Digital darkroom

 This is a photo from the Upper Canada Village from our trip in 2009.

 This is from our trip on the Rocky Mountaineer.
I have been spending a lot of time in photoshop, trying to learn to improve my files.  I have been using 16 bit mode and find that it adds more data.  Also adding layers with adjustments on them adds more and more data, too and the files get larger.  When I save as PNG files they are even larger.  I can open files in camera raw to do even more interesting adjustments.  Yesterday, I found the transform adjustment under lens correction / manual.   The PNG site is very interesting:  This blog won't let me upload a PNG file so I just put them into Jpeg, untiul I discover how to reduce the size without losing data.  I downloaded Gauntlet, but I am not sure if it supports 16 bit.  It made a smaller one larger for some reason.  .... more learning! 

 The Atlantes from our trip to France in 2002

 The three graces at the Louvre from our trip to France in 2002.  The above images were turned back to jpegs after processing in 16 bit, camera raw, 16 bit mode, etc. 

This is the Virginia creeper from a couple of weeks ago.  While we were away it slumped down the pole and is looking rather like an octopus.  I thought I would leave it there while it changed colors, but it is getting kind of ragged with people driving on it.  Pat might be getting the driveway fixed, so it might not last until color change time.

Saanich has had Don Mann excavating in to make a trail across the deer pasture.  They have removed what seems to be most of the trees and bushes that Saanich does not want to keep in the park.  So far the trail looks nice, but it has two outlets onto our street for some odd reason.  The other end of this repair goes to Gerda St. where they are going to make some sort of a park monument thing within a circle with about a 10 foot diameter.   The trail has had a layer of drain rock and now a layer of gravel.  It is has curves and is quite close to the River.  This changes the whole appearance of the deer pasture.   Pictures and more later.

The yellow plums are finished for this season.  We ate quite a few and I have 4 containers of pureed fruit frozen.  So far, we have had 2 figs.  There are a few more ripening.  I watered the front a couple of times. And watered at the back.  Finally, tonite we seem to have been getting some measurable rain.

August gardening

 Last Sunday, we took the 1912 Model T to the Arts and Music fund raising day at the Horticultural Center of the Pacific.  After seeing the botanical gardens and how dried the gardens are, I do not feel so bad about mine little dried up garden.  This is the heather garden. I brightened up the colors with photoshop.  I am not sure it is an improvement.

 Jack Cooper was one of the artists ... and there were lots of them....at the HCP show.  I had to have his Mad Hatter.  It hangs on the back garage now.  Jack does not have a studio to make his cement sculptures.  He says he has a day job, and the only place I will find his stuff is at shows.

 This was a nice find.  I think this gargoyle is bronze.  Wish I had it to set by the neighbors garbage cans that everyone sees when they come to our front door.

 On our Rocky Mountaineer Train trip one of the stops was the Athabasca Falls.  Wonderful place.

 Rainbow on the Athabasca Falls.  We also stopped at the Columbia Icefields.  I need to get more photos tweaked.  I am trying hdr merge and a few other things to improve the photos. 

 I was out in the open air vestibule to get this photo of the train, along the Kicking Horse River.

We were to visit Peter and Audree on Wednesday.  Thanks for the lovely lunch.  This photo was taken on the return ferry to Chemainus.  It was not really sundown, but there was a bit of color in the atmosphere and the clouds.  I just enhanced the colors.
Peter and Audree gave us a gallon or two of crab apples.  Yesterday I put them through the juicer and boiled up the juice with sugar.  I thought crab apples did not need pectin.  Well, these crab apples seem to need it, cause the juice did not jell.  Today I boiled it again and added pectin.  Hope it works this time.
I was out in the garden for about 3 hours and got the driveway strip cleaned up.  Also got a lot of deadheading done in the front garden.  I have watered the plum tree and all across the front strip.  The cedars seem to be doing ok after I had the tops cut down a bit last spring.  There is not many things in bloom. 

Traveling in July

 blakiston falls, in the waterton peace park. These falls are bit of a drive and a short hike to see them.  Was well worth the hike.

 Cameron Falls just a short way from the Waterton Village.  Very impressive water falls.

 We pulled off the road for a coffee stop and found these amazing lilies right at the road side.  I believe this was near Golden, B.C., on our way out to Saskatchewan.

 I found Lucky at a gift shop, by Fort Steele where we had a lunch stop on our way back home.  Lucky is posing on the picnic table at our first campsite, just out of Waterton park.  We did a walk on the hilltop here where all the wild flowers are growing.  The grasslands are protected in this area and in the park.  Was quite windy in the afternoon when we were walking.  The wind dies down at night.

 Red Rock Canyon in the Waterton peace park.

 A field of wild flowers with a mountain backdrop.  This was a very good camping trip.  Thank you Fran, Dan and Carol for hosting us in your homes.  Was good to see everyone.

My  rechargeable batteries in my cordless Yardworks 14 in lawn mower died.  Pat took the hood off (he had to file through a bolt to get it out) and took out the batteries.  We picked up the new ones today, he put them in and sharpened the blade.  My mower now runs beautifully.  Tomorrow there will be lawn moving!  Thanks Pat, great job!  We have had this mower for about 4 years and this is the first battery replacement. 
The garden is all really dry, even the cutting garden where we have been watering a bit.  I have done a bit of dead heading of perennials, but will do more clean up when it is not so hot out.;  Temperatures in the high 20s which seems really warm to me.  I should hate to be in the southern US where they are roasting in high 90s and above 100s with forest or grass fires thrown into the mix.  We really are fortunate to live here.
The yellow plums are ready.  We have been eating them for the past week.  They are delicious!