Cream of the Crop

My favorite Daylily, Auburn, California

As with all of the other Daylily photos I have posted, I don’t know the actual name of this one either. But, I can tell you that it is my favorite. It will also be the last one to bloom.

I may post a couple more variations of this one in the next few days, since it is my favorite.

Please check back later. Also, if you happen to know the name of it, please let my other readers and I know, by leaving a comment below. Thanks.

Happy 4th of July

United States of America Flag

Happy 4th of July everyone. This day brings back lots of very fond memories, growing up in the East Foothills of San Jose, California. We always had family and friends over for a big BBQ, which as I recall included tons of corn on the cob, potatoe salad and homemade ice cream. Read more »

Kayak Spin

Peg Challender kayaking on Lake Clementine, Auburn, California

Put a new “spin” on an old subject, by using PhotoShop’s ”Radial Blur” filter. I set this one at #4.

Try it, you might like it!

Please visit our Kayaking Stock Photo Gallery to see more of our kayaking photos, or our Auburn Stock Photo Gallery to see more photos of Auburn, California.

Before & After

Lone Oak Tree #1, Auburn, California

There is an excellent write-up on Black Star Rising, that gave me the idea for this post.

Often, some of our images don’t make the cut for one reason or another, but we hang on to them anyway. 

That was the case with this shot. It was taken years ago with a little 3.0 MP digicam that was given to me. In fact, I took quite a few shots on this camera that I really love, but can’t do much with.

The write-up on Black Star Rising got me to go back and take another look at some of my really old stuff once again.

For years, I wanted a photo of this tree. It stands out like a sore thumb on Foresthill Road, just outside of Auburn. Unfortunately, when I did finally get a shot of it, it was with the wrong camera.

Lone Oak Tree #2, used Poster Edges Filter and increased the saturation.

I decided to play around with this shot in PhotoShop to see what I could come up with. Since the quality of the original isn’t good enough to use for large prints, or most publication purposes, I decided to use my favorite creative filter, Poster Edges, to give it the look of a painting. By doing so, I may be able to at least make a decent print of it. I really like the way it turned out. I have done this with other shots that almost got tossed, such as this one of the deer.

Photo Tip - don’t throw a photo away just because it doesn’t make the final cut. If it has some redeaming quality about it, try a little experimentation.

By the way, I will return to this old Lone Oak Tree in the future with my professional camera. I know that it’s days are numbered and I want to capture a great shot of it before it’s too late!
  

Western States 100 Endurance Race - It’s a “No Go!”

Ann Trason (Women’s Division Recordholder and winner of the WS 100 11 times) with her pacer, crossing the American River at the 78-mile checkpoint.

In case you haven’t heard, California is on fire. In Northern California alone, an estimated 200,000 square miles have already burned. Most of the several hundred fires burning are due to the several thousand lightening strikes from earlier this week. Read more »

Party in the Park IX

  
The Tosh Meets Marley Band, Regional Park, Auburn, California

Despite scorching hot weather and ongoing technical problems, the Tosh Meets Marley Band put on one h**l of a show Friday night, at the Regional Park in Auburn. There was an estimated 3,000 party goers at this ”Free” annual event, put on by the Auburn Recreation District (ARD).
 
Read more »

Purple Daylily 2

Purple Daylily on my deck #2

Believe it or not, this is the same Daylily plant I featured in my last post. 

Which one do you prefer?

Purple Daylily

Purple Daylily on my deck, Auburn, California

For this one, I decided to use one of PhotoShop’s creative filters, Poster Edges to give this shot a more artsy look. I also wanted it to look like it had been rained on, so I added the water drops. 

Some of my nature photographer friends won’t like it, because it’s not a true nature photo. But, that’s okay. You can’t please everyone.

I don’t know the actual name of this Daylily either. When I bought it from the gal at the Auburn Garden Club plant sale, it had the name written on the pot. But, when I transplanted it, the name got away from me.

If anyone knows the name of this one, please let me know by leaving a comment. Thank you!

Happy Father’s Day!

Jeff relaxing on our deck, Auburn, California

There are so many things we could do today to celebrate Father’s Day. But, most likely it will be spent at home listening to the live broadcast of the annual Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley on KVMR, our local radio station.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Jeff is not really a Father. We only have a dog. But, that’s a good enough excuse to take the day off anyway, for a little rest and relaxation.

Happy Father’s Day to all the father’s out there, even if all you have are dogs!

Orange Daylily

Orange Daylily on my deck, Auburn, California

Right now, I seem to have become obsessed with my Daylilies. They are really putting on a great show this year. This is the first season I have actually photographed them.

I don’t know what the actual name for this Daylily is. Perhaps someone with more experience than me can post the name of it in the comments section. That would be great!

My Daylilies will be blooming for awhile longer and I will be posting more photos of them. Be sure to check back soon!