Happy New Year!

I can't believe it! Aside from a few missing posts, I made it through my first project365! I say my "first", because earlier this week I finally decided to continue on with this venture for a second year. I may be changing my "rules" just a tad to lessen the stress. I really wasn't sure if I wanted to sign on for another year. But when I realized that I've taken over 3,500 photos with my Canon XSi, not to mention at least the 1,000 photos I started the year with with my Kodak Easyshare Z612, that total number of shots is slightly staggering to me! I am worried that if I stop now, my camera won't get nearly the use it did in 2010, and I won't continue to learn the myriad of tips, tricks, and techniques.

I want to thank my followers for their kind and helpful comments over 2010. I hope those that I've enjoyed following continue their project365's into 2011 as well. Your photos have inspired me, made me laugh and cry, and taught me incredible amounts about places and people throughout the world! Cheers!

Turquoise Necklace

I finally got the RAM installed in my computer, and got both Elements9 installed, as well as iPhoto11. However... because things can never be straight-forward, my iPhoto is not launching correctly, and I clearly need to spend some time with this version of Elements, as it's not working at all like I'd expected (and like the trial version I had, or THINK I had). Thus, here is my pic of the day TOTALLY, UTTERLY unedited.

Mancala

School vacation offers me the chance to try to win against my daughter at Mancala. Sadly, she is better at this game than I am!

Cold

Today's Daily Shoot is, "illustrate coldness in a photograph today. #ds408". Plenty of that around after the blizzard! Notice anything about what the snow formed?

Washboard

What more is there to say? It is what it is!

Match Holder

I gave this to my husband for Christmas this year. I thought it looked funky, yet rustic at the same time. Kind of describes both of us!

Glitter Lamp

Trying to get caught up in posts from over the weekend. I received Photoshop Elements 9 for Christmas, however need to first install additional memory for my iMac. But I clearly messed something up in trying to install the RAM, and will soon be off to the Apple store. (I knew it wouldn't be as easy as I'd hoped!) Anyway, no Elements until the memory issue is rectified. At least the old memory still works! Meanwhile, my daughter got a glitter lamp for Christmas. Love the close-up view of the swirling glitter (processed in good old iPhoto). It almost takes my mind off my (or my computer's) memory issues!

Almost Time!

Relatives are on the way. Food is on the table. It's almost time to open the presents!

Wreath

Mother Nature left just a slight cap of snow atop our wreath. Just enough to make it look authentic!

Splotchy

We've had about three days of snow, rain, and sleet. I found this interesting pattern on our driveway this week. The snow looks like it was hit by small hailstones, although that's not exactly what happened!

Christmas Cookies

Tempting, tempting, tempting!

Holiday Sprinkles

Love the holiday colors. These were used by my daughter to decorate cookies. Yum!

Oh Christmas Tree...

Took a few shots of our Christmas tree this evening. My daughter graciously decorated it this weekend while we cleaned out more at my mom's. We dubbed her "head elf", and I think it looks great! Not sure which of the three pics I like best.

Gibbous

I know- it's another moon shot! I keep trying to perfect my previous ones. This one was actually taken just as the sun was setting, although given the aperture and shutter speed, it ended up looking much later in the evening!

Frostiana

Found this frosty form on one of the windows at my mom's house. Apparently some moisture has made its way in between her windows. That part isn't welcome news. However the formation it resulted in almost looked like frosty little elves dancing!

Sun Dog

A "cheat shot" actually taken this morning, but I've missed a few posts this week. I wish this shot better displayed how vibrant this sun dog really was, but this shot will have to do. It was equally as vibrant on the other side of the sun!

Blur Experiment

I was inspired by another project365 blogger to try some shots with purposely blurred holiday lights. I tried a number of ways to blur, as well as several different subjects. These were pretty abstract, but my favorites of the bunch!

Holiday Lights

Stopped in town tonight to capture some of the many lights on display. Seems like there are more lights out this year than last!

Frosty

My rain gauge was coated with some intricate frosty designs this morning. With 2"+ of rain coming today, the coating ought to be more of the liquid variety tomorrow morning!

Sliver

It's been a month or so since I've posted the moon. Coming home tonight I spied this sliver of a moon in the southwestern sky. Love to shoot the moon!

Keys to.....

...okay, no clue! These were found in a metal box full of similar skeleton and more modern keys, amongst LOTS of things in my mom's barn. Most were kept by my dad for unknown reasons. We'll never know what they went to. And the bigger question...why keep them?

Macro Poinsettia

Was fooling with my macro lens tonight with a brand new poinsettia. They look pretty amazing up close!

Beaver Damage

This poor tree was clearly the target of beavers. Imagine how sharp those teeth are (were)!

"Holler"ing Tree

More time cleaning out at my mom's yesterday. Shot this old, rotten tree that is likely "hollow" from critters. But when I downloaded it to my computer, I was struck as to how much it looks like a ghost of sorts with its arms above its head "holler"ing!

Clementine Season

Yes, it's clementine season again! Love these little, tangy fruits! And a little extra dose of Vitamin C can't hurt either!

Stable Pegs

This last weekend was a clean-out weekend at my mom's house. LOTS to chuck in an old house! Cleaned up the stable area in the back of the barn. Although we never owned horses, someone did 100 years ago. I'm guessing these pegs have been hanging about that long. I thought his wall, however simple, held great character!

Dominoes

Anyone for dominoes?

Leftovers

Helped clean out at my mom's house today (and yesterday) in preparation for her selling it soon. Lots more snow there than at my house. Loved the strands of grass hardy enough to poke through the snow!

Thanksgiving Floral

These were flowers I had out on Thanksgiving. I already miss the variety of flora from spring and summer!

First Snow

It snowed for the first time today. Can winter be that far away???

New Tradition

This year with out-of-state family as guests, we tried something different from turkey as a main course at Thanksgiving. Don't eat them often, but boy were they tasty!

Foggy Afternoon

This was the scene as I left school today. Very murky outside. The faint outlines of trees were stark figures in the fog.

Cactus or Critter?

One of my colleagues brought in a very funky cactus today, which I quickly snagged to shoot. I've always marveled at this cactus, although I think it looks as much like a furry, green mammal as a cactus!

Moon Atop Tree

So this is a "cheat" photo- actually taken two nights ago here in town. A local store has lit it's huge tree (already). I hate to rush the season, but it did look beautiful all lit up! And that glowing orb above it... was the almost-full moon!

More Barberry

I love the crisp, red color of barberry. I wonder, however, why it's designed with the sharp thorns?

Glorious Globes

It's been almost a week since my last post. What an unbelievably frenzied week! With most of my parent-teacher conferences behind me until March, I hope to get back in the swing of things. Spotted these glorious globes hung and lit for the holiday season at a nearby shopping area. It feels early, but they do look beautiful against the night sky!

Camp Work Day

We went to camp today to finish the roof. Lots of photo opportunities today, starting with the woolly bear caterpillar acting very sluggish.

Later I spied this curious contrail behind a jet. It looked more like links of a chain than condensation!

The lake was so calm, though. I could even capture the reflection of clouds on the water.

A beautiful day for November. Could just as easily have been raw, cold and miserable. I'll take it!

You've Got Mail!

Another weekend, another college visit. This shot was captured in the college's Memorial Union. I couldn't believe the hundreds of mailboxes!

Decorative Grass

Noticed this decorative grass going to seed at the bank late this afternoon. The shot almost reminded me of a palm frond at first glance!

Colonial Visit

Our second graders traveled back in time this week. We visited a local living history program that focused on daily life in Colonial Times. The students visited the bed chamber, sawed and chopped wood, cooked by the hearth, and visited the Colonial store thanks to a variety of staff dressed in period clothing. The shingles above adorned the outside of the structure. The barrels and ink wells I found within the store. I always love this field trip for its ability to bring alive history for 7 and 8-year olds in a very hands-on manner! The kids always remember this trip for years to come! It was a very chilly day, but that was also instructive to the kids as to the luxuries we have now in the 21st century!

Photoshop Experiment

Before...

...and after. Okay, a total "cheat"- today's post was not shot today (do you think?), nor was it even shot by me! I inherited this photo of my great-grandfather as part of genealogical research on my dad's side of the family. My great-grandfather was a professional photographer in the late 1800's and early 1900's, and I am lucky to have possession of some of his work. There is also some evidence that he even worked for a time with Francis Stanley (of Stanley Steamer fame) when Stanley was still a photographer and inventor of a photographic dry plate process.
I've recently started taking a class in Photoshop, knowing nothing about it. Our instructor suggested we try "repairing" an old, damaged photo, and this photo quickly came to mind. I know many of my followers are much more versed in the use of Photoshop, but I was really pleased with my first attempt, removing many of the ugly spots that plagued the original. I hope to also improve in my ability to process photos from the 21st century as well!