Sunset at Church Retreat

 

Brought the Bigger Cahoona along on a church retreat last October (of 2021), but the only time I took it out was in the morning before anyone got up.  Even so, managed to capture this keeper.

Our Darling Koko at Five Months

Of course, while mining for previously unexplored blogworthy pics from the past, how can we leave our darling Koko out of the picture? (pun intended, sort of)  This was captured with the Bigger Cahoona when she was about five months old.  Didn't have to do any cropping so both the picture above and below could make a print five feet wide with no problem.

And if you didn't notice, the shot above was taken with flash, and the one below without flash.  Think the one with flash works best...

Hibiscus Backgrounds

For this guy it was a no-brainer to isolate just the flower, making it into a layer of its own.  Then, because it seemed to work well in this recent post, a gradient layer was created to blend into a representative color.  I took it a step further in the top pic below, and blended the gradient into the complement of that color.  It's not perfect, as there is a little green which distracts in the flower itself, but as a concept it's been a useful and learning experience.

Of course, since I really like vivid color against a black background, the pic at bottom had to be included:

 

Another Back Yard Hibiscus

My wife and I have grown fond of hibiscus.  They are safe for us, as they are a resilient flower and neither of us has a green thumb.  Thus, with minimal care and attention we can still get good-looking specimens such as this one in our landscaping.  A number of other pics of these beauts can be found in this search of the blog.

Did some experimenting with the perspective below, which will be featured tomorrow:

Doorside Shoe Pile

I've been wanting to get a post-worthy pick like this for a long time, as it's a cultural tidbit that I find both interesting and useful.  They've done studies on how much unseen pollutants are brought into a home via the bottoms of one's shoes.  As it turns out, there's a surprising amount of lead (from cars) picked up from the street and deposited on the floor, especially if it's carpeted.  Then you have pets and babies roaming around ingesting things, paving the way for that lead to enter the body.  And of course there are other things besides lead that you don't want around and that you don't want to think about, especially if you have kids!  Thus, there is a very practical side to removing one's shoes as he or she enters a house.

However, this being a cultural issue, it is doubtful that the reduction of pollutants is what an Asian homeowner thinks about when taking off the shoes to go inside.  Over time it has evolved into a sign of respect.  Everyone knows that the bottoms of one's shoes are dirty, and it's simply disrespectful to bring dirtiness, in any form, into the home.

Nevertheless, because I wasn't raised in a shoe-less household indoors, it's a bit of a comfort - even a bit of nostalgia as well, perhaps - to not have to worry about taking your shoes off when going inside.  After all, removing the shoes can be seen as a restriction, and Americans don't like to be restricted or told what to do, do they?

Another Back Yard Bookmark, with Companion

Both of these were extracted from the very same frame, the left being a bookmark and a capture of something through something on the right.

Bookmark - Orange Plant Against Trunk

As this pic posted a few days ago, used the trunk of the big ornamental pear tree in our back yard as the background to provide contrast against the vivid color of this plant.  This might be all I get from that tree, however, because the wife and I both agree that it has to come down to make room for other landscaping plans.

Bookmarks of Neighbor's Tree (again)

 

Bookmarks - Leafless Winter Branches

Found this one while sifting back for unposted blogworthy pics, and was reminded of the bookmark posted here.  In fact it was captured at the same time, but I hadn't bothered to work on it until now.

The bookmark below looks like it may be the same plant under a different sky, but not so...

Initial Rooftop Bookmark from Our Houston Neighborhood

Everyone remembers the "Great Freeze" of 2021 in Texas, when power was lost for days across the grid and our nice, cozy upper-middle-class homes turned into ice boxes.  Regardless of any discomfort, the Bigger Cahoona and I weren't going to pass up the opportunity to capture scenes such as this.  I actually zoomed in to the lower part of our next-door neighbor's roof with bookmarks in mind.  From that zoomed-in pic the bookmark below was created:

And it was from this that the bookmarks posted yesterday were created...

Rooftop Abstracts from Our Neighborhood in Houston

A few posts ago I mentioned abstracts.  It's enjoyable to adjust any picture to make it look better, sometimes to a surprising degree.  This is what it takes to elevate an average picture (which is most of what I capture with the Big and Bigger Cahoonas) and make it perhaps a better-than-average picture.  Very satisfying.  But what is even more fulfilling is fiddling with an otherwise mundane picture and making an abstract out of it.  This is what we have posted today...bookmarks created from a portion of a rather dull picture transformed into passable abstracts.

Found Edges, then Glowing Edges of same below:

For the picture at the top - my favorite because of the bright colors against a black background - I removed the white and light gray lines, then applied a gradient layer in the background to fill them in.  Worked at it for some time before getting just the effect I wanted.  Very satisfying.  And isn't it cool how fast time goes by when doing this kind of work.

So what might be the subject of these pics?  Tomorrow's post would surprise anyone who lives in the Houston area...

Backyard Shots - Twin Stalks with Bookmark

I almost never know the names of the plants and flowers captured, but am pleased when I stumble upon opportunities like this.  Whatever they are, the contrast against the darker bark background makes these guys stand out pretty well.  And from a slightly different angle I was able to grab a bookmark-worthy image:

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Parting Shot

I'm reading a book now on war, and it's amazing to explore the roots of patriotism and how it contributes to the willingness to risk it all for one's country.  It's also amazing how quickly we forget that it's the sacrifice of others on our behalf that paved the way for the freedoms we enjoy today.  I've not been honored to serve in that way, but will always honor those who have, whether willingly or not.  Thanks guys.

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Thistle

Had to do contortions to capture this thistle from directly above, but managed it without falling into the patch.  View showing the entire plant below:

Easily my favorite thistle pics are found here and here...and, well, here too.

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Pine Tree Shadow Pattern

We walked Koko for some distance down the path, then saw this on the way back to the Memorial site.  Had to do some post-capture to enhance the shadow pattern, but think it worked...

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Stump

Something about stumps that is interesting.  In this case the closeup resembles a cliffside somewhere, if one uses the imagination.  In a rare move, the colors were saturated by almost 50% in the wider view below:

...and my favorite stump pic of all can be seen here.

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Curved Branch

Liked the contrast in color with this one.  Something about curved stalks and branches - such as the ones seen here and here and especially here, to highlight a few - that attract the eye.

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Abstract-Like Plant

This plant was right next to the cabbage-like plant featured in yesterday's post.  The Found Edges effect was the most abstract-like, so put this one on top.  Original and Glowing Edges below:

With time I've come to appreciate abstracts a bit more than before.  The detailed, life-like pictures and paintings are still great, but it seems that viewing an abstract of almost any type allows the imagination to flourish.

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Cabbage-like Plant

 

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Purple and White Flowers

Some of these guys are not healthy, but decided to keep this one anyway...

Fallen Warriors Memorial - White Flowers

Now we'll roam the property a little.  As could be seen from previous posts, the grounds of this memorial are meticulously manicured, so it was easy to capture some keepers...

Fallen Warrior Memorial - Pooches

...a closeup of one of the pooches, as well as a pooch of our own below.  She's not a fallen warrior, but does provide some good therapy now and then:

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Canine Warrior Memorial Wall (2-shot Panorama)

 

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Service Dog Memorial, Monument with Statues

A closer-in shot of the canine memorial, which appears to be well-kept with fresh flowers.  Whoever's in charge of this place does a great job, with meticulous attention to detail.

Just the dog statues below:

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Service Dog Memorial, Wide View

Now that we are dog people, this aspect of the Memorial was very interesting to us, as a significant portion of the grounds was devoted to the service provided by our canine family.

Pic below shows a wider view in the same direction; didn't even notice that the girl was there until later on during our visit...

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Monument Sides

...and these would be the other three sides of the monument featured in the post of two days ago.

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Flags with Eagle

Found this to be a poignant display to remind us of which country it is that the fallen were fighting for when they lost their lives.  The bald eagle - symbol of regal strength and resolve - had to be fixed a bit in post-capture, as can be seen in its present state in the photo below (click to enlarge):

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Monument Front

This monument is the first thing a visitor sees upon entering the park.  Frontal view below:

Fallen Warriors Memorial - Entrance Sign

The Fallen Warriors Memorial, on Cutten Road in Houston.  There are lots of trees and foliage around, so it's easy to pass it by without noticing.  But we found an opportunity to stop one day when Koko was with us and needed to go on a walk.  Then we found out what a gem it is!  Not only is it picturesque and pleasantly quiet, but a fitting tribute to those who've given their very lives for the freedoms we enjoy.  Easy words to say...

Backyard Flower in Houston

This was captured in our back yard here in Houston.  It was easy to select out of the frame, then play with the background...original below, with black background at bottom: