real estate: The End Of A Perfect Day - 01/03/10 01:27 AM
 
 
                                   The End Of A Perfect DayChristmas 2009 was a wonderful time for me. I spent it with my family at my Mom's in San Diego where I was grateful for a bit of warmer weather.  Here in Colorado, we had the first white Christmas in a long time, but it was bitterly cold, as it has been off and on for sometime. The Christmas holiday was spent eating, playing Pictionary, eating, going on a whale boat excursion (more on that later), eating, going to the San Diego Zoo, eating, and visiting with friends. On Christmas evening, after all … (37 comments)

real estate: "Stones Into Schools" - Thoughts for the New Year - 12/31/09 07:07 AM
 
"Stones Into Schools" -  Thoughts for the New Year
We Are Not As Different As You May ThinkI read "Three Cups Of Tea" last year, and bought the sequel, "Stones Into Schools" for reading while traveling by airline to visit family over the Christmas holiday. The terrorist attack on Christmas day served to remind me of the danger the world faces from those who take advantage of the lack of education in third world countries, where it is so much easier to indoctrinate and convince others to follow a misguided concept of religion. It is hard for us, as Americans, … (22 comments)

real estate: Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep - Again? Must Be My Lucky Day! - 12/18/09 01:27 AM
 

Big Horn Sheep - Again? Must Be My Lucky Day!
 
I wrote a post recently about a visit to Georgetown, Colorado (Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep), where I was excited to have the opportunity to photograph big horn sheep in their natural habitat in the Rocky Mountains. Also recently, I wrote a post about my visit to the Tarryall Valley (Lost Creek Wilderness Area). This past Saturday, I took another drive through the Tarryalls. There had been snowfall, and I wanted to see this gorgeous valley as winter would present it. To my great surprise and delight, once … (41 comments)

real estate: Stumped for a Gift Idea? Consider an Adoption! - 12/16/09 02:57 AM
 
 
Stumped for a Gift Idea? Consider an Adoption! Need a gift idea for that person on your shopping list that already has everything? Consider adopting an endangered animal in their name. Yesterday I received a very special gift from my best friend of 40 years - I am now the proud adoptive Mama of Bishushwe and her baby boy, Igisubizo! Bishushwe and Igisubizo are Eastern Lowland Gorillas living in Rwanda. They are two of only about 700 Eastern Lowland Gorillas left in the world. My sponsorship is through the 'Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, International' , based at the Karisoke … (38 comments)

real estate: Drinking Water Safety - 12/13/09 03:46 AM
Drinking Water Safety
 
A recent study by the National Resources Defense Council on the safety of our nation's drinking water shows that many of us are at risk for health issues related to pre-World War l water delivery systems. The aging systems were designed to filter out particles, parasites and bacteria, but seem to be failing when it comes to modern contaminants such as pesticides and chemicals. According to the study, there are three main issues that cities should be looking at to provide good drinking water to it's citizens. They are: 1.  Lakes, streams, reservoirs, and wells should be … (25 comments)

real estate: Graduated Neutral Density Filters For Better Listing Photos - 12/12/09 12:05 PM
 
 
Graduated Neutral Density Filters For Better Listing Photos
 
A Neutral Density Filter reduces the amount of light that passes thru the lens on your DSLR or film camera. Either a larger aperture, or a slower shutter speed must be used if you want the same exposure for your photograph. If your camera is set in an 'auto' or 'programed' mode, the camera will compensate for you. Compensation will depend on the 'density' of the filter you use. The higher the density, the more light is blocked. A Graduated Neutral Density Filter, is what the name suggests. The neutral … (21 comments)

real estate: Reminiscing On Last Christmas - 12/11/09 01:53 AM
 

 
Reminiscing On Last Christmas
 
I have been reminiscing about our Christmas last year, spent in Oregon with my brother and my niece. One of the highlights of the trip was a walk my brother and I took into the woods around his town of Jacksonville. Jacksonville, Oregon is a small, old gold mining town that maintains it's historical integrity and charm. There are over 90 original brick buildings in town that date back to the 1850's, and most have been restored to their original state.
 
But this post is about a walk that provided beauty … (55 comments)

real estate: Baby, it's Cold Outside! - 12/09/09 01:16 AM
 
Baby, It's Cold Outside! We have had some seriously cold weather the past week or two. Currently, (according to the Weather Channel), the temperature in Colorado Springs, (about 6500 feet in elevation), is 4 degrees below zero, windchill of 17 below.  Of course, here in Woodland Park, at an elevation of about 8400, it is colder, 10 below zero, windchill a balmy 33 below.
The last time we had weather this cold was in the early 1900's.
I didn't sign up for this....LOL However, the cold weather does make for some interesting photos, as long as you are willing … (31 comments)

real estate: "Unconditional Surrender" - The Famous World War ll Kiss - 12/07/09 03:29 AM
 
 
On this, the 68th anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the morning of December 7, 1941.
                         "Unconditional Surrender"
 
The famous World War ll photo of a sailor kissing a nurse at the announcement of V-J Day, first seen by millions in Life Magazine, was memorialized in a 25 foot, 6,000 lb statue by artist J. Seward Johnson. The statue, title "Unconditional Surrender", was unveiled in Mole Park in San Diego on February 10, 2007. The statue is a rendition of the photograph taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt in Times Square, New York City on August 14, … (32 comments)

real estate: When Trying To Make A Good Impression Goes Wrong... - 12/06/09 02:30 AM
 
 
When Trying To Make A Good Impression Goes Wrong...
 
You know what it's like when you're doing everything you can to make a good impression, and things, well, things just don't go right?  I was witness to just that experience today.
This is the story as I watched it unfold. The little lady was showing herself off to best advantage, and had caught the eye of a handsome suitor. Eventually, he meandered over to chat. They exchanged a few words, and not wanting to seem too forward, when the rest of her group started to walk away, she … (27 comments)

real estate: Photography - Metering the Shot - Sounds Complicated, But It Isn't! - 12/03/09 03:01 AM
 
Metering the Shot - Sounds Complicated, But It Isn't!First, I want to say that this post was inspired by a comment from Myrl Jeffcoat in one of my posts.
This is the scenario:

You are outside on a sunny day. A beautiful scene lays before you, and you are so excited to capture it with your camera. You take the shot, and realize that the resulting photograph doesn't look anything like the scene you were looking at. The sky is blown out, or the color of the trees is too light or too dark. Or let's say you're shooting … (17 comments)

real estate: Photography - Simple Lighting Techniques - Improvize! - 12/02/09 02:57 AM
 
Photography - Simple Lighting Techniques - Improvize!
I like to play with lighting for different effects when I shoot indoors. While having special equipment and flash is great, if you don't have it, you can still make some very nice photographs by using 'on hand' lighting tools. Buy both a black matte board, and a white one, (so you have a choice of backgrounds), about six dollars apiece. I used a goose neck incandescent lamp, a pinpoint flashlight, and a fancy flashlight that has 3 seperate pieces that can be set up together and directed in different angles, and sits … (30 comments)

real estate: The Active Rain PhotoBlogger Group is excited to announce an Active Rain FIRST! - 12/01/09 01:53 AM
 
    
 
 
 
The Active Rain PhotoBlogger Group is excited to announce an                                      Active Rain FIRST!                               The Active Rain PhotoBlogger Group 
                     "Award of Merit Ribbon for Excellence"
 
The PBG Award Of Merit Ribbon will be awarded to those group members whose posts represent excellence in PhotoBlogging. At this time, only two ribbons have been awarded, but we plan to go back through our members posts and 'catch up' with these awards - as there have been many posts … (18 comments)

real estate: Converting Color to Black and White - Photography - NX2 - 11/29/09 02:21 AM
                 Converting Color to Black and White - Photography - NX2 I love black and white photography. Especially the work of Ansel Adams. Ansel Adams was a photographer and an environmentalist, and is most famous for his photographs of the American West. In 1941, he contracted with the US Government to take photographs of the National Parks, and by 1946, he had photographed each and every one in existence at that time. His photographs remain as a testament to what the Parks were before the onslaught of tourism, and are reknowned for the sharp, contrast-y style he popularized. 
He was a … (32 comments)

real estate: Our Nation's Symbol Was Almost The Turkey - 11/24/09 01:06 AM
 
        Our Nation's Symbol Was Almost The Turkey...           
After the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, a committee was formed to come up with an idea for the new country's seal. The committee members were Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams. The idea they selected was of a woman representing liberty, and holding a shield that would represent the states.  Congress didn't like it, and hired an artist that came up with a design that included an eagle. Franklin didn't like the eagle idea, claiming the bird was of "bad moral character" … (34 comments)

real estate: Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep - Georgetown, Colorado - 11/23/09 01:29 AM
 
       
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep - Georgetown, Colorado
I spent the weekend with four girl friends at a townhouse in Breckenridge, (more on that later ;), and on the way home, we went over Loveland Pass and dropped down into Georgetown, Colorado.
Georgetown, "The Silver Queen of Colorado", is an old silver mining town established in 1859, with a colorful history, and lots of it's original character still intact, (or, mostly intact, anyway). The town sits at an elevation of 8530 feet, in the mountains of the Clear Creek Valley west of Denver. Before the collapse of the silver … (34 comments)

real estate: Horses Hamming for the Camera - Tarryall Valley, Colorado - 11/19/09 02:46 AM
 
Horses Hamming for the Camera - Tarryall Valley, Colorado On my Tarryall drive a couple weeks ago, I stopped to photograph an old homestead and saw there were two beautiful horses in the pasture.  I pulled over, got out got my camera, and went over to take my photos. As I was shooting, I noticed the horses heading toward me, and I was pleased - more photo ops!  They were hanging around at the fence, patiently waiting for me to finish and pay them some attention. 
But then one of them copped an attitude.

So I turned … (37 comments)

real estate: Some Jobs Are Just Better Than Others... - 11/18/09 02:46 AM
                         Some Jobs Are Just Better Than Others...  
These days, folks are happy to have a job. Any job. The economy has put so many people out of work, that those of us with the means to support ourselves and our families are grateful to have that ability.
And some jobs are just better than others.
Some people have jobs that entail collecting data and statistics. It's wonderful what we can learn from the folks that do this. Demograhics, medical statistics, weather statistics, etc. all offer us valuable information. But.....
 
                                       Warning!
                      … (27 comments)

real estate: The Cliffs at Point Loma, San Diego, California - 11/15/09 06:25 AM
 
The Cliffs at Point Loma, San Diego, California When I was in San Diego in August, I went to Point Loma, one of my favorite places in the city. It is the home of the old Point Loma Lighthouse, first used in November, 1855. It was quickly realized however, they had made a bad choice in location - fog and low clouds often obscured the light, and 36 years later, a new lighthouse was built in a more favorable location closer to the water. There is a section of cliff there, below the old lighthouse, that intrigues me - I … (30 comments)

real estate: Lost Creek Wilderness Area - Colorado - 11/13/09 03:25 AM
Lost Creek Wilderness Area - Colorado
Designated as wilderness in 1980, the Lost Creek Wilderness Area includes almost 120,000 acres of forest, river, and incredible rock formations amid the Tarryall, Platte River and Kenosha mountain ranges in the heart of Colorado. Running through the middle of this magnificence, is the 35 mile long Tarryall Valley.
The area was settled by miners and ranchers, drawn by beauty and hope for success, their future was carved out of this immense landscape. The valley is dotted with evidence of their time here, abandoned buildings telling the stories of the rough and rugged few … (47 comments)