Winner announced in CSN Giveaway!

The winner of the CSN Giveaway is Lori, a true mountain woman at heart. I used the Integer Generator at Random.org and our trusty little random generator chose #54. That’s you, Lori!

I’ve written you and need your mailing address so that the good folks at CSN can mail your glassware with the little bee motif right away.

Thanks to all who played. I do hope to host more of these. If any other companies (this includes etsy sellers) want to hold a giveaway, well just let me know.

Have a great evening, all!

PS ~ Here's the proof:

Surprise! It’s another Giveaway

This time, it’s different.

I usually don’t do this sort of thing, but in the efforts of branching out a little and maybe having someone ELSE pay for the giveaways I hold on this blog rather than just me, I’ve decided to accept an offer from an online site.

I’ve been contacted by the good folks at CSN Stores to either review of one of the many products offered on their 200+ websites or to host a giveaway. And I’ve chosen to do both, so let me explain how this will work.

In case you’re wondering who CSN is, they’re one of the top three U.S. retailers of home and office goods. Based in Boston, they started up in 2002 and were recently named to the Hot 100 List of online retailers for 2009. From bar stools to beds, and bowls to bikes, I was surprised to see how many goods they have available. And they have free shipping on many of their items, which is a huge plus.

They’ll be sending me a casserole dish to review and I can’t wait to fill it with something tasty. But here is what you can win in this giveaway:

French Home Gourmet LaRochere 9-oz. Water Glasses

(set of 6) in a Napoleonic Bee Motif

I love these thick glasses, as well as the little bee motif. And you know I love all things French!

This Giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only (sorry to everyone else). However, if you know someone who lives in either the US or Canada whose address you can use and who will ship you the items if you win, well then go ahead and enter.

THE RULES

• Leave a comment on this post that includes a way to get in touch with you (either a link to your blog, or an e-mail address).
• Extra chance to win if you post about the Giveaway on your own blog. If you do, COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ANOTHER COMMENT with the link to your post.

Contest ends Saturday evening, January 23 at 6 PM EST. Winner will be chosen using the random integer selector at Random.org and will be announced at 7 PM on Saturday evening.

Good luck, all!

My handyman

I came home the other day to photos on the camera disk that I hadn’t taken. I always love when my husband takes pictures because I enjoy seeing his viewpoint from behind the camera lens. If he knew I was posting this, he would probably be angry with me.

So let’s not tell him, ok?

When my husband bought me this camera in 2007, he rarely used it. And when he did, he never changed lenses, or camera settings.

He used the macro lens for this shot, and I just really like it. I like the composition, the colors, the DOF. I also like that the wood is two different colors. But the best part is that my husband actually uses these clothespins. He does the laundry and hangs it out on the line when it’s good weather.

Imagine, if you will, how wonderful it would be to have someone do your laundry. You come home to folded clothes, dinner simmering on the stove and the house filled with wonderful scents, and today the kitchen floor was swept.

This is what I come home to nearly every night.

And I can tell him until I’m blue in the face, but every day I come home to him is another day I have him with me.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Oh, and it looks like we need some crazy glue. And normal stuff.

I love normal stuff . . .

Along the Shenandoah River

Continuing our visit to Harper’s Ferry National Historic Park, this was our first stop. The park is actually in three different states: Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia and the park office lies in West Virginia. We parked at the visitor center parking lot and got a map of the area at the entrance booth.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good map and this trail was very poorly marked. I was excited about hiking a couple of miles into the old part of town but we lost the trail along the Shenandoah River. After walking back and forth looking for it, we decided to move on.

Still, it was quite beautiful.

In the small print there, it tells visitors that the length of the trail is 2.2 miles to lower town and the difficulty is strenuous.

They have got to be kidding. Strenuous is hiking at Acadia National Park. This trail was a walk in the park. Ha! Literally!

The view from the top of the trail. We had originally planned on going over to that bridge you see in the center. That’s the Rte. 340 bridge and it’s crossing over the Shenandoah River where it meets the Potomac River. The Shenandoah is the principal tributary of the Potomac.

When we got down to the bottom, we had to search for the trail. I amused myself by taking photos while someone got a little huffy.

Down on the Shenandoah River on a beautiful day. Can you see the bridge in the center of the photo?

We hiked along here for a bit until we lost the trail. In retrospect, we should have picked up a better map at the visitor center. If you go, I suggest you do this.

There were several lovely little waterfalls and this one is right along the road at the bottom of the hill.

After the hike at the C&O Canal (post below), we drove around a bit along the water. I loved how this bridge looked as we drove under it. This is the Rte. 340 bridge and we’re traveling along Sandy Hook Road heading out of town on the way home.

Thanks so much for coming along on the trip today. I have a few more photos of the old canal locks for tomorrow's post and hope you'll come back to see them.

Until then, my friends . . .

PS ~ As I’m typing this, it’s Tuesday evening and George is asleep on his couch. I think he’s chasing squirrels in his sleep because he’s making noises and running. And the Survivor Singing Show has just begun.

* Sigh *

Day Trip to Harper’s Ferry, WV

We took a two-hour drive west today to visit Harper’s Ferry, WV, an area rich in history. We planned to take a couple of hikes and ended up doing one along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, a National Historic Park, which runs along the Potomac River from Washington DC to Cumberland. It passes through Harper’s Ferry, about the half-way point on the 185-mile long canal trail.

The Canal was a marvel of engineering achievement for its day, and immigrant workers using primitive tools built the 74 locks, 7 dams, 11 aqueducts and a 3,118-foot tunnel. The construction began in 1828, near Washington DC and took 22 years to finish.

Seventy-four lift locks raised and lowered water levels, working like a staircase to adjust for a 605-foot difference in elevation between Georgetown and Cumberland. Floods damaged the canal over the years, and one in 1924 left the canal in ruins, much of which can still be seen today.

It was a beautiful day, not too cold although there was a fresh breeze along the river. We parked at Lock 34 on the Maryland side, just across the river from Harper’s Ferry and began to hike north, ending up at Lock 37. The photo above was shot just after passing the rapids. I noticed how quiet it had become.

The clouds were coming and going and the water turned lovely shades of colors as the sun hit it and then went back in the shade.

The rough water is in the photo above; you can really hear the water rushing over the rocks.

You can see it, too.

George loves his master. I used PW’s B&W for this photo, brushing away the red of the leash. Then I layered on a texture from Florabella called Platinum. I’m just throwing that out there.

The photo above shows some of the canal ruins.

This is a great place to run, hike or bike and I’d like to head back here some day. I’d also like to tour the old town which we didn’t get to do today. I’ve put it on my list as a good photo op day trip for the near future.

I’ll have more tomorrow, as this is not the only place we visited today.

Until then, my friends . . .

If you have time and would like to view the history and a drawing of the C&O Canal, visit [this link].

Really interesting: To view historic photos of the canal, visit [this link].UPDATE: This link appears to be broken. If you'd like to see photos, visit the first link above, then click on 'Photos and Multimedia' on the left hand bar tab.

Pearls on a string

You know those blogs that you like to visit, the ones that make you feel better just for having stopped by?

When I began these chronicles, that’s all I ever wanted to be. I wanted this blog to be a respite. I had little desire to become famous, or to make money and began the blog simply to share my photography. And maybe some stories.

According to the mail I get, and from your wonderful comments, I guess you could say that I’ve accomplished my goal. I’m so glad of that and love to hear that you enjoy stopping by.

Thank God I’m not famous, but I can’t say the same for a certain dog that lives with us.

I started a Facebook page for George as a lark, after a friend talked me into it. And suddenly the dog has 80 friends. Go figure. I don’t visit the FB page as much as some of you do, so if you don’t hear from the dog it’s because I limit his computer time.

It was a quiet day here at the manor house where we live. We were planning on going somewhere, maybe a photo hunt, but decided to stick close to home and do some chores instead. And by that I mean that my husband did some chores and I took a long walk.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the temperature was 45 degrees;  no mittens or hat required.

And then I came inside and started working on another You Tube video, which is below.

I hope you enjoy it. Being close to nature just makes me feel better. And even though I can’t respond to each of you personally when you comment, I’m so glad you stopped by. It just validates what I’ve tried to do with this blog. And I thank you for that.

Until tomorrow my friends,

 

The blue dream of sky

This was my view from the school parking lot this afternoon. When I opened the door to leave the building, I was struck by how much warmer it had gotten. Why, just last week I could hardly walk, for the icy sting of the wind hurt my face.

So today when I opened that door and was greeted with weather that made me want to turn my face to the sun, I thought it warranted a photo or two. And since I had my camera with me, I did just that.

Looking up from my parking space behind the school. I had the 50 mm lens on, as I’d been taking photos of students today.

The sky was absolutely beautiful and the sun was glinting on the windows of the cupola.

I don’t post many photos of where I work, but sometimes it’s just so beautiful that I’m just going to share it every now and then.

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.

~e.e. cummings

And please, God, please help the people of Haiti.

@   @   @   @   @   @   @   @   @   @   @   @   @

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Alone with myself, the trees bend to caress me

It was a balmy 35 degrees when George and I ventured out for the afternoon walk today; the first time in several weeks that I’ve gone without wearing a hat.

George surprised me when he barged out of the house carrying one of his small squeaky toys. He ran past me, chewing on his toy, squeaking all the way. He continued to carry this toy throughout the entire walk, placing it along the trail so that I would have to throw it to him. It was a good walk and we stayed outside for longer than usual.

I took all of the photos here with my 50 mm lens.

This was just before sunset tonight.

And this was sunset itself. You can see it happening in the windows of the house. The original house is on the left and was built in 1769. The stone building on the far left was the old springhouse which was turned into part of the kitchen at some point. The right side of the house is the addition that was built in 1810, complete with a widow’s walk at the top. Back then, the trees didn’t block the view of the river, about 8 miles away. You can see it from the roof.

Sometimes he just sits like this when he sees I have the camera. I figure he thinks it’s one of his jobs. He's a dog model.

Don’t you love tree branches against the sky?

I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do. ~Willa Cather, 1913

Alone with myself

The trees bend to caress me

The shade hugs my heart.

~Candy Polgar

Of all the wonders of nature, a tree in summer is perhaps the most remarkable; with the possible exception of a moose singing "Embraceable You" in spats. ~Woody Allen

(now that WOULD be pretty remarkable).

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

It’s always a pleasure having you stop by.

A gift in the mail from a dog lover (and author)

About a month ago, I was feeling a little bored and took a photograph of some of the books in my bookcase and ended up posting it on my blog. How boring, I thought. A picture of my bookcase? To my surprise, a reader e-mailed to tell me that she saw her border collie book on my bookshelf.

When she looked closer at the book, however, she realized that it wasn’t hers. But what a surprise she had for a moment there. She introduced herself, telling me that she’s a freelance writer with a specialty in canine welfare. She said that she’d stumbled upon my blog about six months prior and enjoyed the photos of George. And then she offered to send me a copy of her book.

And just a few days later, this gift came in the mail.

There’s a wealth of information on the breed, and some excellent advice. Tracy Libby has written several books for both the Terra-Nova Series and the Animal Planet Pet Care Library.

And I’m always surprised at who’s out there reading this blog.

Published authors, no less.

I’ve said it before Tracy, and I’ll say it again. Thanks so much for the gift. Love it.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Hope your Wednesday’s a good one.

Where the birds are

Hi, it’s me. Country Girl. Today’s post is for the cat. Her name is Blackie and I believe she may be feeling quite chagrined over George’s fame and celebrity status, especially now that he has his own Facebook page. And although I feel a little badly for her, I think she just needs to get over it.

I mean, if she posed for photographs like George does, and chased frisbees and carried sticks and ran to greet me upon my arrival home, I’d understand. But she does none of this.

What she does do is bring dead critters to my doorstep.

So this is for Blackie. And it involves BIRDS. Beautiful birds!

I’d like to suggest visiting the following blogs where you will see some photographs of all sorts of birds. Blackie has approved all of them. And I think they will make you happy, too.

Backyard Bird Photography Tips, from Robin at Robin’s Nesting Place

My Little Friends, from Kacey at Wine on the Keyboard

Sunshine on Saturday, from Kerri at A Little Piece of Me

Wings, by Olivia at Parvum Opus

And if you go, please tell them I said hello.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

If you know of any other sites with beautiful bird photos, please feel free to leave a link in the comment section. Thanks!

Sunday morning in pictures

Some readers have written asking me to share the processing on some of the photographs I publish. Although I’m not in the habit of writing down the steps I take when working in Photoshop, this time I actually did. And know what’s even better?

What’s even better is that every single action and texture that was used in this group of photos was absolutely FREE. I’ll give a link on each one for you.

I liked this little grouping of birds and the color of the barn in the background.

PW’s Lovely and Ethereal action @ 26% opacity

PW’s Seventies action @ 41% (brushed off birds w/soft brush at low opacity) {instructions here}

MCP’s Dream Much texture, pin light @ 46% opacity *

PW’s Sharpen This! action (on birds only) @ 50% opacity

In know the change is subtle, but it’s what I was looking for.

* For the life of me, I can’t seem to find the free texture on the MCP Actions site or anywhere else. Sorry about that. I can’t remember where I downloaded it.

The window in my bedroom when I awoke this morning.

PW’s Fresh & Colorful action @ 38%

PW’s Seventies action @ 16%

Once again, very subtle changes.

The holiday decorations are finally put away, and aside from the puzzle thing my husband has propped up against the wall here, all is back to normal. And clean.

PW’s Soft & Faded action @ 10%

SkeletalMess Parchment 3 texture, overlay @ 29%

I like the warmth of the second photo better.

 

My husband putting away the cookies he’d just baked in the pink counter-topped kitchen.

PW’s Soft & Faded action @ 44% opacity

SkeletalMess Translucent Tones texture, overlay @ 48% opacity

I did not like the blue tones in the SOOC. At all.

I love saving energy. We’ve had this Amish drying rack for 20 years and when it’s this cold out, I like hanging the delicates inside on this. I made sure there was nothing embarrassing here before I shot the photo, taken in the front entry foyer.

PW’s Slight Lighten action @ 67% opacity

PW’s Soft & Faded action @ 27% opacity

SkeletalMess Faux Parchment 4 texture, overlay @ 33% opacity

I really disliked the SOOC. A good photographer would have probably figured out how to capture the sunshine rather than use PS to adjust it. But this post isn’t about that.

 

After taking the photo of the drying rack, I turned around to see George napping in the living room. On his own couch, no less.

PW’s Lovely and Ethereal action @ 60% opacity

PW’s Soft & Faded action @ 21% opacity

SkeletalMess Painted Canvas 3 texture, linear burn @ 37% opacity (brushed off face w/soft brush at low opacity)

I like the second version so much better.

I loved how this little sparrow looks waiting for a turn at the feeder below. At least, I think it’s a sparrow.

PW’s Soft & Faded action @ 10% opacity

PW’s Sharpen This! action (on bird only) @ 57% opacity

Michelle Black texture, soft light @ 20% opacity

I prefer the cropped version so much more.

I liked the colors in this one and all the birdie action as they jostle for a spot on the feeder.

PW’s Soft & Faded action @ 11% opacity

PW’s Sharpen This! action (on birds & some feeder only) @ 47% opacity

Michelle Black texture, soft light @ 52% opacity

I cropped this one because it asked me to.

Well, that took a lot outa me. Hope you enjoyed!