Your Sunday Best #17

I love taking the photos,
and I love playing with the filters too!

Photo Art Friday ~ May 11th - 13th

Bonnie's challenge this week was to

1) post a photo art of our choice; or 

2) a piece of photo art that featured a horizon.

I chose to feature a horizon.

The old fence posts above was rendered with Bonnie's textures:

"Sweet Secret" (soft light@100%) and "FABrique" (soft light@72%).

 The sunset taken at the ranch was rendered with Bonnie's textures:

"Painterly" (darken@68%) and "FABrique" (vivid light@57%)

 Between two worlds life hovers like a star,

twixt night and morn, upon the horizon's verge. Lord Byron

Edit Me 2012 ~ Week 19

Seem to be running a tad bit late this week, but I enjoy the editing exercise

and loved the sweet little photo we were challenged to edit.

The edit above was cropped, adjusted the levels, 
then sharpened the image with a MCP action 'Crystal Clear'
and a DPM action 'Dynamic' to finish the edit.

Original Photo

My many thanks to Branson & Stephanie for hosting 'Edit Me'.

Flower Art Friday ~ # 3

Not many wild flowers were to be found in southeast New Mexico

where drought conditions exist

but the cactus was starting to bloom;

it never ceases to amazes me how such a mean, nasty little plant

can have such beautiful flowers!

While out riding something spooked the horse I was riding (possibly a rattler which we saw later)

and in an attempt to buck me off (which he did), Salsa managed to back into a tall cactus.

I ended up with just a few cactus spines,

Salsa ended up with a ton!

After an hour's ride to the vet's in town and a large dose of sedation,

Salsa was cactus free!

I felt horrible for the pain his fright caused him.

 

cactus  (ˈkæktəs)

— n  , pl -tuses , -ti

any spiny succulent plant of the family Cactaceae  of the arid regions of America. Cactuses have swollen tough stems, leaves reduced to spines or scales, and often large brightly coloured flowers.

this or that Thursday ~ North Pasture

This is southeast New Mexico

land of cattle ranches, oil fields and rattlesnakes

barren, wide open ranges

bright blue sky's, where you can see for miles

sometimes a land of drought, grass fires and wildfires

a beautiful country of magnificent sunrises and sunsets

a country filled with friendly, helpful and sincere people

a place I love to be.

The photos were taken on branding day on the north pasture where seven riders set out on horseback at 6am to drive the cattle into the pens from hither and yon.

The cattle are herded into the pens and the calves are separated from cows;

then the roping, tossing, inoculating, and branding begin.

This is a family event where all participate; the lawyers, the doctors, the bankers;

the granddad, the kids, and the grandkids!