This morning's sunrise, above, and Linda and a custom background I made in Photoshop for Valentine's Day.Peace, out,
Robert
Thursday, January 31, 2008
01/31/2008
This morning's sunrise, above, and Linda and a custom background I made in Photoshop for Valentine's Day.Peace, out,
Robert
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
01/29/2008
Today has been a recovery day. Yesterday I took Linda to the dentist in the afternoon to get her last wisdom tooth pulled and have a temporary crown made for the tooth just next to it. She took it all like the champ she is and took today as a recovery day and has spent a good bit of time sleeping it off.
The weather got up into the 70s today, but VERY WINDY all day. The temp's supposed to drop tonight back into the high 30s and settle back down into the winter we were having before this warm up came along.
More tomorrow, I'd guess.
Kindest regards,
Robert
The weather got up into the 70s today, but VERY WINDY all day. The temp's supposed to drop tonight back into the high 30s and settle back down into the winter we were having before this warm up came along.
More tomorrow, I'd guess.
Kindest regards,
Robert
Monday, January 28, 2008
01/28/2008
Linda and me dancing at the little family reunion we went to up in May, Texas this last weekend! We had such a good time with everyone! The weather was PERFECT for something like this and outside of when the sun went down, we spent most of the weekend out of doors, enjoying the whole thing IMMENSELY!Also, just finshed having the 2 new ceiling fans installed, and it's like, man, why didn't we do this a LONG TIME AGO! Ha! They're so quiet yet nice and breezy and nice to look at, too! Just some little extras and the kitchen will be done, except the flooring and we're even wondering if that's something we can do ourselves. Just hafta see!
Kindest regards,
Robert
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
01/23/2008
Happy HUMP DAY!
Finally Home Depot called and set up an appointment with me for Monday at 9:00am to have our two ceiling fans installed in the kitchen. Yipee!!! I can't wait! That means that if I get the kitchen painting done my the weekend, the minute they're done installing the fans, we can order the new flooring to be installed and the kitchen will be DONE! Wahoo!
Next will be the living room and that should go fairly quickly now that we've sold that HUGE sectional and gotten rid of the old wingback and ottoman. Just paint, ceiling fan and carpet in there, and then we can concentrate on the upstairs. Oh, yeah, forgot the powder room downstairs. That'll take a couple days, too.
It's been quite cold and rainy and foggy down this way the last several days. Good sleepin' weather! But I digress...
Kindest regards,
Robert
Finally Home Depot called and set up an appointment with me for Monday at 9:00am to have our two ceiling fans installed in the kitchen. Yipee!!! I can't wait! That means that if I get the kitchen painting done my the weekend, the minute they're done installing the fans, we can order the new flooring to be installed and the kitchen will be DONE! Wahoo!
Next will be the living room and that should go fairly quickly now that we've sold that HUGE sectional and gotten rid of the old wingback and ottoman. Just paint, ceiling fan and carpet in there, and then we can concentrate on the upstairs. Oh, yeah, forgot the powder room downstairs. That'll take a couple days, too.
It's been quite cold and rainy and foggy down this way the last several days. Good sleepin' weather! But I digress...
Kindest regards,
Robert
01/22/2008
Here's another sunset photo that I did for Tammy Gary's scrapture challenge over at the fabulous 3scrapateers site.Kindest regards,
Robert
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
01/14/2008
Today has been restful and peaceful. Just been catching up on some washing and doing some more Photoshoppin'.
The pictures above are from my mid-morning photoshoot yesterday, when I went to the Westinghouse plant here in Georgetown to photograph the longhorns, and then I went north to Salado where I shot the mermaind and the turtles. It was a bright, sunny day and very nice to be out and driving around.
Then I came home, took a brief rest, and then got up to watch the Dallas Cowboys lose the NFC championship (thus, the remained of the playoff season) to the New York Giants. Much ado was made of the Giants' game, but the overtly clear thing was to me that Dallas just plain lost the second half. Two problems, in my view. 1. The Cowboys have not been good this season coming off of a rest, and they had a bye last week, so that's that. And 2. The Giants were so secondary poor, that in the second half, they gave up on trying to defend the big plays, and went straight after Tony Romo, which, to Dallas' demise, worked only too well!
So then it was a quiet evening and to bed early, which ended up meaning that I went to sleep too soon, therefore I got up way too soon, also. Rising about 4:00am, I came in here and went to work on my pictures that I had taken yesterday while I was out.
Well, time to change out the drying and washing and put in another load. A househusband's work is NEVER DONE! ;^)
Kindest regards,
Robert
Saturday, January 12, 2008
01/12/2008
Today's been just fine. So glad the weekend's here!
I've finished another wall and some trim in the kitchen, and MAY just finish the entire kitchen tomorrow. I'm finished for today, though. Enough is enough.
Linda has taken Amy and her daughter out shopping for the afternoon and I'm here just Photoshoppin' and thinking about my cameras and what to go out shooting maybe tomorrow during the daylight. I was GOING to go out today, but I just plain didn't do it. I just did this layout of Mom and her sisters and parents.
Yesterday I did a photobook and ordered it just to see how the pictures come out. It's only ten pictures, but it comes in a square format so I'll see if the resolution is sufficient for having them printed into books and then may do more. I've got to get a theme or something like that for a photobook.
Kindest regards,
Robert
01/12/2008
I wasn't going to be home at the right time to shoot the sunset, but I did catch this little sparrow waiting for it, too.
Kindest regards,
Robert
Friday, January 11, 2008
01/11/2008
Today was a bit of a whirlwind, but in a good way. Got up around 6:30am and made our coffee. Drove Linda to work and brought the van back for my 11:00am appointment. Called my buddy to see about us having lunch today and it turns out he was able to work lunch into his schedule, so we went for lunch after my appointment to the Monument cafe. I had some pretty good fried catfish with fries and coleslaw, then we had to cut things abit short as he had an errand he ended up needing to run earlier than he thought he would have to.
Came home only to have a friend drop off a ring of mine they'd found in our sectional that we'd sold them. That was nice to get back! And I just woke from a brief power nap that I'd taken after all of that as it was pretty draining with lots of hustle and bustle!
Now to sit down to some power Photoshopping! Wahoo!
More later.
Kindest regards,
Robert
Came home only to have a friend drop off a ring of mine they'd found in our sectional that we'd sold them. That was nice to get back! And I just woke from a brief power nap that I'd taken after all of that as it was pretty draining with lots of hustle and bustle!
Now to sit down to some power Photoshopping! Wahoo!
More later.
Kindest regards,
Robert
Thursday, January 10, 2008
01/10/2008 (Ancillary)
Okay, this is cathartic! I feel like writing. Been doing so much Photoshopping and need the break. And somethin's in my craw, so to speak.
It's about Christmas. Well, no, maybe not. It's about "Xmas".
Noone has EVER said to me "Merry 'Xmas'". Nor have I ever said it to anyone. EVER! Why? I think it's because there's NO SUCH THING! And if it's somehow meant to save space, instead of Happy Kwanza, why don't we ever see something like "Happy 'Xza'"???
Something about this "Xmas" dribble really gets my goat. Sure, it's only a word, and words can be annotative and connotative all at the same time. So, I think I know what someone MEANS when they write "Xmas", but haven't we all been taught to say what we MEAN and MEAN what we say??? (That's a rhetorical question, but answer if you must...)
I am NOT a religious or spiritual person of any kind. I do, however, respect, and will defend, others' right to believe and worship as they see fit, provided they're as considerate to others that they, too, may believe and worship in their own way. Our country is one of the few bastions of religious freedoms left in the world, although dim lights flicker around the planet; none are as bright as those here at home.
But I digress...
Words MEAN something. They herald intent. They make things clear. They convey feeling and deportment. They map things out that would otherwise bewilder and lose us. They're there for a reason, and to be reasonable so that reason will flourish and grow!
Xmas, on the other hand, has NO reasonable meaning. It makes things clear; as mud! It conveys NOTHING and, in my personal opinion, indicates a serious lack of deportment. It maps NOTHING out and it DOES bewilder and lose reasonable people. After all, then Santa Claus, or the Easter Bunny might otherwise be called Bambi Luftwaffe, or Sinbad the furry one, or Xmas Teebone! Sheeeeeesh!!! The unreasonable possibilities boggle the best of minds (not that mine is one of them).
What, pray tell, is going on here? Am I to understand that the user of the word "Xmas" believes in Xmas, but not in Christmas, or do they mean to say that "Xmas" and "Christmas" are interchangeable? How does that work? My name is "Robert", but you can call me "Xert" for "short". Right! Like "R" isn't already far enough down the alphabetical list! Xert Xis. That's interchangeable with Robert Davis. That's dehumanizing and diminishes my real name, in exactly the same way that Xmas diminishes Christmas, conveys NOTHING and demonstrates the user's poor way with words, or should we say "Xer's" poor way with words?!
Okay, okay!!! My Andy Rooney moment is over; at least for this season.
Kindest regards,
Robert
It's about Christmas. Well, no, maybe not. It's about "Xmas".
Noone has EVER said to me "Merry 'Xmas'". Nor have I ever said it to anyone. EVER! Why? I think it's because there's NO SUCH THING! And if it's somehow meant to save space, instead of Happy Kwanza, why don't we ever see something like "Happy 'Xza'"???
Something about this "Xmas" dribble really gets my goat. Sure, it's only a word, and words can be annotative and connotative all at the same time. So, I think I know what someone MEANS when they write "Xmas", but haven't we all been taught to say what we MEAN and MEAN what we say??? (That's a rhetorical question, but answer if you must...)
I am NOT a religious or spiritual person of any kind. I do, however, respect, and will defend, others' right to believe and worship as they see fit, provided they're as considerate to others that they, too, may believe and worship in their own way. Our country is one of the few bastions of religious freedoms left in the world, although dim lights flicker around the planet; none are as bright as those here at home.
But I digress...
Words MEAN something. They herald intent. They make things clear. They convey feeling and deportment. They map things out that would otherwise bewilder and lose us. They're there for a reason, and to be reasonable so that reason will flourish and grow!
Xmas, on the other hand, has NO reasonable meaning. It makes things clear; as mud! It conveys NOTHING and, in my personal opinion, indicates a serious lack of deportment. It maps NOTHING out and it DOES bewilder and lose reasonable people. After all, then Santa Claus, or the Easter Bunny might otherwise be called Bambi Luftwaffe, or Sinbad the furry one, or Xmas Teebone! Sheeeeeesh!!! The unreasonable possibilities boggle the best of minds (not that mine is one of them).
What, pray tell, is going on here? Am I to understand that the user of the word "Xmas" believes in Xmas, but not in Christmas, or do they mean to say that "Xmas" and "Christmas" are interchangeable? How does that work? My name is "Robert", but you can call me "Xert" for "short". Right! Like "R" isn't already far enough down the alphabetical list! Xert Xis. That's interchangeable with Robert Davis. That's dehumanizing and diminishes my real name, in exactly the same way that Xmas diminishes Christmas, conveys NOTHING and demonstrates the user's poor way with words, or should we say "Xer's" poor way with words?!
Okay, okay!!! My Andy Rooney moment is over; at least for this season.
Kindest regards,
Robert
01/10/2008
Just a couple of shots and layouts again from last evening's sunset. Yes, I'm a bit obsessed with sunsets, and for good reason, as you can see. They're vivid and rich here! Few evenings go by that we don't have a really gorgeous sunset! Plus I'm experimenting with Adobe's Photoshop Elements 3.0 to attempt to get my oldest sister started with her own digital scrapbooking that she wants to do for her children and grandchildren. That'll be AWESOME once she gets going with hers!
Well, it's nearing time to get the tripod and camera ready for this evening's sunset, plus do some other sh0ts I've been wanting to do, too. So, have a lovely evening!
Kindest regards,
Robert
01/10/2008
I did some sunset photos last night as the sunset was FABULOUS out my office back window. I try to remember to take sunset photos each night, but the night before last we had our dinner date so I didn't take any.
Woke up at 4:45am this morning, but after I got up for a few minutes, I went back to bed and slept until about 7:00am. Got up and made Linda's coffee and came back up here and went to work on the first of the two photos above, making the striped background. After uploading it, I browsed the gallery at 3Scrapateers for some new inspirations.
More later...
Kindest regards,
Robert
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
01/09/2008
Today it's really beautiful outside! The sun is shining and the temp is a cooler one, so painting in the kitchen will be more tolerable than yesterday.
Last night Linda and I went out to supper with two new friends who got out of hospital on the same day as I did, and it was just the best time we've had in a really long time. We ate at the Texas Land and Cattle Company off of East Stassney Lane in Austin. Everyone got just what they wanted, and we had a very attentive and professional waitress, so we all felt a bit spoiled and nicely taken care of. As always, their beef is just the best in town, and the sides were all delicious! We started out with an appetizer of "fried pickles", which was new to all of us, but really QUITE GOOD! Also had an avocado and shrimp coctail that was just spicy enough and quite refreshing! We all yacked on and on and on, spending about 2 1/2 hours there just catching up and discussing EVERYTHING! The drive home took us through the beautifully lit downtown Austin area so that was some great sightseeing along the way. Linda and I have agreed that we need to visit with them on a fairly regular basis, so that'll be COOL!
Just did two layout this morning. I've been a bit tired from all the painting and our evening out last night, so today will be an easy day. I got the entire ceiling painted in the kitchen yesterday before getting ready for our dinner date, so I feel like I've been keeping up with things fairly well.
Last night Linda and I went out to supper with two new friends who got out of hospital on the same day as I did, and it was just the best time we've had in a really long time. We ate at the Texas Land and Cattle Company off of East Stassney Lane in Austin. Everyone got just what they wanted, and we had a very attentive and professional waitress, so we all felt a bit spoiled and nicely taken care of. As always, their beef is just the best in town, and the sides were all delicious! We started out with an appetizer of "fried pickles", which was new to all of us, but really QUITE GOOD! Also had an avocado and shrimp coctail that was just spicy enough and quite refreshing! We all yacked on and on and on, spending about 2 1/2 hours there just catching up and discussing EVERYTHING! The drive home took us through the beautifully lit downtown Austin area so that was some great sightseeing along the way. Linda and I have agreed that we need to visit with them on a fairly regular basis, so that'll be COOL!
Just did two layout this morning. I've been a bit tired from all the painting and our evening out last night, so today will be an easy day. I got the entire ceiling painted in the kitchen yesterday before getting ready for our dinner date, so I feel like I've been keeping up with things fairly well.
I plan to do some picture taking today for some new material for some layouts. I want to shoot some Christmas gift papers for backgrounds, so we'll see how that comes out.
More maybe later on.
Kindest regards,
Robert
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
01/08/2007
- Thanks to Tammy Gary, I've got this blog now, and so, here goes! This morning I was inspired to work on a layout for our oldest granddaughter, Hope, who will be turning 13 soon. So I just let the thoughts flow and the creative juices simmer and this dedication layout just began to bubble up and out through the keyboard and mouse.
- The quote is from Psalm 30:5. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning". The photo is of last evening's sunset. The idea is that the sunset seems to highlight the promise of the morning to come with each new day. The seal/crest is from my grandfather's original passport to the U.S. from the U.K. And that's my signature on the photo. I had wanted to do a dusty rose checked pattern for a background, so there that is, too.
- It's raining out this morning, and mild temps for this time of year in central Texas. But the rain is welcome as we've had unusually dry days for several weeks now, with any number of grass fires popping up here and there. So the rain is quite welcome, to be sure.
- You can view my seniorsbeat! website, also, at http://www.seniorsbeat.com/, which I need to get around to updating soon!
- I'm overtly avoiding going downstairs to continue painting the kitchen. You see, we're completely remodelling our condo and while I enjoying painting on canvas and watercolor paper, painting walls and ceilings isn't my idea of a good time. It's hard for me, but I DO like to see the progress and the freshly painted rooms. Fortunately, there's no real time table for all this so I can do it as it happens to move me, instead of a race against the clock! I find I always do a better job when I'm not rushed and deadlined.
- Well, back to "digital painting"!
- Y'all have a SENSATIONAL day!!!
Kindest regards,
Robert
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