Dwelling in the Moment

OK...............they are still a work in progress but my new sites are FINALLY up and running.....more work to be done so please check back.

You can find me here and here......Thank you for stopping by and please leave a comment and say "hi" when you find me!!!
Hugs to all!

Another Friday fix-it at I ♥ Faces.
Here's is the original photo submitted by KimAnd here is my version of this handsome little guy!For more submissions, please visit I ♥ Faces here!
Thanks for stopping by and have a great Friday!!!!

For more baby pictures click here!
Thank you for stopping by and have a great weekend!!!

First please note this is not my new 'lil grandbaby :).....please see previous post for my precious little angel!!!

Here is the original of this little cutie for today's "Fix-It" Friday at I ♥ Faces!And here is my version........
My idea was to try and make it look more like a sketch by changing to black and white with a slight sepia effect then dodging most of the shadows. Boosted the contrast a bit and used the burn tool to darken the lashes. Then cropped. Edited in PS4.
For more please visit I♥Faces here!

Thank you for stopping by and have a great Friday!

A new Life....................A new mother..........and father.......new grandparents.....
and new uncles.........and aunts.....nieces and nephews...
A new life is born...little baby Aedan Blake....
A new reason for a grateful heart!

We love you guys! ♥

....something pretty from my yard! ♥

The invasion continues..............today we find even more varieties of mushrooms on the homestead.....one actually resembles a small chinese umbrella....

Fun⋅gi

–noun

1.

any of a diverse group of eukaryotic single-celled or multinucleate organisms that live by decomposing and absorbing the organic material in which they grow, comprising the mushrooms, molds, mildews, smuts, rusts, and yeasts, and classified in the kingdom Fungi or, in some classification systems, in the division Fungi (Thallophyta) of the kingdom Plantae.

2.	Pathology. a spongy, abnormal growth, as granulation tissue formed in a wound.

sing. fungus Plantlike organisms lacking chlorophyll, such as mushrooms, molds, yeasts, and mildews. Modern biologists tend to place fungi in their own kingdom, not in the plant kingdom, because they get their nutrients from other living things (or from the remains of living things that have died) rather than from photosynthesis.


While taking the girls out for their morning "business" we found we were being invaded by a variety of creepy mushroooooms...
Fungi......a funny word....and imagine......a Kingdom all their own........

Last week hubby and I decided to visit one of our favorite stores. Our normal visit to Whole Foods usually requires a 2 hour drive South to Sarasota. But the rewards are great and worth it.

Usually we go on a Saturday as the "Saturday Market" is full of the best fresh fruits and vegetables around, the arts and crafts from the locals always leaves you wanting something to take home, and the music and fanfare is lively with interesting colorful people. People stroll the streets with their dogs....cafe tables surround a water fountain lining the storefront for people to enjoy the outdoors. The store is massive and the employees are some of the happiest people around.

So on this day having recently discovered the opening of one just an hour from us, we decided to make the trip.

Arriving we were a bit taken back as it's location was very industrialized and felt more like a warehouse then our beloved Sarasota store. Cafe tables surrounded by nothing but parking lots......Two stories of parking lots, in fact. No music, no tempting fruits stands or homemade goodies....no handcrafted purses, no puppies strolling with their master's........just ice cold cement......everywhere........

Entering the store, as expected, the flowers that greet you are just bursting with color......vibrant pinks, yellows, scarlets, every color imaginable.....

Hubby's first stop, as always, is the meat market.......so I busy myself snapping pictures of all the pretty flowers........100 snaps or so later I move on to the fresh produce.....

Now, I don't know if it's something about organic fruits and veggies, or if Whole Foods just has an incredible knack at displaying their goods......but everything just pops with color.

Before I even get as far as selecting my next victim for my little photo shoot.....perhaps that succulent ruby red tomato.......or that stack of golden sweet potatoes that resemble an Egyptian pyramid...I am confronted by a salesman who asks if I am one of their vendors. Hmmmmm....that's a new line.....never heard that one before....a bit odd....I tell him "no".....and he goes on to tell me that I am not allowed to take photographs in their store. That it is against store policy.

Really???? Well, at first I thought he was joking, but soon realized he was quite serious.
I'm like......"you're just a grocery store, you're not a bank....a government building, the FBI or CIA........you sell food...where's the harm....what's the threat......"

Stunned by his request I carry on through the isles searching for hubby, wondering....what has become of us!

So ok, I can see if I was taking pictures of their alarm system, or their office.....or all the exit doors........but it was obvious I wasn't...................I was taking pictures of flowers.......minding my own business.

And how many people walk into public places with cameras....or at the very least one on their cell phones......if someone wanted to "case the joint" there would be no telling..........

This incidence is a flash back to a recent time at Amscot when I went for a money order........the lady asked me what the money was being used for........"What....excuse me?"

She goes on to explain that as part of the Patriot Act they are required to obtain that information from their customers. After recovering from disbelief and refusing simply based on principal she brings over the manager who politely hands me a pamphlet that discusses their policy and how it relates to the safety of our country.

Now seriously if someone came in and had any intention of wrong doing with transferring monies ect.....would they really be so honest as to divulge that information?

So I had the choice of telling them that all I needed was a money order to pay a simple bill.....that I haven't written a real check in a long time, with the discovery of online banking I barely even know where the checkbook is any more.

Instead I decided to take my business else where.......walked next door to Publix and bought the money order with no questions asked. Amazing..........

So back to Whole Foods....as a small gesture of protest, we buy this little goodie and eat in the cool atmosphere of their little outside cafe area and snap this picture.

But honestly, in all sincerity, there is little I wouldn't do to protect this great country I live in.........but to stop taking pictures of fruit just doesn't seem like one of the top 100 threats facing us today!

PS
If you ever find yourself in New York near Central Park, Columbus Circle, you will find the most amazing Whole Foods....EVER!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great Friday!!!

Another "Fix-it Friday" at I ♥ Faces.

OriginalAfter
For this version I desaturated and added contrast, then on a new layer I added Gaussian Blur and decreased opacity to 54%. Dodged the catch lights in the eyes to brighten up a bit, close cropped and slightly tilted the photo.
For more, please visit I ♥ Faces here!
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Spent another fun morning at Busch Gardens. Karl and I love strolling the park.

The beautiful grounds.......lush foliage......amazing animals.........crazy roller coasters with death defying twists and turns......the shops.....and the smell of oak on the BBQ preparing for all the hungry folks that show up midday.....

Early morning has always been our favorite time to go as the sun is still sitting on the horizon....the park is less populated, and the animals are out enjoying breakfast and getting their morning exercise before the heat sets in.

These tigers always make for great photo opportunities......the 2 foot thick plexi-glass walls separating us from these beautiful creatures are barely visible to the camera.
In this photo we could have touched noses!Shops offering fun items from stuffed animals to imported wood carvings from far away places.Flowers of every color......towering bamboo.......lush plush foliage wrapping around the entire park.......the beauty is breathtaking.In the glory of our escape to this wonderland, life carries on as Karl takes a moment to schedule work for the upcoming days.
Whooorahhh for work!!!! :)
At journeys end, a quick stop for lunch before leaving the park!
$3.99 lunch for two...........Life is good! :)
For more photos please visit Karl's gallery here and you can find my gallery here. Both a work in progress, much more to be added!

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by!

Please take a moment to visit Scrapstreet.com. You can become a part of their efforts to raise over 1000 cards for Cards for Heroes, supplying cards to our troops.
Karen Russell will also be giving away one spot in her much acclaimed online photography class to one lucky participant.

Here's my version of this beautiful little girl for today's "Fix-it" Friday at I ♥ Faces........
My 1st step was to add a bit of contrast and sharpening to the photo, then I added the texture "gravity" by Jesh de Rox to give it a painted look.....then erased much of the texture to the facial area....a touch of vignetting....and viola!
For more please click here
Before

After
Happy Friday everyone!!!

Before

After

Here is my version of today's photo challenge.
For this I used Lightroom and Photoshop.
I started by converting a copy of the photo to black and white and another to sepia. Then I layered the original and my 2 copies and changed the opacity to my liking.
I increased the green tones and decreased the exposure slightly.
I was trying for an aged look....
I pictured this cutie walking the streets of old Italy wearing knickers and kicking a rock down the paved street on a slightly drizzling day....
For more please visit I ♥ Face here.
Thank you for stopping by! Happy Friday!