Writer's Block

Lately I've just been stumped about subjects for a Journal entry. I don't know if my life is really that boring, or if I just feel like it is <LOL>.... So, I've decided to randomly pick pictures out of my files (either digital or hardcopy) and see if I can come up with an entry from it! Soooooooo.... Here goes the first one:

This is a picture from a trip we took to Busch Gardens around Christmas time. The attraction is advertised as:

Myombe Reserve

Enter the lush forest where gorillas and chimpanzees can be viewed in the naturalistic habitat of Myombe Reserve. Tour the Great Ape Domain amid waterfalls and through shrouds of mist and fog to get an up close look at these majestic primates.

While walking thru this attraction, we turned a corner and I got this really cool picture. It almost feels like you are actually in the jungle and peeking thru the trees to catch a glimpse of the gorillas...

Boo

I know people sometimes wonder what in the world I manage to find to do with myself that I don't have time to make more than one entry in a week...So, I thought I would show you ONE of the ways I find to spend my time. This is a picture I took last Sunday. I didn't get any that were exactly what I wanted, but I decided to play with this particular one in my photo editing software, and I was pleased with the results.....

So, you have all seen pictures of Morgan, the spoiled Corgi... and D.K, the cat Princess... but I have never posted a picture of Boo.

Boo is 14 years old and I actually helped his mother deliver him. He has lived with me since he was 6 months old, when I purchased him from the people who owned his mother. Boo is an Arabian horse with an impressive pedigree... which he cares nothing about <g>. He often follows me around the barn where I board him much like a dog would. His favorite treats are carrots and these little horse treats I get him that are peppermint flavored. He is as spoiled in his own way as my dog and cat are. I visit him each evening when I get off from work, and he recognizes my truck and meets me at the place where I throw his hay over and give him his evening treats. Sunday is my day to feed all of the animals at the barn so the man who boards Boo can have a day off to spend with his family and attending church. I think Boo looks forward to Sundays because that is the day that I spend the most time with him. Since G. works on Sundays, I am free to spend a good portion of my day at the barn.

Hope you all enjoyed my attempt at Photoshop Magic!

Monday Photo Shoot-Action!

This week, John Scalzi over at By the Way has the following task for us:

There's something magical about catching objects (and people) in motion, so that's the theme of this Monday's Photo Shoot:

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Action! Catch something or someone in the middle of movement. If needed, explain what we're seeing. It can be anything: People, pets, animals, machines -- just catch them on the move.

Hmmmm... Well, my first thought was that I have just taught Morgan (Now known as the AMAZING Corgi) how to jump thru a hula hoop, and wouldn't that make a neat picture. Well, and so it would, except for Two things:

Problem #1: When I first teach Morgan a new behavior, she will only do it for me. Eventually, she will do it for anyone, but in the beginning you have to do the hand signal EXACTLY, or she just looks at you confused. Therefore, I would have to be the one holding the hoop and sending her thru it.

Problem #2: G. and my digital camera do not always get along. Sidenote: This is also why there are very few pictures of me doing anything <LOL>. He does pretty good with something posed, but trying to take a moving picture with my digital camera can be a little tricky as it is an older one and has the delay problem (i.e. you click the button, but the picture is NOT taken instantaneously)

Sooooo, because of the above, (and after several failed attempts and a frustrated G. <g>) I decided to change my mind and show you all one of my favorite pictures from when I used to be involved with a show where I performed with a variety of horses. This picture is about 7 years old. Problem solved. I already had the picture, it was just not a digital picture and I had never gotten aroundto scanning it. No Problem!

Well, no problem, except that I am lazy. And, have you ever noticed that when you are lazy, you actually often end up doing MORE work??

Rather than just carrying my laptop into the other room, pulling out the scanner, plugging it in, turning it on, and connecting it to the laptop, I decide that the aforementioned process was too much trouble. I'll just lay the picture on the arm of the couch and take a picture of the picture, put it into my photo editing software and crop out the background leaving the picture.... See the example of why this doesn't work. I left the arm of the couch in so you could tell what I was trying to do. <g> If you leave the flash on you get that reflection you see... and if you don't use the flash you get... Nada! It's just too dark to see...

So, after 'saving time and effort', I drag my laptop into the other room, pull out the scanner, plug it in, turn it on, connect it to the laptop and scan the picture.... This takes all of about 3 minutes! And, you get the picture below that I'm using for this week's assignment.

This is a time lapse pic a friend took of us riding in a drill pattern. To give you an idea of what's going on, we are riding the horses at a gallop, while carrying flaming torches, and doing figure 8's and cross throughs with each other. I LOVED doing this drill... what a Rush!

The last picture here is one that I already had on my laptop and just lets you see a picture of all of us not in motion.

Sooooo, the moral of the story is: If you want to save time, just go and get the scanner out and do the job correctly the first time <g>

Monday Photo Shoot #4: A Feathered Friend

Hmmmm... I've been busy lately, and it seems that all I've managed to get into my Journal lately are these Monday Photo Shoots that John Scalzi has started posting. And I can't even seem to do THEM on Monday <LOL>

So, here is this weeks assignment from John:

Your Monday Photo Shoot: On The Wing

It's monday -- and that means it's time for a Monday Photo Shoot! To remind everyone: I hand offer a suggestion for a photograph to share, and then you either go out and take that picture or share a photo with that theme that you already have. Pretty easy stuff. This week:

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Get a shot of one of our fine feathered friends (preferably undomesticated).

Well, the shot below (in which G. is participating however unwillingly <eg>) was taken while we were in Mexico City with the Ringling Show in the early summer of 2003. We had a day off and took the opportunity to visit the Zoo. They have a really nice zoo there, and we quite enjoyed our day. While we were walking thru one of the aviaries, one of the birds took a liking to the button on the top of G's hat. He actually did get it off, and we (being the good animal people we are) followed it till we saw it land and drop the button. We then notified the keeper who was in the aviary so he could retrieve it before anyone got a chance to swallow it. Soooo.... here's my photo for the Monday Photo Shoot....

Monday Photo Shoot #3: Humiliate the Pets

So, John over at By the Way... is at it again... This is his most recent Assignment!

Your Monday Photo Shoot #3: Humiliate the Pets!

I'm feeling in a bit of a sporky mood today, so let's have some capricious fun at the expense of dumb animals!

Your Monday Photo Shoot #3: Show your pet in scenario that would be embarrassing to it, if it knew enough to be embarrassed.

Wow... Now, this is a Photo Assignment that I don't even have to try hard at. <g> None of these are recent. I think the oldest shot is about 6 years old, and the newest was a couple of months ago. Enjoy!

The First two are of my Pem Welsh Corgi, Morgan. I think I have included a shot of her and her Harley hat in another entry, but this one shows her true feelings about the hat! The other shot was a happy 'accident'. I was just taking her pic and got her with her tongue sticking out....

Isn't she cute?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, the next 2 pictures are of my 'little princess', D.K. The first one I caught her cleaning herself after she had gotten her feet wet, and the other one is just her laying in a funny position. She is usually so prissy that if I catch her looking silly I just have to take a pic <g>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These last pictures are of a horse I worked with. He was always very happy to do anything you asked of him. One day he stole a hat off of someones head, so we thought we would let him wear it.... The last pic is one of the cubs I raised. In fact, it is the same one that is in the picture with me in my about me section. He was a little smaller (and younger) here. He seemed to think the glasses were 'cool' <LOL>

Monday Photo Shoot #1: Sunsets

Well, I don't always have time for weekend (or weekday <g>) assignments, but I noticed this in John Scalzi's Journal and thought I would go along... at least for this one!

Monday Photo Shoot #1: Sunsets

Your Monday Photo Shoot #1: Show us a picture of a sunset near you. Again, you can take a fresh picture, or show off a picture from an earlier sunset. Note -- it does have to be a picture you take.

Hmmm... Well, I haven't had time to take a photo of a sunset... but I managed to drag this one out of a box and scan it in! I took this about 3 years ago when we were playing Washington, D.C. We were headed back to the arena from the yard where they had our train parked and I saw this wonderful sunset. I dug in my bag and found the disposable camera I had in there and took this thru the window of the truck while we were driving... Go figure, G. didn't want to pull over in afternoon traffic and let me get out to take it <LOL>

And, since I was doing this one and had to open the photo editing software to resize it, I thought why not do the Beta one too <g>

Photo Challenge Beta: Out Your Window
Your Photo Challenge: Take a picture out of a window of your house. Describe what you see.  

Well, if the front window shade is open at our house, this is what you see... Two little heinies looking out the window. We are directly across the street from one of the playgrounds in our complex, and also face the parking lot. Since we are very near the front gate there is usually plenty of car and foot traffic out there... at least enough to fascinate these two!! It's one of the times you will see them actually getting along and not antagonizing each other!

Obsession

Every other week on Thursday afternoon, I go to the local feed store and I buy 2 bales of hay for my horse. It didn't use to always be Thursday, but that is what it has worked out to between my schedule and G's as the best day. Mostly this works out well, and Boo loves Thursdays because often he gets 'extra' hay because I give him the 'leftovers' when I sweep out and put the new bales in my tack room.

This last Thursday, which also happens to be payday <g>, G. and I stopped at the bank then headed over to the feed store. They have recently added a new 'pet' section. They have always had a few dog/cat things, but now they have an expanded section and have added some birds/fish/small rodents/small creepy crawlies to the mix. Since I can never resist, I always end up over there checking out what they have. I know I can't have any, but I like to look...

On this particular day, they were unpacking some new inventory. And I spot what you see in the pictures. This is a braided rawhide. It is longer than Morgan. I wasn't sure how she would feel about it as I usually get her the 'flavored' rawhide bones, but we looked at it and  I couldn't resist. Now, Morgan has always loved her 'chewies'... but I'm not sure she knows what to make of this one. She was actually a little afraid of it at first <g>. When she would pick it up and try to carry it would drag, or hit her... however, she has persevered and can now jump up on the couch or bed carrying the darn thing!

Anyway, I thought you all might enjoy a couple of pics of her and her newest obsession.....