Monday, July 26, 2010

ENERGIZED MORNINGS

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I have always been a morning person & regardless of things I have to do, places I have to be, or appointment's I have to be at, I prefer to get everything taken care of in the morning.  I think this becomes more important as we age because our internal battery does not retain it's overnight charge as well as it did when newer many years ago.  The fullest charge that battery will ever have in a 24 hour period is in those precious morning hours.  Cooler weather extends the charge & hotter humid weather depletes the charge.  Therefore, in my little world of logic & reason it is imperative that I get as much done in the morning hours as possible before the battery drain begins it's afternoon spiral into a state that does not have enough juice left at the end of the day to even light a plastic candle!!

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NO, THIS IS NOT THE TOAD WE TOW BEHIND THE MOTOR HOME

I think the most common mistake I see people making with their photos happens to be the easiest one to correct.  It is the same mistake I continually make just about every time I pick up the camera & one which I am forever having to correct in the Picasa photo editing program.  'Tilted Horizons!!'  There doesn't even have to be a horizon for me to still tilt the photo down at the left side.  It's my biggest photo bugaboo!!  Fortunately Picasa has a 'Straighten' tool & a photo can be straightened up in mere seconds.  Because I have the 'tilt' problem I always notice tilted horizons in people's photos right away.  The fix is as easy as sliding a little horizontal bar left or right.  I suggest taking an extra few seconds of time to make sure your pics are straight before uploading them to your blog....I do:))

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MAPLE LEAF BEGONIA ... This is a good example of 'backlighting.'  The light source shines through your subject instead of on it.

Randy over at THE ROAD RUNNER CHRONICLES blogged about his reflections on blogging today & I think a few fellow bloggers might pick up some more helpful tips there.  Between Randy, Rick & myself we sure have managed to open up a nice pleasant can of worms to keep the blogging circles a-buzz for a bit:))  By the way, check out RICK'S NEW INFORMATION CARD.  Cool:))

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BLUE JAY

Hey Vic, thanks for helping restart our Blog Follower's list & welcome aboard our blogsite.  I hope 'Travels With The Bayfield Bunch will keep you interested & entertained from time to time.
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For about 5 months of the year our 3 dogs eat, live & sleep in a 12 x 33 foot box & they are nice enough to share that box space with 2 humanoids which of course would be Kelly & I.  We are in & out of this box dozens & dozens of times a day 7 days a week for months at a time.  It is the heart & hub of our lifestyle on the road & whenever this big box heart moves, it takes us with it.  Keeps us warm on cold days & cool on the scorchers.  Protects us from the walloping southwest winds & keeps us dry on rainy days.   We are off the ground & safe from predators including the two legged type.  This large rectangular fiberglass Mossmagator delivers us in relative safety & comfort between points of travel & is large & strong enough to carry the whole Bayfield Bunch & all their mobile possessions.  It even tows our car & can gather several types of satellite signals plus radio waves, cell phone signals & towered internet connections.  And it can do all this whether we are moving or not.  With it's roof top solar panels & 4 bank battery system it delivers power for all our boondocking needs without having to be tethered to one of those electrical box thingys.  It handles our drinking water, showers, bathroom facilities & cooking needs with little effort.  Our rig is like a large Mother Hen tending to her flock & it seems the busier she is, the happier she is.

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PROVIDING SHELTER ON A STORMY ARIZONA DAY

So, if we love our Motor Home so much, how can we just abandon her each spring & pay little or no attention to her all summer long.  How can we be so heartless in our abandonment because there she sits in our driveway now all sad, forlorn, & downright depressed!!  Oh Dear:((

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WELL OK, MAYBE SHE'S NOT THAT DEPRESSED (File photo from last October)

I took the tri-poded header photo (Moon) picture from our front yard through the pine trees.  Nikon D40 with my 700MM Telescope lens. 1/100th of a second shutter speed & ISO 800.  With the help of Picasa I gave the moon a cheesy orange look:))  DSC_0002-5

GROANER'S CORNER:(( 

A newly retired couple from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Mildred and Art Stutmeyer, were wrapping up their third month of full-time RVing, driving down a lonely two-lane back road near Yuba City, California. But it wasn't a happy day, because they were steaming mad at each other. Their nerves were really on edge, probably because they had opted for a 24-foot fifth wheel trailer instead of one with more space, and the close quarters were driving them both batty! For example, Art kept getting mad at Mildred for leaving her socks on the dresser. And Mildred was equally bothered by Art's constant belching and the fact that he never even apologized for being so disgusting.

The silence in their Ford pickup truck was deafening. It seemed they had argued for an hour. But now, only silence. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," Mildred said to herself, holding back tears. Art, frowning, was also deep in thought, thinking, "If only we had bought that 38-footer." Yes, it was a very tense time.
As they drove past a huge barnyard packed fence-to-fence with big, fat, ugly pigs includiing one with tucks, Mildred, who was now about to pop with pent up frustration, just couldn't resist making a sarcastic comment .Pointing to the pigs, she said slyly, "Relatives of yours?"

Art, equally frustrated, stared back at her. "Yeh, they're relatives," he said, "In-laws!"

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UN-AWAKENED"

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

14 comments:

  1. The blue jay photo is amazing. What in the world is he thinking?

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  2. Tilted horizons? I thought they were simply "art" shots. Yeah! I was glad to see Randy jump into the 'mud bath' with us, Al.

    Thanks for not charging me any royalties or licensing fees for borrowing your ideas for our RV Info card!! As if I'd pay anyway - lol!

    Nice frog pic!

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  3. That was a great pic of that toad. So clear that I could count every bump on his body. I've tried the "straighten" tool and it corrected just fine, then when I posted a pic on the blog it was back to being crooked. I'm going to purposely take a crooked pic and try it again!

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  4. nice toad!!..why is the pooch on the outside of the bus when there is a storm a comin???

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  5. Hey Matgie M. Ya have to do a save to make your change stick so you can post it on the blog.

    Again that 700 MM telescope with the big aperture is making for some really nice shots! You seem to have the manual exposure down pat, or else I haven't seen all the toss outs to bracket it correctly.

    The toad and Blue Jay are contest material.

    Rod

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  6. Those are award-winning photos. Have you won awards with your pictures? You need to enter some contests!

    Thanks for the advice about straightening pictures. It seems like I always take crooked pictures. First I need to learn how to load my photos onto Picasa, then I need to learn how to edit and straighten and brighten and contrast and...

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  7. There was a crooked man who walked a crooked mile and maybe took a crooked pic.
    Thanks for the post and I love your pics. A thought about an observation, I like your sharing the speed/settings and info on some of your pics, it helps me understand photography more.
    Thanks!
    Mike & Gerri

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  8. You need to hop in that motorhome and go somewhere! Exercise her tires and such. C'mon Al, since you're not sure what will happen this fall, you need to bust out into the wilderness!

    Love the moon shot. :)

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  9. Maybe a short holiday trip by yourself with the dogs will help, I'm sure Kelly wouldn't mind, Donna lets me roam a few days at a time to take train pictures, Does you good and execrcises the rig. so you can find out if anything needs adjusting before the big show. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

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  10. Your MH is sitting all forlorn. Ours is not much better, but at least we go up there now and then to get something out of it that we had forgotten! Tomorrow, Rosie (the motorhome) will move to the lot next to ours and we'll set her up for housing a guest coming to our anniversary party. She'll get to run her refrigerator, water heater and most certainly her air conditioner for a week!

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  11. Loved the cartoon Al, with all the camera equipment!! Ya gotta go give the motorhome a big wet kiss on the head(lights) every once in a while...Helps with the depression..(yours, not hers)

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  12. hey there Al..I sent a comment last night?..thought it was funny that the dog is waiting patiently outstide the motorhome when there is a storm a brewin!!..

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  13. Not a shabby spot to sit and act forlorn :) Just look at the gorgeous leaf colors! I've never seen a real fall with the changing of the leaves. I'll trade spaces with your motorhome any day!

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  14. Yup, I think you two need to get away and hop in that motorhome... those doggers want a vacation too!

    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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