MORE DIGITAL WIZARDRY...

When I can find time, I like to try out new digital effects. Someday, I think I could make a living on this, but I'd have to quit my day job.

This is another picture from my niece Tandy's wedding, used in a recolor and layer effect that I think is pretty neat. I think with a bouquet of flowers that had some nice color, it would come out even better.

What do you think? Do you have any pictures you'd like me to Photoshop a bit??

OUR GUESTS HAVE ARRIVED!

We are planning an election day party, and we have invited several guests. A couple of them arrived today, and it's a bit creepy getting used to having them around the house all the time. Since we're accustomed to just having the two of us around, every now and then we're startled!

It is quite a privilege to have such important visitors, though. We trust that they enjoy our simple home, and won't tell any of our other guests how messy it was before we finally got ready for the party.

Wow - Wendy's short, isn't she?

SO MANY NAMES...

Last evening and today, we enjoyed a Youth Retreat at Vermontville Camp in the Adirondacks. Although it rained on Friday evening, today was a pleasant, though rather humid, day spent with friends; much was accomplished on the grounds, and our sore bodies over the next few days will remind us of those efforts!

On the way home, we drove through St. Regis Falls, since the Vietnam Memorial Wall replica was on display at the school. Although I had seen it previously (it was in Massena many years ago), it had no less impact this time. In fact, since I'm several years older now than I was when I saw it last, it was probably more meaningful.

I have no close family members who have served in the military, but I have great respect for those who give up the comforts of home to protect our freedom from those who would take it away. From those who sacrificed their lives in years past to those who are on front lines today, in various domestic and foreign locations, I thank you from the bottom of my heart! Here is a small, simple, and no doubt unnoticed tribute from me to you.

THE END OF SUMMER

My fall semester began last Monday, August 25, but summer didn't officially end until today, Tuesday, September 2. The way that we know summer has actually ended is somewhat sad.

Yes, school has started and we're both gone during the days now, but that's not the worst of it. (After all, this "education thing" is how we make a living.)

Yes, the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler, but we haven't seen snow (again) yet.

Yes, the school tax bill has arrived for 2008-09 (and it's bigger than ever).

Yes, I have to get to bed earlier so I can be rested for morning classes and trips to schools.

But, the way we really know that summer is over - the sad reality that tells us there's a potentially long winter ahead - the reason we cried ourselves to sleep last night - DONNELLY'S IS CLOSED!

For those who have never experienced a soft ice cream cone, for which you have no choice of the flavor from day to day (their motto is "you just pick the size, the flavor has been determined for you"), from the Donnelly's Ice Cream store at Crystal Springs Dairy near Saranac Lake, NY, you just can't understand. This is the smoothest, creamiest ice cream you can find, period (with very few days that may be exceptions)!

Last night, we were returning from Albany, NY, where we had been to visit Rev. Andrew J. Whitney on his 90th birthday, and we stopped about an hour before they were closing for the season. Our mouths were all pre-watered for the final experience this year. But alas, they were out of soft ice cream. They had four (hand-packed) containers of frozen ice cream left to sell, and we bought one. There was NO WAY we were going home without Donnelly's ice cream yesterday!

How much? A half gallon.
What flavor? Chocolate.
The cost? $13.00

Yes, that's right. On Monday, September 1, 2008, Wendy and I spent THIRTEEN DOLLARS for a half gallon of ice cream. To be fair, we haven't been complaining too much about gas prices that are hovering around 15% of that amount, so give us a break. And you know what? As we enjoy the servings of our purchase over the next few days, it will be worth every penny. We'd even give you a bite if you stopped by - just call first to make sure we're home.

OUR VACATION!

We snuck away a few days between Conference and Vermontville camp to celebrate our anniversary. On Sunday, July 13, we went to Bloomingdale for their night service, then stayed in Saranac Lake with my aunt, leaving Monday mid-day from her house. We had room reservations in Vermont for Monday and Tuesday, and a special room in New Hampshire on Wednesday, but we really didn't have much of an agenda, which is the way we like to vacation! However, we did have a pretty good time, just making it up as we went...

We hadn't gotten far from my aunt's house when we decided to stop at High Falls Gorge. Although so close to home, I don't ever recall going there. It's a beautiful sight, so enjoy the views!


We thought it was interesting how a tree can get nourishment from a rock!


This is a picture of the entire gorge, taken from the low end of the walk. (There were a lot of stairs, but it was worth it!)


This is a closer shot of the upper part of the gorge, which wasn't fully visible in the previous shot.


We hadn't driven much further (Wilmington, NY) when we decided to drive up Whiteface. It was in the low 70s in town, and the temperature at the summit was 51, with a strong breeze. It felt cold at times, but there was decent sun, so it was certainly bearable.

This is a wide angle view from the parking area at Whiteface, not quite at the summit.


We decided to take the elevator up to the summit. Once we walked in the tunnel to the elevator, I looked back and there was no one in the tunnel. I thought this (freehand, no flash) shot was pretty neat!


This is a nice view of Lake Placid from the summit.


This is Mirror Lake (slightly to the left of the above picture) and the village of Lake Placid, home of the Olympic Winter games in 1932 and 1980!


At the summit, there's a sign telling the elevation. Whiteface is the fifth highest peak in NYS - can you name the top four?


Here's a view back at the "walkway" we used to come back down to the parking area. It has hand rails, but it's mostly natural. There are a few places where they have poured some cement or built stairs, but it definitely works the leg muscles to stay upright.


Wow - what a traffic jam! (On the ferry to Vermont, of course, it's always bumper-to-bumper!)


On Tuesday, we went to the Lake Champlain Aquarium and Science Center in Burlington.


This, or some variant, will probably be a periodical cover at some point. What a beautiful view from the observation deck at the Aquarium!


When we left the Aquarium, we drove to Stowe. We parked and walked around the village, visiting several shops. We saw a sign to the Trapp home near Stowe, but we didn't stop there, since our main second stop (heading back south) was in Waterbury...


Ah yes - our heroes. We both have pins that say "Body by Ben and Jerry's", but we're working on that, actually! This plant produces 250,000 pints of ice cream per week, if I recall the tour correctly. They also give three pints of ice cream to every employee after a day of work - that's a pretty good perk!


Milk and Cream - what a delicious combination...


So Wednesday, we were off to New Hampshire! The drive was beautiful, not just all highway. We found a railroad that we want to go on when we visit again, but we didn't want to waste any time today.


Our home for the night - "The Cave." This is a theme motel, and this room was very neat, made to look like the inside of a cave. It had a separate second-level bedroom, a fireplace in the living room area, and a two-person hot tub. There were also a couple of tunnels, one with a PlayStation and the other called "The Den." We wanted to get every penny's worth, so once we checked in, we never left until checkout!

Some of these pictures are natural light, and others used the flash.


I wouldn't normally include a bathroom picture, but the entire bathroom was the shower as well. There were two showers, one on each side wall, and when they were turned on, it also sent water out a waterfall in the ceiling. In fact, you could divert all of the water flow through that waterfall. I wanted to take a picture with the water running, but I was afraid I'd get the camera wet trying to coordinate the shot.


This is a view up to the bedroom from the lower level.


We had some visitors with us...


Here's a view of the lower level from the bedroom.


Here's the bedroom upstairs - a nice king bed with LOTS of pillows, some even genuine feather pillows.


The entire front of the motel is a facade that looks like a city block. Our "Cave" was inside what is the Bank from the front of the building.


Here's the front sign - check out their website at www.adventuresuites.com!


So the fun was over Thursday, as we headed home from our stay in the Cave. This sign is a little blurry, but it's tricky taking pictures while driving down the highway at 65!


We drove through the capital of Vermont, Montpelier. This is a shot of a state building that looked nice through the trees.


They kept warning us, but we didn't see any. The only moose we've seen on the road were on route 458 near Santa Clara, several years ago. They were HUGE!!


This is the second set of "highway sculptures" that I've seen. Near Alexandria Bay, on route 81 south, there are giant crows beside the road. These whale tails were on route 89, just outside of Burlington.


Ah yes - another traffic jam between Vermont and New York!

AN UNUSUAL VISITOR...

Well, Brushton Camp has been over for a couple of weeks, but I haven't had time to post since it ended. There's a steady stream of things that have to be done once camp is done, and we also fit in a little vacation earlier this week, to celebrate our 18th anniversary!

On the final Sunday night at Brushton Camp, a hummingbird got "stuck" in the tabernacle, and served as a distraction at times during the service. A couple of times, the bird hovered up in front of Bro. McCrary as he was preaching - it was quite comical!

At the end of the service, the bird was flying around almost continuously, and tired itself right out. That gave Bro. Hutchison (the other evangelist at this year's camp) an opportunity to catch the bird and take it outside. It sat in his hand for a long time, then suddenly took off and flew into the dusky sky!

Enjoy the shots - the beautiful colors were no doubt enhanced by the flash on my camera!


After the service, I caught the bird hovering in front of the artificial flowers at the front of the tabernacle. Coincidentally, the picture was taken at an instant when the bird's wings were fully spread!



Once the bird got tired out, it actually was landing to rest. Here it is pictured on one of the supporting rods that extends across the width of the tabernacle.



It actually landed on the side of a wooden support beam inside the tabernacle, and Bro. Hutchison grabbed it gently off that perch. This picture was taken outside, while the bird was resting for its flight home.

A DIGITAL WORLD!

One of the things that has amazed me in recent years is how digital photography has revolutionized the world of picture-making. I know there are purists out there who believe that anything done digitally is not truly artistic, but I enjoy working with picture post-production. Plus, I can have the light on in my "darkroom."

I took a picture from my niece's recent wedding, and did several things with it. Some time was involved - these are not quick tricks that can automatically be done in Photoshop. However, the results are, if I do say so myself, pretty neat!

First, here is the original picture.



Now, one of the effects that I like is to make the background grayscale, so the subjects in the picture have less distraction from other elements. Here's the result, quite a while later!



Now, you can also do the complete opposite, for an interesting effect. (I don't like this as well for this particular picture, although in some circumstances it's quite nice.)



Or, you can do something completely crazy, like change it from a picture to a silhouette, add some other elements, and make it a keepsake of the special day!



So, what do you think? Should I open my own business to produce wedding mementos?

I HAVE A FRIEND!

Though many believe otherwise, I DO have a friend! His name is Art, and he lives in Norwood. He recently had a significant amount of work done to his house - new thermalpane windows, new doors, and new siding. Today was my first chance to see it, and the results are great! I walked around to look at it closely, and it really seems to be good workmanship as well.

Last year, he had the roof replaced, and so he's planning for this to be his major home renovation prior to retirement.

Here are a few pictures of the house. I don't have any "before" shots for comparison, but it's a dramatic difference.









And here he is - my friend Art! (Art is actually an experienced English teacher with whom I worked at Brasher Falls during 1988-1998. He has now become "one of the family" and is often seen enjoying a meal or a picnic with us!) This picture was taken when Art, Wendy, and I were enjoying lunch at Ducci's in Brasher Falls, which is a great restaurant, by the way!

MY EARTHLY FATHER...

Yesterday in church, I read a poem I had written as a tribute to my father. I now share this tribute with those who care to read it.

As I mentioned in an earlier post this week, Tuesday, June 10 would have been my father's 78th birthday. Unfortunately, (from our perspective) he was taken from us at only 65. It's hard to believe he's been gone for almost 13 years, but I'm so glad for the almost 29 years that I had with him.

My Mom also passed away in 1998, at only 67. We miss her too, and I've got some ideas floating around in my head to honor her as well. Perhaps something will find its way here from those efforts before too long.

"Honour thy father and thy mother..." (Exodus 20:12)

SOME CUTE PICTURES!

My past year of busy-ness has prevented me from enjoying one of my favorite hobbies - photography! I have recently been considering a new camera purchase, but to this point I'm just trying to begin using my old one more.

We had Sunday dinner at my sister's house today, and their grandson Jordan visited with his parents. I love shooting close up pictures of kids - their faces can be SO expressive! I thought some of these were cute - keep in mind, we had already eaten dinner, he's a kid, and he was still wearing a little bit of his. I chose not to include the couple of pictures where we could see up his nose!













You've GOT to admit it - he's a cute kid!