Mandarin Orange Monday 18 ~ Bartlett Pears

In the background are the brilliant orange Bartlett pear trees

outside the east entrance of the State Capitol.

The photo was taken last Thursday before the snow on Friday

and hard freezing nighttime temperatures we have experienced the past few nights.

Mandarin Orange Monday #17

Loved this display during Spanish Market;

the contrast of the dried native flowers and the poppies

and the natural clay pot!

Photo Art Friday ~ Pathway to Heaven

Bonnie's prompt this week was to use her beautiful new texture Cobblestone.

On Monday we had the brightest, most magnificent sunrise ... couldn't resist capturing it!

52 Photos Project ~ Celebrate!

Bella's prompt this week is "celebrate" ...

"How do you celebrate?"

"On what occasions do you celebrate?"

she ask us to

"Capture the essence of our unique celebrations

and share on them with you this week!"

While not unique, I do celebrate Day of the Dead;

the house is decorated, an altar is built and

I ask family and friends over to help me celebrate

It's a time to be together,

to visit, laugh, reminisce, eat, drink,

and honor those who have passed before us.

 

(Dia de los Muertos graphic by Rebecca McMeem)

{Texture Tuesday} ~ free and easy eDition

I spend a lot of time in and around the New Mexico State Capitol.

I have always been intrigued and mystified by the choice of landscaping at the Capitol.

It is so unlike most state buildings; it is not (seemingly) structured,

but rather has a sort of disheveled, unplanned look about it! 

The state Capitol is surrounded by 6.5-acre garden and has more than 100 varieties of plants,

including roses, iris, daises, chrysanthemums, russian sage, native plants, plums, almonds, pears, nectarines, Russian olive trees, yews and sequoias to name a few.

KK's texture "Poetic" used twice: Soft Light @ 100% and Color Burn @ 100%

KK's texture's "Paper Stain", Overlay @ 100% and "UggLove", Color Burn @ 100%

 On a positive note, with all the varieties of plantings, I'm never at a loss for something to discover!

Mandarin Orange Monday #16 ~ joy

no matter what, these poppies coax a smile

it is an artificial arrangement that my sister brought me years ago,

it sat in my office where the sun shone in on it and I had a birdseye view of the bright colors,

it always helped me retain my humor, particularly in negotiation sessions

it now resides in my home, various places, always in a place where it adds 'pop'

an area that when I turn the corner, or see it head-on,

I smile and feel joy! 

Your Sunday Best #41 ~ Day of the Dead

I celebrate Day of the Dead:

I celebrate by hosting a "Dia de los Muertos" party for family and friends.

 

The house is decorated, an altar is built, food is served;

a time to get together, be together and honor those who have passed before us.

 

Photo Art Friday ~ derelict

Bonnie's challenge this week:
 
der-e-lict
adjective
left or deserted, as by the owner or guardian; abandoned

  abandoned dreams

deserted lands


"It's difficult in times like these:
ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us,
only to be crushed by grim reality." Ann Frank  

Photos were rendered with pdpa texture  "Abstract Elements Drops of Jupiter"
and Fly Paper texture "Colosseum Sienna"

52 photos project ~ on the table

This is my table, although quite a bit different than the 'norm';

I had invited a friend over for a belated Birthday dinner

so the table had been cleared off, cleaned up, and set, just in time for Bella's prompt!

The table that is normally used to read the paper,

do my paper work, read my books and daydream off into space.

The table we gather around to visit with family, friends, and celebrate Thanksgiving.


 

Mandarin Orange Monday #15 ~ geraniums

As I was walking to the Plaza for the World Wide Photo Walk meet-up last Saturday,

I became enchanted by bright orange geraniums in an art gallery window.

The geraniums faced towards the sun in the west,

where they will have a happy home all winter long.

Your Sunday Best #40 ~

The 2012 competitions for the New Mexico Cutting Horse Championships concluded in October.

The Carson family who have gotten me so involved did exceptionally well;

Joel II, Joel III and Karen all took FIRST in their categories.

But the big bonus in October was 8 year old JC, riding in his FIRST cutting competition!

 

5 fact friday ~ October 19

I believe in angles ...

I have three best friends, my sisters ...

I have become a butler (bulteress?) to my 15 year old pup ...

I always wanted to "grow up", live on a ranch with lots of horses, cows and goats ...

I was given the opportunity to meet a young woman and assist her in reliving memories by opening up my home.  Jodie, who now lives in Virginia, contacted me to ask if she could see the 'house where she grew up'; the house where I now live.  It was a pleasant hour, while Jodie retold stories of growing up; stories of her mother, sister and father.  Her father had a heart attack and died while they lived here.  She was 17 years old, and the family moved within three months of his death, 20 years ago.  The hour spent with Jodie warmed my heart.

Photo Art Friday ~ Leafy Landscape

While I used Bonnie's "Leafy Landscape Texture" last week in her challenge "liquid",

it is also using "Leafy Landscape Texture" that is our challenge this week.

Guess I can never get enough of a good thing!

Edit Me ~ October 17

The photo for Branson and Stephanie's Edit Me Challenge this weeks was taken by Julie H.

Original photo by Julie H.

Julie's photo rendered

Editing Steps:

Adjusted color

Cropped

Adjusted Vertical perspective and angle
Recolored grass, color dodge @ 54%

Copied twice

Applied a cut-out filter on a copy and layered, color burn @39%

Applied Topaz filter (Detail) on a copy and layered, color dodge @ 13%

RGB Levels adjustment

Blue Levels adjustment

Applied light vignette

Thank you Julie for sharing your spectacular photography!

Leaves for Leontien

 In honor of Leontien and all the courageous women

who are being treated for and are healing from

their battle with cancer.

 October is National Breast Cancer Month

52 Photos Project ~ Golden

Bella's challenge, Golden.

"It's a color, it's a feeling.

Golden gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Capture Golden, however you interpret it."

My interpretation? In perfect harmony. 

Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity. Plato

Texture Tuesday {look-up edition}

The prompt for Kim's Texture Tuesday this week is "look-up" and I had the perfect photo.

I participated in the 'International Photo Walk" on Saturday in Santa Fe,

and believe it or not, the successor to Woolworth's on the Plaza is the "FIVE & DIME"

and it is quite the local tourist attraction!

Rendered with Kim's textures:  Organic & Dear Dreamer

Mandarin Orange Monday #14 ~ St. Francis Cathedral

Yesterday, my sister, brother (in-law) and I joined the International Photo Walk in Santa Fe, NM.

As native Santa Fean's, the sites listed for the 'walk' were all familiar to us,

but I had never taken photo's inside the Cathedral.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is Santa Fe's most photographed building
with the ornate Romanesque architecture standing in startling contrast
to the city's traditional Pueblo architecture.

The  Romanesque Revival style structure was commissioned in 1869
by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy, founder of the Franciscan order.

For those who may have an interest, Archbishop Lamy was immortalized
in Willa Cather’s Death Comes for the Archbishop.

Your Sunday Best #39 ~ Last Rose of Summer

Seems we may be skipping autumn all together and heading straight into winter!

I did managed to capture the last rose in my garden before winter sets in! 

 ’TIS the last rose of summer

  Left blooming alone;

All her lovely companions

  Are faded and gone;

No flower of her kindred,

  No rosebud is nigh,

To reflect back her blushes,

  To give sigh for sigh.

Thomas Moore                                                                

Photo Art Friday ~ Liquid

Bonnie's prompt for this week is liquid,

which gave me an opportunity to use two of too many

nondescript photos taken of "Lemon Bay".

Bonnie's pdpa textures: Blue Depths, Splash of Gold and Leafy Landscape

Bonnie is very generous and often gift's her sensational, creative textures from Pixel Dust Photo Art;

Bonnie's pdpa textures: Blue Depths and Splash of Gold

it is with these gifts that I have rendered my photos for this week's prompt.

Thank you Bonnie.