Since I haven't taken many pictures this week, I decided to post a whole bunch for this day. I went up to AMHS to take some pictures of the mountain and the moon-- which obviously were not very good, seeing as I didn't post them. But then I turned around and I loved the color of the sky with the color of the foothills. So I played around with color settings and posted a few. Look at that beautiful car in the bottom one! I think it would like it's brakes fixed before it's owner gets in an accident! -- eh dad?
Can you tell what I have been doing lately? Working in the yard! We hired a painter for the house, but we are going to be doing the deck and garage. So now we have to move the useless sandbags and everything else within a 2 ft parameter of the house. Any assistance removing a pesky rhododendron?
Another step in recreating my autumn porch inspiration (see below), I made a natural grapevine wreath. Lots of dried flowers, wheat, berries, etc. I tried working in some dried cattails but they were too long. I topped it with two sweet little peachy orange birdies. I love it! I was sad I couldn't get a better picture. I will have to take a picture of our porch in the fall and see if it meets my standards. Dried flowers sure do make a mess though...
In addition to our yard work, we are in the process of picking paint colors because it is about time. I found a complete porch inspiration on another blog -- and am desperate to recreate it. The color of the "inspiration" house is a little darker than Mom wants to go though, so we have compromised on a color. This was about a week ago when I picked out initial colors -- but today we found a yard sale, which was attached to a house with a nice paint color we agreed on. The lady was nice enough to find her bucket and chip us off a blob of it to take to Lowes. Tonight we found another house on R St we like, so we might go over tomorrow and ask for a sample of theirs too so we can see which one we like the best. They are very similar I think. What color is it you ask? You will have to wait and see. Now the real question is pay someone, or do it ourselves?
Okay, okay. I know I am super behind. I've been home alone, 'misplaced' my camera card, and have been unable to upload any pictures. I found it tonight in the couch cushion, so prepare for a wave of mediocre pictures. I have had recent inspiration though, so hang in there for some amazing pictures....hopefully.
My running feet. Obviously you can tell where the camera focused, but self timers are tough. I liked this picture anyways and decided it was the strongest compositional, and I liked the subject. I can accept that the feet are blurred since they are in action, and really the ground is the only stationary level of a run anyways. When you are running your surroundings begin to blur; so with all that in mind I will fight for this picture. I will have to try some more with better light. We got to Cascade about 10 minutes too late. And I only ran a quarter of a mile (Nothing), because I think I am starting to bring back my Patellar Tendonitis which I have had off and on in the past, so Mom made me stop. Ice, elevation, and ibuprofen in my future. Does anyone know of any measured dirt running trails? The cement is wreaking havoc on my old joints. 10 years of soccer will do that to ya.
I spent today doing yardwork-- we got our deck all cleaned and redecorated, and weeded a few beds. I scattered some surplus birdseed into this feeder and I "saw" the picture. I actually took a picture that I liked way better than this (better angle), but the bird seed was not in focus. I debated posting it anyways but decided against it.
Happy Birthday America! I decided to post more than one picture for today and yesterday because I had enough pictures to where I couldn't decided what to post, but not enough to post in a full album somewhere else. Mom and I went to the book sale at 8:00 in the library which was packed, but I did find a couple books for my collection. Then we went home and got Murphy and went back to the Fourth of July festival at Les Gove like always. We got some cool glass earrings, and looked at the crafts and walked around. I wanted to photography the 'balloon arches' they always have, but they just had balloon clumps this year. We checked out the new "Discovery Park" which is supposed to be a sensory playground-- really cool. I think I will go back there for some pictures in the next couple of days. And I want to wait until its rainy so I can go there and play on it too! :) Afterwards we ate some BBQ food, and then I went with Sopha and his brother up to the Muckelshoots to get some last minute-marked-down fireworks. I have never been in there before ON July 4th, and it was nuts. The air was completely masked with gun powder, litter was everywhere, and at one point we all simultaneously got something in our eyes. While we were waiting to turn into the lot we were watching fireworks out the window, and a huge mortar came right towards the car and hit all the windows. I thought it was sad how many parents brought their little babies there, and I even saw a dog. But it was a fourth of July experience I suppose, and we got to see a lot of really cool fireworks!
Today I went hiking in Skykomish with Sopha and his brother and sister. It was sunny in auburn supposedly, but rainy in Skykomish. It was still a pretty hike though, and a nice path that led to Barclay Lake. Close to the lake on our way there, I happened to glance to the side; and my gaze fell directly on a giant banana slug. It was so fast that I already past it though, so I kept walking, but not as happily. We ate cheese, pepperoni, wheat thins, and granola bars; but then we had to go back: Back to the slug. So on the way back I was completely freaked, and walked on Sopha's heels the entire time, forcing myself to just look at his shoes, and then we he spotted the same disgusting banana slug he picked me up and carried me about five feet. By then i had freaked myself out so much I was starting to cry. It was pretty traumatic! But we made it out and that was the only slug I saw, I guess it would have been fitting to take a picture of it, but how do you edit a picture of something you can't stand to look at? Afterwards we ate yummy sandwiches at a little deli and then headed to Eagle Falls, which is the bottom two pics. That night I tried my hand at firework photography. I will have to keep trying, but atleast I know what to do now, and I got the hang of my cord remote. It was pretty smoky though! But not too chilly.
Yeah I didn't start this month out with a bang. I hate using the flash, but I let my light disappear, and this subject was just sitting in front of me. This is a Murphy mess. We have to clean up after him every night because he loves to play and chew. That rope toy should be all together, but he almost immediately tugged it apart. I am surprised that this tennis ball still has the felt on it, because that is usually the first thing to go, and there are also splinters from a big stick he brought in earlier. I took the stick away, but he saw where I put it and cried so much I gave it back. We take sticks away once he starts eating them, but this one he just chewed on. Anyways I just thought I would document this mess. It would have been nice to edit this in someway, but I need my Lightroom!!!
