Hanging around for a long time

ropes on the ferry

cutwork tablecloth on the downed willow tree

Texture Tuesday ... sky diving

I spend so much time these days playing with special effects produced on my phone apps,

I'd almost forgotten how to add a texture to a  real  photo in PSE ...

well, not exactly, although I did feel mighty rusty.

Working on this photo brought up some interesting questions

mainly centered around my intentions:

what feeling am I after,

is there a certain mood I'm trying to convey?

I don't take the time to ask such things when I'm apping (I think that's a word). 

It's all swiping my finger this way & that, or clickclickclick until, 

"oooh, that looks cool," pops into my head.

Random.  Spontaneous.  Completely, utterly freeing.

It's the difference in approach, I suppose.  With phone apps it's all  PLAY  for me 

... sometimes serious play, but quite, quite different from opening PSE

and making  *on purpose*  choices.

None of this will make much sense for those not bitten by the app bug [yet],

but I'm intrigued by these differences.

It might take some more sky diving by the pond to figure this one out.

:::

Where I started from ... straight out of camera

Linking up with the gang over at Kim Klassen's place for the 

Black and White ... perhaps a Touch of Colour eDition.

Today's recipe:

DSLR color photo taken into Snapseed (for desktop), turned into b/w,

added vintage sepia layer; desaturated, lightened & adjusted levels in PSE;

added Kim's texture, paperstained music; desaturated color, adjusted contrast,

& erased all the texture except the bottom third;

added back a touch of yellow.

Filled

~ Portrait ~

Sharing some illustrations by Catrin Welz-Stein ...

evocative of what I'm feeling

while I remember my mom,

wrapping my arms around her this day ...

~ Heaven ~

~ Snow-White ~

~ Summertime ~

 I hope I see you when I get there.

Gone vertical

Seattle had record breaking heat yesterday and reached a whopping  87 degrees.

Compared to the previous record of 79 set back in 1957, 

that's a fairly hefty climb.  Although it was much cooler out here ... a divine 75 or so ...

things were definitely looking up in the garden.

I do hate it when the grass grows 4 inches per minute,

but that's a subject for another post.

These I don't mind ...

I'm letting some of the chioggia beets go to seed so I can donate them

to the local Seed Library.  I swear they grew 6 inches yesterday ...

really, I should be measuring these things.

They're in a raised bed and are as tall as me now.

If this keeps on I'm going to need a step stool to harvest them.

I'd use the bench ... but ...

Silly phone app.  Benches don't go vertical.

Finally got the big motha' trellis back up.  Should take care of my bean addiction nicely.

Gonna try a little experiment with mixing in some annual flowering vines ...

maybe some scarlet morning glories for the dye pots,

or Grandpa Ott's.

I shot these camassia this morning.  The marine layer moved back in overnight

and they do so appreciate the cooler temps ... they've visibly perked up in the moist air.

They're always the first plants of any stature to bloom here in the garden

and I'm very glad to have them around a bit longer.

Light show

It happened on the pantry wall this morning.

A simple thing really ... light, shadow and reflection ... except this sunshine,

coming directly through the east window at last,

 means only one thing ~ 

the season is a'changing.

Happy May Day, everyone!

:::

grab shots with the iPhone using the Hipstamatic app

Dog writing ...

Over our years together, I've learned she has many ways of saying things.

This is one way ...

and this is another.

And then there is  her  incomparable way. 

I just found out that Mary Oliver has a new book coming out,

set for release October 8th.

Beloved by her readers, special to the poet's own heart, dog poems offer 

a special window into Mary Oliver's universe. Now the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet

presents a collection of new and favorite poems,

celebrating the dogs that have enriched her world.