16-MAR-2012
"GAS" - Do you have it?
(Gear Acquisition Syndrome)
It rained about half the time we were out on the lake, getting a bit scary at times when we heard thunder - fortunately, no lightning.
No....I don't really miss my 100-400 lens (equivalent 160 to 640mm), which I sold a few months ago - except when there's a juvenile eagle up in a tree, far, far away, and the results I get from the Panasonic 45-200 lens (equivalent 90-400) aren't up to the job.
27-FEB-2012
_MG_2642 Laundry Day
Will we ever get our manufacturing base back?
02-DEC-2011
Morning Has Broken
Time to fill the suet feeder and log. I have to prepare the mix about every three or four days. My efforts are rewarded by a rich assortment of photo ops. Only problem is making the birds dependent on the resource. I need to have someone come and fill the feeders if I'm going to be away for more than a day.
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup lard (not vegetable shortening)
2 cups quick-cook oats
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup sugar
Melt lard and peanut butter in microwave. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into square or rectangular container. Refrigerate to harden and then use as required to fill feeders. After it's hardened it doesn't have to be refrigerated.
25-NOV-2011
So you think YOUR desk is a mess?
This area is sending me notice that it's time to stop playing with images, and straighten up a little. (Now where did I put that wall hanging that said "Creative people don't have neat homes"?)
17-SEP-2011
Comic Relief
In these tough times, laughs are few and far between.
Ricky likes to curl up in whatever he finds that is wrappable.
When I spied him in this throw on the couch I yelled "Stay"...and he did...while I went for a camera.
31-AUG-2011
_MG_6141 Are you a lens snob?
Does sporting a red ring around your lens make your heart and ego swell with pride?
Does the sight of a red ring on someone else's lens make you green with envy?
Start studying!
There are marvelous lenses out there for the finding!
When the Canon ef-s 55-250 lens first came out I was very surprised by the excellent quality of the images, but I wanted for the lens to prove itself first, and it really has. A rating of 8.9 on Fred Miranda's Lens Forum is nothing to sneeze at.
I still didn't need it, but a member of my Digipets Yahoo group posted some pictures she had taken with it and they were way better than what I'd been seeing. It was obvious that her Photoshop skills tweaked the images to perfection.
So...still determined not to give in to yet another lens, I took a peek at the specifications on the B & H website. Ah....it weighed so little! How nice, I thought, it would be to have a lens with a little bit more reach than my 70-200 f/4L and one that would fit entirely into my favored Adorama Slinger case...and one that weighed 12.8 ounces less. My shoulder was excited about less drag on it.
The lens arrived yesterday and although it lacks usm (you can't focus manually while you are in autofocus mode, but must move the switch on the lens to mf) and the focusing sounds more Volkswagen than BMW, the image quality makes it a winner in my book...and I shouldn't forget the fact that is has image stabilization, which the 700-200 f/4L lacks.
Lest I forget, I only paid $177 for it.
22-FEB-2010
DSC03090 Golden Oldie from 5 megapixels..
Crop representing about 1/3 of the original picture content.
the Sony DSC F717 is one heck of a camera that's always been a favorite of mine.
I recently had to buy two new batteries because the older ones had lost their ability to hold a charge. I hope to keep them going by grabbing a shot every now and then.
By the way, this is the 2nd go round for the picture numbering.
Don't forget your older cameras and the excitement you experienced when they first got into your eager hands. They still can please you.
Sorry about the overdone framing, but that's the result of the gallery theme!
14-FEB-2010
The Diet Isn't Working!
In the summer I put Beegie on a diet because she was looking and feeling quite pudgy.
Over the weekend a member of my Digipets Yahoo Group asked a question about making a collage in Photoshop (which we've since learned is really a montage - according to what she wanted to do). I started reading tutorials, as she did as well, and made many attempts to get something I liked.
Went off onto another tangent and put some of the steps into this image. The background was a 7D shot and Beegie was captured with a Sony DSC F717 (MY BAD - I had originally stated this was taken with my Panasonic LX3 and then noticed the picture below in my PBlog.)
01-JAN-2010
DSC03010 7 years old...the camera that is
Every time I find myself hankering for a new "toy" (translation: camera) I take out one of my golden oldies and start shooting with it. Of all of them, I cherish the DSC F717 the most because it makes the greatest images. The lens is spectacular. This was taken handheld in my laundry room, with light filtering through closed blinds with Auto ISO, which I have never used with this camera. Something special about the older digicams that weren't yet in the megapixel race.
26-DEC-2009
Thirteen Portions
Once a year I make a great sacrifice and prepare a turkey. Hard to get out of this unfavored task since my supermarket will give me a "free" turkey if I spend $50 a week for six weeks. Unfortunately, they do not provide a cook for its preparation.
Well...at least there are 13 portions left for my husband's hiking sandwiches (or a hot meal), shown here vacuum-sealed.
I wonder if I should have posted instead a picture of the tipped over drippings cascading down the cabinets, or the juices overflowing the cutting board.
It wasn't all bad. I tried something new, bacon slices on the skin to keep it moist while it roasted. Best part was munching on a few of those when I took the turkey out of the oven...and my husband did the carving and cleanup.
18-DEC-2009
First Snow Squirrel and Recipe
Snow started aggressively this morning but has tapered off. They're predicting 10-14 inches for tonight. Had to move my squirrel food tray under the overhang and they haven't found it yet. Made the No Melt Suet Mix yesterday and it smelled so good I wanted to eat it. It's so easy to cut into bite sized pieces. Will no doubt make it rather than the mix with Crisco. Here's the recipe:
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup lard (not vegetable shortening)
2 cups quick-cook oats
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup sugar
Melt lard and peanut butter in microwave. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into square or rectangular container. Refrigerate and cut into squares and serve the birds (and squirrels). They love it!
30-NOV-2009
Joan Crawford would turn over in her grave!
I know she didn't like wire hangers, but what would she think of these?
