Deck planters in July

This pink poppy, somniferum papvar, has volunteered to grow in one of the deck planters.  It is an annual and I shall save the seed and see if I can get it to grow next year, in what is going to be my cutting garden. 

This is the only butterfly I have seen at the butterfly/hummingbird planters.  This is a very close crop of a RAW photo.  I am really liking this RAW stuff.  So much more data in the files, and easy to convert to tiff or jpeg to save.

The delphinium is looking really good, with the cosmos at its feet.  This is a combination I will want in the 'cutting garden'.  As well as hollyhocks, monarda, scaboisia,

I had left some nuts that were well past their best before date, out on the deck railing.  As I put a few out they would disappear without me seeing where they had gone.  Finally, I saw a pair of ravens helping themselves to the party snacks.  I did not get a good shot of them, but I am very happy with how the black feathers turned out in this RAW photo.  Great color and detail.

I have been reading Phillipa Gregory, Cornwell, and have picked up a couple of novels about Troy.  This, and the house cleaning have kept me busy recently.  I have been spending a bit of time on Megashot, and doing a bit of gardening with cooking, of course, thrown in.  It is all a fine mix.  Life is good on the West Coast.

I seem to have trashed my sound from the speakers somehow.  I have to get Trevor to come see if the speakers are broken, or if it is something else I have done.  The speakers should still be under warranty and so should his time to replace them, if that is the problem. 

More Internet Crime - Swatting

Yesterday morning I saw a humming bird at the monarda flowers, on my deck.  The main reason for all the flowers on my deck this year is because I read an article about  creating a hummingbird/butterfly container of flowers.  The project has gone very well and the flowers are looking pretty good.  The small cherry tomatoe plant has bunches of little green tomatoes, also.  The basil was not a big success.  I probably got the wrong kind, as mine has tiny leaves.  I don't think the ones I am growing would make more than a couple of tablespoons of pesto.  The only butterfly I have seen on the deck plants, so far, is a white one.  I did see a swallowtail in the back garden, where the fennel grows, and a mating pair of morning cloaks in the front garden, on the plum tree. 
I spent the morning playing with my camera and reading in the manual.  I discovered how to use the macro setting.  I was using it with my 28 - 135 lens.  I must try this with the 50mm and the extra macro lens extension.  I like how the scaboisia turned out.  When I downloaded the photos I could see the RAW beside the large jpegs.  The RAW are so much better.  It is very obvious when you see the thumbnails side by side. 

In the afternoon, I was out in the garden for about 4 hours.  I have clipped back most of the daisies, pulled weeds, and did more clipping back of plants that have finished blooming.  I tried to set up the sprinkler for the early morning run, so I could just turn it on, but I could not get it position right, so I did most the the front garden watering by hand.  There is still more weeding and watering to do, of course. 

Today, I walked back from the mall, which is about a mile and a half.  Was a pleasant walk.  In looking at the plants for sale at the Country Grocer, I see that I need to go to a few garden centers for a good look around.  I don't really have room for anything, though.  I really should make my vegetable garden into a cutting garden, as my vegetables are just non doing well.  Since I am going to be away for weeks at a time in the summer for the next few years, I don't think a vegetable garden will work for me.  I am enjoying a boquet of ladies mantle, white roses, achillea, and a malva type flower in pink (it is reseeding all over the garden and really puts on a nice show). So, perhaps the cutting garden could have gladiola, and other tall flowers that bloom in the Fall, when I am most probably going to be at home. 

The internet is becoming a rather perilous place, with no apparent control or attempts at controlling the nastiness.  Here is an example of something called swatting.  I don't see how the people who are doing these crimes can possibly think this is amusing.  It is too bad that the Internet has to resemble the wild west when we are suppose to be intelligent, thinking human species. 

Copyright Infringement

My best shot of the St. Mary river, rapids and falls.  We visited Bryan and Joan at Kimberley and spent the night in their driveway.  Before we left in the morning we were treated to a five minute walk from their house and walk along the St. Mary river to the waterfall.   What a marvelous location.  This river and waterfall is just out their back door.

Pat's 1912 Torpedo Roadster Model T Ford in the town of Lundbreck.  I have lots of good car pictures from this stop.  We also stopped at the Lundbreck waterfall and I have a few of those photos for addition to the album for my web page, eventually.

It was a coolish day today and would have been perfect for gardening.  I somehow got trapped on my computer and wasted the afternoon searching out places where my photos are being used by people without my consent.  I have noted the ones I found today on my Facebook wall.  For all the good it is going to do me.  This should be a link to my Facebook wall showing 5 of the uses of my Peace Rose photo, and one of my Peloric foxglove photo. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=701271576&sk=wall   When I complained to the abuse department about my Peloric Foxglove being used on photobucket,  this is the reply I received from them:
Thank you for notifying Photobucket of a potential infringement of intellectual property
rights.  Photobucket respects the intellectual property of others, and expects its account
holders to do the same.
Unfortunately, the notice you supplied is incomplete. Please submit the following notice:

NOTICE OF ALLEGED COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
1. Identify the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed, or; if multiple
copyrighted works are covered by this Notice; provide a representative list of the
copyrighted works that you claim have been infringed. Direct links to the original images
or digital copies must be provided as proof of copyright:

2. Identify the material or link you claim is infringing (or is the subject of infringing
activity) and that access to which is to be disabled, including at a minimum, if
applicable, the URL of the link shown on the Photobucket service where such material may
be found:

3. Provide your mailing address, telephone number, and, if available, email address:

4. The following statement must be included in the body of the Notice:

        I hereby state that I have a good faith belief that the disputed use of the
copyrighted material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law
(e.g., fair use)

5. I hereby state that the information in this Notice is accurate and, under penalty of
perjury that (CHOOSE ONE):

I am the copyright owner, or authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner or I am
authorized to act under an exclusive right of the copyright that is allegedly infringed.

I am not the copyright owner, or authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner or
otherwise authorized to act under an exclusive right of the copyright that is allegedly
infringed.

6. Provide full legal name and the electronic or physical signature of the owner, or of a
person authorized to act on behalf of the owner, of the copyright or of any exclusive
right under the copyright.
Please direct this form, with all items completed to Photobucket's Designated Copyright
Agent:

Heather Dana
Designated Copyright Agent
Photobucket Corp.
http://photobucket.com
PO Box #13003
Denver, CO  80201
abuse@photobucket.com
Fax: 303.395.1165

Thanks,

Photobucket

In looking around photobucket site I found that they actually encourage this action.  They actually have a 'download' button on each photo uploaded to an account, and the 'share' of course.  Looking through a couple of accounts I see what is probably many, many gifs or jpegs that are downloaded from whereever these people find them.  Copyright issues are impossible to control in situations like this.  Watermarks are no real deterrent, unless they totally cover the photo.  The best defence I suppose is to load only to 'private' galleries and give friends the password.  Otherwise, you will be seeing your photos all over the internet.  It seems the world has lost its good morals.  The news is full of more and more atrocities.  The recent unfathomable attack on people in Norway by an insane gunman is an example.  My heart goes out to the victims of the insanity.

When I see that and consider the weather conditions in other parts of the world, as well as the famine, fires, floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, global economy collapse, etc., I consider that my copyright problems are really miniscule.

Trip to the Prairies

this is a canola oil pump.  :-))

We camped in the Kikomun Creek provincial, park on our way back home, and were right at the shore of Lake Koocanusa. 

One of the jpeg snaps of the Hoo Doos in the Red River Valley just out of Drumheller, Alta.  It hardly ever rains here, but on the last two trips through Drumheller we had rain.  The clouds lend a nice backdrop to the Hoo Doos.

This is to show our campy wine glasses. They go perfectly with the decor.   We eat pretty good in the camper van.  We try to get an early entry to the campgrounds so as to be more sure of getting a spot.  This gives us time to settle down from the driving and prepare a good meal.  I usually finish the dishes and have time to check for sunsets or any photo opportunities before nightfall.

We have been home from our trip for a week.  I have managed to get the laundry finished, mowed the lawn, and did a bit of garden weeding and pruning.  Watered the house and deck plants last Saturday, so they will need food and water tomorrow.  The garden needs more weeding and watering, but it is looking not too bad.  I had to add water to the pond, of course.  I had the waterfall pump unplugged, but the evaporation took the level down about a foot.  While viewing the pond, I was surprised to see that I actually still have some big fish left in there.  I have at least 3 of the big old ones, and more than a dozen little gold ones... two of which are white.  Earlier this Spring, I bought 4 new ones, as I thought I had no fish left, that the predators had got them all.  It seems they were just not ready to come to the top... too cold.  We have had a very cool Spring and Summer, so far, and I am glad of it.  East of the Rockies they are having a very bad heat wave. 

I have been spending time reading as well.  And I seem to need to catch up on my sleep.  The Model T Fords meet was held at Pincher Creek.  It was very windy and I got quite a lot of sun the first day out.  We toured the area for a week.  Later in the week it was cooler and so there was only the wind to contend with.  Nevertheless, it was a good time, even though the car did not run perfectly. 

I filled the humming bird feeder and have noticed that we have a little rufous hummer, as well as the larger anna's.  My hummingbird and butterfly plants on the deck are doing fine.  The only butterfly I have seen on them so far is a white one.  I did see a dragon fly and a swallowtail butterfly in the back garden, though.  We have lots of the little wall lizards, and the brown bunnies do seem to be multiplying.  I can see no damage in my garden from deer or bunnies, though.  I picked up a pamphlet on dragon flies, as I seem to be finding a few to photo on our trip.  I am presently tweaking photos from the trip, of friends, to send out in email.  I have some RAW photos taken with my new camera.  Even the jpeg's from that camera have more data.  But I still like the S3 IS for its light weight and the ease of shooting.  I will have to find a good longer telephoto for my Rebel, if I am going to start carrying it around... maybe one where my filters will fit.  (58 mm).