Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: filters

(+6 insets…please be sure to look, there are some pretty views of the park and waterfall!) Trip Talk: Enjoying Beautiful Englishman River Provincial Park There is something extra wonderful about the parks on Vancouver Island. I believe the forests here are healthier because I feel such strong and vibrant energy from them. Don't get me wrong--the forests we visited in Oregon and Washington were also glowing and rich, but it seems that global warming has not affected this place as much as others. Or whatever it is…less people, a more wild state…I cannot tell you exactly what it is but I do know that the feeling of immersion was remarkable and has stayed indelibly in my mind. Established and protected in 1940, Englishmen Provincial Park has always been a very popular destination for locals and tourists alike. Visitors are drawn by its pair of gorgeous waterfalls and lovely forest trails which give hikers a glimpse of the park's 240 acres (97 hectares). For some historical background, Wiki says the following: According to a local legend, indigenous people in the area found the skeleton of a Caucasian man near the waterfalls, thus giving the river its current name; the river was given its name because "an Englishman was drowned while attempting to cross." Spanish mapmakers originally named it the "Rio de Grullas," presumably because of the large number of great blue herons living at its estuary (grulla being Spanish for "crane")." I must admit my confusion regarding the two waterfalls because Steve and I only saw one. I wasn't sure where the other one was but apparently we missed it. However, when I was looking up historical information for my post today, I suddenly saw the answer to my question! There on the wiki page was a picture of the second waterfall…and when I looked at my pictures, I was delighted to see that I'd gotten a wonderful picture of it after all! The only difference was that there was no water flowing over the falls in my picture--in other words, the water level had dropped by the time we visited in August…which of course makes sense! Many waterfalls cease to flow in the dry months of the year. (I have included a picture of the second waterfall with an attribution to the author-- DG Brown --noted on the picture) Today's Pictures My main picture today features one of the two bridges that cross the Englishman River on the way to the top of the waterfalls. The picture by itself wasn't all that interesting so I took some creative license with a few filters--I hope you like the outcome! I thought it would be perfect for the day--HAPPY FENCE FRIDAY! My first inset shows the second waterfall--without the waterfall! I laughed out loud when I found the picture on Wikipedia because I instantly recognized the rocks and deep canyon that form the area. You'll see my added inset from DG Brown that shows what the waterfall looks like. The cool thing to me is that the huge rock jammed into place, which is the basis for the waterfall, is really neat looking and something you'd miss when the water flows over it! Other insets include a picture of water rushing down the narrow canyon, complete with logs stuck in place; there's a close-up of water crashing over the waterfall, a view of lovely water making its way around rocks in a slower part of the river, and finally, another breathtaking forest view that we saw along our hike. I hope you like the show! :) Pam, I was amused to learn that the photos in the link I sent you were from an area not even remotely close to you. *wipes egg from face* LOL, oh well! Thanks for the info on the place that is actually near you, what a bummer that it's not a very impressive, boo! Well, hopefully you can enjoy some watery beauty through my photography and tales! Anyway, it's an absolutely gorgeous day here which started with sparkling frost and promises to warm up to be tee-shirt weather! Maybe your day is equally lovely! *BIG HUGS from southern Oregon* Explored on 2/21/20; highest placement #1.

(+1 inset & four notes to read) (Viewing large is recommended for dreamier details! :) Stepping outside for my walk today, I smiled as I was greeted by the joyful chorus of frogs down at the pond. The temperature's creeped up to a seasonally warm 40°F this morning, but it's not going to last. The forecast promises a dip into the 20's in the next few days so I expect the frogs will need to retreat to their holes until it warms up again. I know that you US Mid- and East-Coasters are laughing at those numbers given the unbelievable cold you've had to endure lately. I hope you're all faring alright. At times like that I worry about power outages and keeping warm. We've had the terrible combination of extreme cold and power outages with only space heaters to keep us warm until the power returned many hours later. It's no fun and it can be scary too. I do hope that you have taken advantage of the rare conditions…my eyes gleam thinking about the macro candy land that extreme cold brings with it, though one must be very economical with the pictures you take and stay out for only a few minutes. I do look forward to seeing some of the unique images that come from the polar vortex. Yesterday I went out for some frosty pictures and as I left the house with my camera, I noticed what appeared to be a green bottle fly huddled on the porch wall. Something about it didn't quite look right but I didn't have time to take a closer peek. I was on a mission to get pictures of the "frost bush" next to the sporophytes down at the gate and my 15-Minute Cold Timer began ticking the second I left the house. I have learned to respect that timer…if I don't my extremities get excruciatingly, painfully cold. A fly was not worth my attention. When I returned to the house I saw the fly again and couldn't resist bending down to stare at it. Instantly I saw what seemed off to me. It wasn't a fly at all--it was a sweat bee*! And the largest I'd ever seen, in fact. These bees tend to be quite small, but this one was the same size as a green bottle fly. (Sweat Bees range in size between 0.12 to 0.40 in / 3 to 10 mm, while Bottle Flies range between 0.28 to 0.63 in / 7 to 16 mm) *NOTE: This is actually a MASON BEE and was identified on the Bug Guide Such a gorgeous and special find was irresistible and I took a few pictures before diving into the warmth of the house, fingers and toes burning from the cold. I didn't expect to get anything good from my quick snaps but as you can see, I managed to get a winner! You'll notice that I dressed up the white wall setting with some filters and the outcome worked out very nicely I think. :) I'm also including a panorama of a lovely afternoon a couple of days ago. We really do get some incredible views! Pam, are you guys in the polar vortex region? If so, I hope that you don't get any power outages and have backup heating just in case! Stay warm! *BIG HUGGGGGS from southern Oregon* :)

(+9 insets!) (view large please!) When Steve and I went down to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit my younger brother and his wife, we were really happy to learn that Nathalie's daughter, Phoebe, would also be home from college! It would be so nice to see her and catch up with what's going on in her world. Being 54, it's fascinating to talk to someone who's just starting college. At 19 years old, Phoebe's college experience compared to mine totally floors me. It's just gob smacking. For instance, when I went to San Francisco State University, gym classes were varied with dozens of courses available. But today they have only dance classes. No gym. No badminton. No aerobics. No soccer. And of course, not my favorite--trampoline (which I took for two semesters!). All creative art classes…GONE. Etc. It's horrifying. This is the world that Phoebe lives in. Yes, she can go to a local gym for classes but they aren't on campus. Art classes would be the same situation I'm sure. Anyway, talking to her about school leaves me feeling totally staggered and I feel sad that there are so few opportunities for Phoebe's generation to explore creatively within the confines of school. When I first met Phoebe a couple of years ago, she gave me a tour of her bedroom, which was such an honor. It was so much fun to see how she decorated her room and to tell her how I had decorated mine. She had some art on the walls but nothing too outlandish. As I grew up, my walls and ceiling became 100% covered with animal and horse pictures without any surface showing. When I turned 17 or so, I began collecting swim suits and pinned them up to my walls in tropical displays with beach posters behind them, using fake palm fronds as accents. I had a spot on one wall for pictures of cute celebrities too. Phoebe's décor was wonderful but sedate in comparison to my flamboyant display and I really enjoyed the peek into how she showed herself off in her room. While I looked around, I was immediately drawn to a large glass bowl in the corner. It was nearly half-full of some kind of beads. Peering inside I saw…RAVE BEAD BRACELETS!! Dozens of them, in fact! HOW COOL IS THAT?! Rave beads…what the heck are rave beads?! They are bracelets known as "Kandi," worn at dance clubs and parties, created by individuals as gifts to people they meet there. Originally started by drug dealers to stand out as a source for party drugs like ecstasy and coke, these showy bracelets soon turned into a popular fad for anyone who loves the dance scene. Bracelets are shared in a special way--essentially the two people hold hands and the gift bracelet is slid from one wrist onto the other's wrist. Specifically it goes like this: 1. Two people make peace signs (Peace) 2. They form their hands into hearts (Love) 3. They join their hearts (Unity) 4. They slide their bracelets from hand to hand (Respect) 4.a. Hug someone. (From) (For more info & pictures about the Kandi craze, click this phrase!) The whole rave beads-Kandy craze started many years after Steve and I were over our club days, so we never got to see any of this in action. It's a shame because I would surely have had an enormous collection myself! However, seeing Phoebe's collection filled me with excitement because I was sure they were very special to her. She confirmed this by immediately telling me all about her experiences. Every bracelet has a story, instantly coming to mind when Phoebe holds it in her hand. I loved hearing her tales and at the time I thought to myself that I'd just have to get pictures the next time I had a chance. Visiting San Anselmo this time aligned all of the stars and Phoebe gave me permission to take pictures of her collection! My eyes twinkled as I pulled out a bracelet and asked for details. She instantly told me where she got it and who gave it to her. I took out another one. "Oh! That one I got in the bathroom when I met a girl in there!" I pulled out another one and out came another story. Such fun. Thank you Phoebe, for allowing me to share part of you with the world! I spent quite a while photographing her bracelets and my main image shows the whole collection as a glorious pile of dance party memories. I am also including 9 insets for you to enjoy as well. Pam, did you ever have a party phase in your life? I loved dancing but I didn't get many chances to go "clubbing." My dates rarely had the interest and I didn't have friends that liked that sort of thing. But when I met Steve, we went out dancing on a regular basis for the first couple of years when we lived in San Francisco. What fun! I hope you're having a nice day today my dear! Explored on 1/27/19, highest placement, #5.

Aren't Ground Squirrels adorable?! I have always loved squirrels, but it wasn't until I moved to southern Oregon that I found out how destructive some of them can be. Ground Squirrels in particular, are problems because they can and will dig under your house's foundation, which can lead to expensive problems. However, we capture them and drop them off many miles away, and while they are here, Steve and I love to see them running around and being adorable! This one hears the dogs out front and is looking to see if they will come around the side of the house! (Thanks to Jerry Jones for his awesome textures!! I used Painted Canvas 1 of 8 and Old Photo 5 for this, as well as some Photoshop filters. I needed to do a lot of work on this image to pop the squirrel out of that busy background and the extreme contrast changes of fore and background.) From Wiki: The California ground squirrel is a common and easily observed ground squirrel of the western United States and the Baja California peninsula; it is common in Oregon and California and its range has relatively recently extended into Washington and northwestern Nevada. As is typical for ground squirrels, California ground squirrels live in burrows which they excavate themselves. Some burrows are occupied communally but each individual squirrel has its own entrance. Although they readily become tame in areas used by humans, and quickly learn to take food left or offered by picnickers, they spend most of their time within 25 m (82 ft) of their burrow, and rarely go further than 50 m (160 ft) from it. In the colder parts of their range, California ground squirrels hibernate for several months, but in areas where winters have no snow, most squirrels are active year round. In those parts where the summers are hot they may also estivate (spend a hot or dry period in a prolonged state of torpor or dormancy) for periods of a few days. California ground squirrels are often regarded as a pest in gardens and parks, since they will feed off ornamental plants and trees, and will burrow under foundations.