lunch and finished knitting a cowl. Unfortunately, the stitches twisted on the needle and I now have a twisted (warm) cowl. I do have another skein and will be able to make another cowl  to go with the hat. Just crazy that I twisted the initial row and S thought I was going crazy trying to untwist it. Now that I know how easy it is to twist such lightweight yarn, I just have to pay attention to the first row without any distractions.



Dinner tonight was a new macaroni and cheese recipe that my friend T had told me about. I took her recipe and found a copy of it online, Deluxe macaroni and cheese. I lightened it by using light sour cream, 1% cottage cheese, more pasta and a head of broccoli. It was a super, simple recipe and I topped it with parmesan cheese and crushed ritz bacon flavored crackers.  Easier than the skinny taste recipe but I always have the ingredients for the skinny taste recipe on hand.  Seems like a lot of food for three, but the guys end up with lunch for two days.

48/365 Flickr - Drive way reflection #2

2/6 Heart Bokeh

Heart Bokeh

2/6 Photograph I Heart MiniFigures

Lego / Macro / Cooperate

36/365 Circles - The Best Kind

Today I was getting ready to head up to Maine for the weekend with my husband and I had to work the prompt in between food shopping, cleaning and cooking. I made two loaves of bread, calzone and cookies for the weekend, so you can imagine what a mess I was creating in the kitchen. At least I got my circle picture of the day with the homemade cookies, if you can call opening an envelope and adding three ingredients homemade. It worked for me, they taste better than store bought. 


While the bread was rising, and the cookies were cooling, I set up the shot for today's prompt. I had to make a lens cover and finding black construction paper in an adult household was not going to happen. Luckily, I found a black folder that worked perfectly. The lights I thought of first was to use a small Christmas tree that we had on the porch for a background, but it was apparent that it was a tree in the shots. I then took out the set of lights from a painted wine bottle that a friend had made for me and they were red which made it even better and draped them over a red poster board.  I used a tripod to set up the shot and changed the distance between my camera, subject and the lights to get the best effect. I thought the mice were too big and I had no small figurines, so I used the red heart from earlier this week. It was tricky getting it to stand up, but with tape and then post processing in Photoshop Elements, I was able to clone out the tape.  Then had to clean up that set up along with my cooking mess, it was a busy afternoon.

Different Subjects and bokeh setup

1/25 Intent

Intent to Meet My Walking Goal
1/25 Photograph Resolve

Willpower / Resolution / Intent

Boots by the door, Ready to Go

I woke up this morning with 11 miles to go for the month, before I got out of bed, I had texted my next door neighbor to go for a walk. Runkeeper is an app that keeps me on track in meeting my monthly walking goals. Another key to meeting the goal is to make it achievable while also making it challenging. I figured that I would be doing a lot of walking in Florida while golfing, but ended up on a cart more than expected. This morning I walked another 1.8 miles and I know that I will have more than 60 done by the end of the month. And even though it was only 1.8 miles, there are more calories burned since we walked through the woods today for the entire walk. 

The flicker challenge this week is abstraction which will be a challenge for me. Today, I took a picture of the netting on the clementine box and brought it into photoshop to duplicate and rotate. I guess that would be abstract for me. 

25/365 Abstract Netting

1/4 Me, Myself and I

Me, Myself and I

1/4 Photograph A Reflection

In the Mirror / View / Impression

No large mirror or tripod to use for today's prompt and since the suggestion had a photoshop element in the reflection, I thought of another view to make for today. My husband and brother were off skiing in about 8 inches of fresh powder which gave me plenty of time to experiment.

I set up the camera on a cabinet atop a speaker and used a manual focus along with a 10 second timer  to take multiple pictures of me around the table. The aperture was set at f/13 to have more in focus with meant that light became a factor due to the smaller opening.  To avoid using a flash which would have created highlights and shadows,  a slow shutter speed of 2.5 sec was used to even out the lighting throughout the picture from the two windows.  I then brought all three images into photoshop elements and placed the on top of each other as three separate layers. A mask was used on the top two layers to "erase'' down to the next image. They were then merged and I now had some "friends" hanging out with me. Looking at it, I guess I could have had another in the seat by the window, another time. The hardest part of the whole project was getting to a spot and remaining still during the shot. 

Sunday Morning Treat (4/365)

After all that work, it was time for another cup of coffee and cookies which became another 365 photo for the day, plus a #mystillSundaycompetition instagram photo. The photo was brought into Photoshop elements along with two textures from Kimklassen.com. I think by this time, it was about my third cup of coffee. After all that caffeine and sugar, I got dishes put away, packing down and did a 25 second plank.

The skiing was great and after picking up my brother and husband, we had a quick lunch of left over prime rib with gravy over fried, cheesy mashed potatoes. We were then off to home since the really wet weather went to the west of us. It was weird to drive through Franconia notch where there was hardly any new snow at the beginning and ground showing on Cannon,  to piled up snow on the south side. We had a foggy ride home where we had about 3-4 inches of snow with an ice layer on top. Pretty to look at? No, not anymore, since I see branches loaded down with ice ready to break. Except for maybe our outside Christmas tree, which still looks pretty with the snow, ice and lights. 

1/2 Resolve to be Organized

 Resolve to be Organized for Calendars Next Christmas

1/2 Photograph Think Over

Consider / Envision / Resolve

2/365 Calendar Organization 

Last year the resolution was to exercise more which I did by walking a lot of miles. Officially for 2014 on Runkeeper, I had walked 435 miles but that was without measuring miles from June-August. This year after spending more hours than I should have in December working on calendars, I envision working on saving pictures throughout the year to make collages ahead of the last minute in December. After making the first two calendars in Shutterfly, I discovered that I could make my own collages in  PSE10 and upload them as JPGs to Shutterfly. Making the collages in another program provided me with more freedom in sizing the pictures.

Lightroom is a big help for photo organization and if I can just stay on top of it during the year, the month of December will be easier. Maybe I will scan more photos? All it takes is time.

1/1 New Year, New Goals

New Year, New Goals

CY365 1/1 Photograph Good Morning 2015

New Year / New Day / New Goals

365 Project 1/365 - Winter Woods 

New Year, new goals for photography but first I had to get some tylenol for the headache that I woke up with this morning. Nope, no hangover, only one alcoholic beverage last night since I must have known that I was fighting something. 

I thought it was appropriate to have my husband in the picture since he has been so supportive this past year in my 365 project, either as a subject, helping me pick out a picture for the day or just stopping the car for a shot. But sometimes when I set up a shot for the prompt, it's not as spontaneous as it may look. To illustrate the process, I included a graphic below. (And yes, most of the time, my husband demonstrates a lot of patience.)

This year, I am going to do two 365 projects. One is going to be with the CY365 group and I will do the best I can with the prompts, but will jump around through the month as needed. I am not going to get myself worked up on what the prompt is for that day, but what may be easier another time during the month. Plus, I want to include more people in my shots. The other project is going to be through Flickr where there is a weekly theme for the week. This week's theme is Introduce yourself and I am going to just have fun with this group's prompts, perhaps more artistic shots? This was the scene in our community woods this afternoon, a wintry sun with barely any snow among the trees. 

The ugly, bad shots that don't make it, along with the reason why.

No snow compared to last year at this time. 1/4 of us is pretty happy about that! After the walk, we went back to our friends' house to have a lunch New Year's Eve leftovers and we all were ready to plant ourselves on couches, either for naps, computer work or football. Not a bad start to 2015, except for the cold I caught.

12/31 Party Time

New Year Back Yard Fire Works

12/31 Photograph Party

Celebration / Shindig / Bash

365 photos completed for 2014! Definitely a reason for a celebration! The only month that I found hard was the last month, but I managed to have a photo for each day. More about 2015 plans in my 1/1/2015 post. Without a tripod, freezing temps and being on a deck so close to the action, I am very pleased with this shot for the last CY365 photo of 2014.

Another very cold day and I was so glad that the annual bonfire New Year's party was going to be held indoors. No snow on the ground and with a forecast of 11 degrees, it was just a better idea to not have a the bonfire. Even our cats were cold and hanging out by the wood stove today. Whenever we go near the stove to add wood, the sound of the door opening is like the sound of a can opener on a tuna can, one of them comes running for attention. 

With the cold weather, I really did not want to go outside, but my friend C from the lab sent a message for a walk and I made the right decision. I did go for another longer walk which was good considering all the food that I managed to try at the party. 

Today, I updated the operating system for the Mac to OSx Yosemite which took awhile. After reading some of the reviews, I wasn't sure how it would go and right now, I can say that I like it for integration with the iPhone and iPad. Plus, I had to upgrade for a new photo editing program that I would like to try and there always seem to be a point where software is made for the newer operating systems and won't work with what you have. 

We had fun at the party tonight and stayed till Midnight! That doesn't happen often!

Seriously, I am looking at my phone? But not looking at messages, just checking the photo I had just taken.

Happy New Year! 

12/11 Vintage Christmas

Vintage VW in Christmas Parade

12/11 Photograph Grinch

Grouch / You're a Mean One / Party Pooper

 No Grinches here, but I had fun playing with this photo of a decorated VW that was in the holiday parade. The shot to the left is the original RAW file- nothing done to it. For the photo above, I cropped the picture, used Erik Kim Lomo Pop Preset for the color and then took it into Photoshop elements to remove the telephone lines.

11/14 to 11/18 Thankful to be Caught up!!!!

Thankful for the Quiet Times

11/14 Give Thanks for Quiet Times

Solitude / Relax / Quiet Spot

My quiet spot here with a book and cozy afghan. This morning I comfortably read a book and contemplated taking a nap until I realized that I had too many things to do today. (After I had already golfed 18 holes of course) I shot quite a few of the same scene focusing on different elements and ended up using the above photo taken with the 100 mm macro lens. I liked the combination of textures with the table, couch, afghan and pillows along with the cup of coffee and book that set the scene. The text was added with PSE10, I had the time to play with photos finally!

Pelican Landing

11/15 Give Thanks for the Beauty of Nature

Animals / Natural / Alive

Posting a picture like this makes me think of what I would be able to get for an animal shot in NH this week. Last Friday on the boat ride, I caught this shot just as the pelican landed and shook off the water. The pelican is graceful as it flies along the waves, but what a klutzy dive when they go in for a fish. When my friend K was here, the pelicans were her favorite birds and she was on the watch constantly for her favorite birds. 

Today on the golf course, I once again hit a ball within 10 feet of a sunning alligator. With the iPhone, I couldn't get close for the shot and wasn't happy with the photo. You can tell it's an alligator, but there too many shadows. 

Pelican with lightroom post processing using Eric Kim Porta Punch preset

Homemade Soup

11/16 Give Thanks for Home Cooking

Homemade / Family Recipe / From Scratch

I made this Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla soup in the crockpot last week and when my friend was here, it was good to come home after a busy day to a home cooked meal. I knew that my husband would like this recipe and made sure to save a batch of it for when he was here. We enjoyed it today after 36 holes of golf. It is a soup that I will make again and it is now pinned in my soup board on Pinterest. After a month of traveling, he is happy to have home cooked meals and we loved the pulled chicken that a friend, D sent home with me after a dinner eaten at her home here in Florida. Everyone is getting ready for holidays at home and cleaning out their refrigerators. The pulled chicken was also a crock pot recipe using a mccormick seasoning package, it made a great hot sandwich. Now I am on the lookout here for a small crockpot similar to what I have at home for leftovers. 

Baby Raccoons Missing their Mom

11/17 Give Thanks for Comfort

Cozy / Warmth / Content

I could be reaching for this prompt on the shot above, but it was a warm day yesterday and the 4 babies were lounging under a bush near the pool. The suggestion for this prompt was all about taking pictures of soup or soup cans, really? That was so yesterday for me and I decided that this shot of the baby raccoons needed to be in my Capturemy365 collection. Today the weather turned in the afternoon, and we were lucky to finish 36 holes of golf as we saw lightning in the distance while on the last hole and  the rain started when we were in the parking lot.

The 4 baby raccoons were seen the day before and luckily nobody here fed them and when there was no sight of their mother, neighbors worked on taking care of the babies. I know that the golf course has been trapping raccoons because of the damage they cause on the greens and one of the neighbors had their boat cushions torn apart so who knows where the mother ended up. When I saw them on Sunday, I googled the county wild life services and forwarded the link to a neighbor. Another neighbor ended up catching them with a blanket, gloves and cat carrier and all were brought safely to a wildlife animal hospital. I am thankful that we are in a community where people care about animals. It's a fine line when you know that the animals are going through the dumpsters at night, but when they are this close to the water they are going to become somebody's dinner. 

A few dolphin shots from this weekend, if you look closely at the top right picture, this dolphin is playing with his food. They were jumping but every time I went out with my camera, they would stop.

The End of the Stormy Weather

11/18 Give Thanks for The Final Stages

The End / Latest / Conclude

Today I got caught up with all the blog posts for the Captureyour365 photos that I took from 10/26 to today. The prompt for today was fitting and sure, I didn't know what the picture would be until we went out in the afternoon for a ride. This prompt suggestion was appropriate for me today, " Prompts are meant to guide you, challenge you, and to get you to pick up the camera no matter what you shoot!" 

I did not bring my big camera but had the iPhone along with me to get this shot. When we were driving north on the main road, I could see the skies to the west and took a left. At the end of this street, I captured the end of the storm at the end of the day. With my DSLR, I would have been able to get the beams of light from the clouds, but I am happy with the composition of this shot. Compared to other parts of the country, I know that the weather here can't really be considered cold, however for Florida, 52 degrees with a wind chill to the 40s is very cold. It was a good day to stay inside and get caught up with my photography. 

It was also a good afternoon to stop by the local brewery and enjoy some Cocoa beach micro brews. Nice to have a laid back day!

10-22 to 10-31 - Why did I wait so long to update?

9 + 4 + 7 = 20

10/22 Photograph #20

Marker / Sign / Unit

While shopping for a bedspread, my friend and I were looking at the prints and frames when I saw these dice pasted to a board behind a frame. We thought our pictures would be a better choice versus the dice. I then added the dice, got 20, added again and got the same result. Here is my 20 for the day. If you look closely, there's my shadow.

Where I Stand On a Cold, Damp NH Day

10/23 Photograph Where I Stand

Look Down / No Socks / Patio

It was a cold and dreary day during a northeaster kind of day where yoga pants were the fashion statement for the day. I do like the contrast of my colorful new sneakers against the wet, brown oak leaves on my back deck.

Getting Ready for Halloween

10/24 Photograph Sweets

Treat / Candy / Confection

I wasn't home to hand out the Halloween candy so I got it all together for my son and husband to hand out. Of course I checked out the M&Ms to make sure they were okay. I had fun with some free fonts and graphics in photoshop elements to make this shot a little bit spookier.

Raking Fun (Off- Prompt)

10/25 Photograph Costumed

Garb / Guise / Style

True conversation: Me: "I don't remember raking last year, we must not have had a lot of leaves."Husband: " You weren't here, you were in Florida."
I am heading out tomorrow for Florida and leaving the leaves to my husband again if he decides to put the rake down and rake! I did do some raking last weekend, but thanks to the rain, there are more left for my husband. The exercise will be good for him and at least he makes it fun. I goes you could say he has style while raking.

True On The Road Selfie

10/26 Photograph Drive By

Pass By / On the Side / Outside

I was too busy driving to take photos outside the car and I thought this would be a fun picture for our road trip. The iPhone 6 takes great pictures and I have more than enough apps to edit the shots. My sister in law and I left Massachusetts at 5 AM and we were through 4 states already when we hit Delaware at 10:54 AM. We lucked out with great weather and excellent traffic conditions. We made it to Florence, South Carolina by 6:30 that night. 

 Savannah Visit

10/27 Photograph My Week

My Calendar / My Everyday / My Details

This week started with me on a road trip south. I guess to follow the theme for the day, I could have taken a picture of the dashboard of my car, but with all the colors of Savannah, why?
Today we are in Savannah where we enjoyed beautiful, warm weather and ice cream at Leopolds while touring the city. My son graduated from SCAD a year ago and it was fun to show my sister in law the sites and to get the best shrimp grits ever!!

Savannah Courtyard

10/28 Photograph Gray

Drab / Clouded / Dappled

In this gray carriage house behind the Sorrel Weed house in Savannah, there is a ghost, or so they say….
My son and I took the tour six years ago after we saw that this house had been on the Ghost Hunters show. Today, I took this shot of the gray carriage house through the fence. I just love all the different terraces, balconies and gardens throughout the historic district of Savannah. 

It was our last day here as we on the road again. Hopefully I will stop in Savannah again since I just can't stay away from all those praline samples along with the shrimp grits. 

Spooky Cocktail Waitress

10/29 Photograph Spooky

Ghostly / Mysterious / Creepy

We spent the afternoon walking around the historic district of St. Augustine after checking into our Bed and Breakfast which overlooked the bay. And yes, we of course had a Martini at the Tiny Martini bar where we were staying. The next day we took the trolley tour after going in the oldest store of America. I have to admit, the store tour was very cool with some interesting, authentic items. We had too much to do to work out the ghost picture since today's prompt came with instructions for how to take a picture with a ghostly apparition and I would like to do that someday. For now this picture is spooky enough with some post processing to make it even spookier.  

Follow these steps to capture a ghost at your house:

1. a tripod or solid surface
2. shutter priority mode
3. ISO 100
4. shutter speed of 10 seconds
5. have your subject get in place
6. push the shutter
7. after 5 seconds have your subject leave the frame
8. the shutter will close after 5 more seconds
9. check your results

 St. Augustine

Turkey Vulture

10/30 Photograph Raven

Bird / Omen / Pitch

I saw this prompt in the middle of the day and probably could have gotten a picture of a crow while golfing in the morning. This is the grossest bird I have ever seen on the beach here in Florida. I had to look it up on line to figure out that it was a Turkey Vulture. He was enjoying a bunch of fish heads that were on the beach. 

Ready for Halloween at the Condo

10/31 Photograph the Loot

Reward / Booty / Spoils

Halloween in Florida is different, there are no leaves rustling in the streets, people can go out as mermaids and not put on two more layers and it's a family night out. This Halloween fell on a Friday night where there was also a football game going on, so there weren't as many people out. On our walk home from my Aunt's we saw the neighbor's cat patiently waiting for more trick or treaters.   Two pictures of candy for Halloween from both my homes, can you tell what my favorite candy is?