Photo Collage - learning

Well, I don't give up easily but I do get frustrated! I have spent hours trying to create a collage in Picasa. The photo tray, the collage button - couldn't find any of it. Finally decided to reload Picasa (version 3.6) and suddenly - there it all was.

It did scare me that it uploaded all my photos in iPhoto to Picasa. Should I be worried about this? I read that if you delete a folder in Picasa it deletes it from your computer. On the other hand, I had been worried that my photos were not backed up and this can serve as a back up. Any opinions? It feels a little like losing control.

I kept the resolution for the collage photos at 180, yet Picasa made the finished product 96 dpi. The collage does not look as clear as my regular photos which are 100 dpi. Does anyone know why? When you click on it to enlarge, then it looks clear.

Thank you all for your suggestions in the comments. I appreciate the help!!

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Winter Woods

I am joining Mary at the Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. I have made two mosaics in the past, but I have to admit, I forgot how I did it!!! So I am learning again. Had trouble with the Picasa instructions on creating a collage. Oh, I wish I had a friend to call on for this kind of thing! So started in Google and found Smilebox.com. I'm using the free basic version. This is my first attempt. There is much more to learn. But - here it is!

What do y'all use? How do you get your photos so large, clear and bright? This photo is 150 dpi. Is that enough?

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Evening Sky

We have had a lovely sunny, warm day after a deluge last night. I took my new camera into the woods to explore what my macro setting can do. There was so much to see - mossy rocks, interesting dried leaves, vines growing up tree trunks, tiny mushrooms and twisting tree roots. The sky started to cloud over; our next storm is moving in. This shot of the evening sky is the last one I made before coming in for the night.

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Red Spoon - Simple Pleasures

I'm joining Claudia at "Friday - Finding Beauty."

For Christmas, Santa put a large red spoon in my stocking. I finally threw away my favorite spoon that was so chipped, it left people wondering if the chipped pieces were in the spaghetti sauce they were eating! Well, I love my red spoon so much (knowing where Santa shopped) I went to Dollar Tree and bought another spoon and a spatula. Don't they look lovely! And the cyclamen I bought in CT this summer is blooming again. Isn't that red an exact match? My kitchen is small but it certainly is cheery!

This photo was taken with my new Christmas Camera! Thanks kids! I'm lovin' it!

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Favorite Quotes

I Feel Bad About My Neck
Nora Ephron

"But if the events of the last few years have taught me anything, it's that I'm going to feel like an idiot if I die tomorrow and I skimped on bath oil today."

Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Janet Evanovich

"And then I had to decide if I needed to wear shoes that kicked ass or were good for ass kicking, on account of there's a difference, you know"


A Body to Die For
G. A. McKevett

“ ‘Amazing what six thousand calories can do to perk up a body’s system,’ Savannah said ....”

“........she flipped down the visor mirror, ran a brush through her hair, and checked the bags under her eyes. They were now officially big enough that, if she were flying, the airlines would charge her extra to bring them aboard.”

“I said I was sorry and you forgave me.”
“Forgiving’s one thing. Forgetting’s another.”


Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof
Blaize Clement

“That’s the neat thing about cats. You can be feeling like yesterday’s cold oatmeal, and the sound of a cat’s purring just because you’re there makes you feel like you might be worth something after all.”

“Paco and Ella (a cat) have an agreement - if she sits politely and keeps her paws off the table, she’s allowed to adore her men from a bar stool. I know some human females who operate under the same rule.”


To The Nines
Janet Evanovich

"His hair was dark and his eyes were dark and he looked like he frequently traveled through places where men's hearts were dark."

"The sky was murky above me and I felt the rasp of ozone in the back of my throat. As the day wore on cars, chemical plants, and backyard barbecues would make their contribution to the stew that cooked over Jersey. Fancy-pants wimps in L.A. rated their pollution and curtailed activity. In Jersey we just call it air and get on with life. If you're born in Jersey, you know how to rise to a challenge. Bring on the Mob. Bring on bad air. Bring on taxes and obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and macaroni at every meal. Nothing defeats us in Jersey."

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That's My Boy!! The Los Angeles Times Entertainment Section!

Yes, this is my son, Kevin, on the Los Angeles Times Entertainment section! "Whisper House" is opening this month at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. Kevin plays the part of Lt. Rando, a Coast Guard officer.

Is this exciting, or what?!!!!!!!



"Whisper House" by Duncan Sheik may be purchased from Amazon.


Whisper House (Below)
(Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Lt. Rando (Kevin Hoffmann) breaks into dance.



Whisper House (Below)
(Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Lt. Rando (Kevin Hoffmann) orders lighthouse worker Yasuhiro (Arthur Acuna) to freeze. Yasuhiro, a Japanese American, is a person of suspicion to 11-year old Christopher, whose pilot father has been killed by the Japanese in World War II.


Whisper House (Below)
(Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Kevin Hoffmann (as Lt. Rando), from left, Mare Winningham (as Lilly) and Ted Koch (Charles, the sheriff) rehearse a scene.



The Los Angles Times, Entertainment Section, By John Horn

January 17, 2010

Reporting from San Diego - Duncan Sheik is a skeptic of the supernatural -- "I completely don't believe in ghosts," the singer-songwriter says. Yet if his new musical “Whisper House” is to succeed in its world premiere Thursday at the Old Globe Theatre, audiences -- not to mention some of the musical's characters -- will need to have faith in things that go bump in the night.

The musical unfolds in distinct but concurrent realms: the living (five inhabitants of a coastal Maine town) and the dead (two singing ghosts, and their seven-piece backup band). And there are three separate "Whisper House" time periods: The ghosts last drew breath in the early 20th century, the people in Maine are living in the 1940s, and the musicians could have been playing a gig last night at Club Nokia. If the show comes together, none of that should matter.

Recent history stands to benefit "Whisper House." "Spring Awakening," the 2006 theatrical love child of Frank Wedekind's late 19th century coming-of-age play and Sheik's modern ballads, not only swept the Tonys (eight wins, including best musical) but also proved that the sum of a classic text and contemporary melodies can actually be much greater than its outwardly dissonant parts.

"Whisper House" loosely follows that mash-up model, yet with a novel twist: The five "Whisper House" protagonists don't break into song. Instead, the new musical's choral complement is delivered by rock-and-rolling ghosts, who wander in and out of the action like ethereal intruders.....

The new production, with music and lyrics by Sheik and a book and lyrics by Kyle Jarrow, may unfold during World War II but owes its thematic inspiration to modern conflict and the paranoia it can incite. When the creative team assembled for the show's first read-through in mid-December, Jarrow stood before the cast and crew to say he saw "Whisper House" as being as much about orange threat-level alerts as anything else. ......

Modern living isn't intrinsic to "Whisper House," as the story unfolds in early 1942. Christopher (Eric Brent Zutty) is an 11-year-old boy whose pilot father was killed by the Japanese; his mother, devastated by grief, suffers a nervous breakdown. Christopher is accordingly dispatched to a Maine lighthouse run by his spinster aunt, Lilly ( Mare Winningham).

Lilly is assisted in her coastal endeavors by Yasuhiro (Arthur Acuña), a Japanese American of whom Christopher immediately becomes suspicious. Christopher's anxiety grows stronger as the show progresses, and he sees signs of treachery in what might be benign acts.

At the same time, Lilly reconsiders where her personal loyalties lie: to her cosseted, emotionally protected life or to those people around her who need (like a lighthouse, put another way) a beacon of guidance and protection.

As the threat of U-boat attacks intrudes on the ordinary isolation of the "Whisper House" lighthouse, so, too, do the show's ghosts. The shadowy musicians -- the wraithlike remains of a band whose steamer was dashed on nearby rocks in 1912 -- are led by two vocalists (David Poe and Holly Brook) who not only offer commentary on the on-stage action but also, like contemporary sirens belting out pop songs, try to lure the lighthouse's inhabitants to their own personal shipwrecks -- even suicide.

As the musical's opening song, the moody ballad "Better off Dead," has it: Release your heavy heart - Rest your weary head - When all the world's at war - It's better to be dead.

"Whisper House" presents unconventional staging on a number of levels. In "Spring Awakening," the songs by Sheik and Steven Sater served a different narrative purpose (articulating the characters' inner lives) and were performed by the principal cast; as with most musicals, the songs gave way to dialogue (and vice versa) about every five minutes. ......

At the same time, some of the "Whisper House" songs are performed as shadow plays in pantomimes projected on a translucent upstage screen, choreographed by Pilobolus Dance Theatre's Matt Kent, who collaborated with Poe on the dance troupe's recent “Shadowland” show.

What's more, the rules for the interaction between the dead and the living aren't always clear. Christopher can hear the ghosts' music, but even though Poe's crooning apparition blows out Yasuhiro's Zippo while he's trying to light a cigarette, it's ambiguous who can (and can't) discern the ghosts' physical presence. What's less vague is their role as they wander about the stage: They're gumming up the works, stoking paranoia.

"No matter what you do," the ghosts sing in the parable song "The Tale of Solomon Snell," "you'll never be safe." Or, in what Sheik and Jarrow say is a parroting of statements from the George W. Bush administration in the song "We're Here to Tell You": We're here to tell you - That all of this is real - And if you're terrified today - That's how you're supposed to feel (for real). .....

The Old Globe, which had been talking to Jarrow about another production, became the home for "Whisper House" after the Connecticut venue fell through. "We just think it's different and special and fragile and unique," Louis Spisto, the theater's chief executive officer and executive producer, told the cast and crew at the musical's first read-through. If the show succeeds in San Diego, a move to Broadway could be likely. "There are definitely parties interested in this," Spisto said.

But before there's any further talk of New York, Sheik, Jarrow, Askin and the show's cast and creative team worked to make sure "Whisper House" feels like a cohesive whole, not so many competing parts.

"That's what Duncan and I were most worried about," Jarrow says. "We didn't want it to be a play that pauses, and then there's a rock concert."

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Fun Christmas Gift

This is a book mark I made for my daughter for Christmas. She loves the ocean and subscribes to "Coastal Living" where I found this picture. And she loves to read. It seemed like a good gift for her.

I was surprised when I visited "The Old Post Road" and read "Now that's a good idea" and saw the picture of this bedroom and it reminded me of the bookmark. So I wanted to share my project with you.

Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite authors. Don't you love the quote I put on the bookmark? The picture seemed perfect!

Making bookmarks is fun. Last year I used pictures of my children when they were young and gave them each four bookmarks. I make it 2 inches wide by 6.5 tall with a resolution of 200. Then merge the layers and move the original onto a blank document 10.5 by 8.25. Four fit across the page perfectly. I print on cardstock and then using spray adhesive I put it on another sheet to make it stiffer. Then cut with a paper cutter for nice straight lines.

Oh, I forgot to say I do this in Photo Elements 6, a really great program. It takes a little studying to learn but it is well worth it. My son gave me "Photo Shop Elements 6: The Missing Manual." The book is a real help.

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House Hunting

I will be away for a few days, house hunting in Connecticut. If any one wants to buy a cute cottage on a lake in central Virginia, let me know!

We are trying the grand experiment and buying a house with our daughter and her husband (our son #4). We have lots in common and get along so well and even have fun together. Most importantly, the men root for the same sports teams!! So we are looking for a large house which lets out lots of cute houses like this one.

Located at 7 Old Town St, East Haddam (Hadlyme) Connecticut, this house was built in 1857 and is selling for $445,000. It is on 2.18 acres and has 1,556 square feet. The success of this house comes from not putting too much into it. I could never fit all my stuff in!

Isn't this perfectly adorable?

It looks so clean, fresh, bright and uncluttered!

And here is the bonus!

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Holiday Leftovers

My daughter brought this when she came for Christmas, saying I could give it a longer life than she could. (Her green thumb is some other color.) Already it was a leftover. And now, in the middle of January, it is really a leftover. Poinsettias are lovely before Christmas, but not so much after Christmas. I'm not a fan when they get leggy and scraggly as mine always do. Anyone have suggestions? I can't bring myself to murder it!

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Quack, it's cold!

Our "neighbors" don't seem to be minding the cold very much as you can see. This was taken from my front porch. (I don't have to work very hard to get my photos.) The creek going into the lake, as well as most of the lake, has a coating of ice. Not thick enough to skate on though. The geese seem to be congregating here on the creek and are very noisy in the evening. It sounds like a party.

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Squirrel Frustration!

Isn't it fun to watch squirrels? This little guy was determined to have a snack. His/her (and all the cousins) appetite is so huge we have had to purchase squirrel-proof feeders to see that the birds get something to eat!

"I can see it but I can't get it!! Almost - Darn!"

"Well, that was tiring."

You can see how much I love my new camera. It is a Cannon PowerShot SX10IS 10.0 Mega Pixel. These squirrel shots were taken through my living room window.

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Wildlife abounds!

This Mama deer brings her triplets into our yard to eat our azaleas. I don't think we will have many blooms this spring but it is more important that this family have enough to eat. We were so worried when hunting season started and we saw the triplets by themselves. But during our big snowstorm there they all were in our yard! What a lovely Christmas present! I took this shot today as they were headed toward the lake.

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A Camera for Christmas!

Christmas was wonderful here with three out of the four children home, along with two spouses. Everyone had done such thoughtful shopping and took pleasure in giving gifts. Of course, the receiving was pretty good too! My new Cannon camera with super zoom and macro setting is fantastic! So get set for lots of photos in the postings to come!

My cats Big Guy, Cindy and I took a walk on a nice day before the present cold spell set in. They are always ready for a walk. Do your cats like to go for a walk with you?

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White Christmas!

Who ever expected two feet of snow in Virginia? With temperatures in the thirties all week and the twenties at night, this is going to be here for a while. No sign of a snow plow today.

This is the chair on my back deck. This picture was made early in the day and it has snowed many inches since then!


The birds have flocked to the feeder. I threw some seed on top of the snow so more could eat at the same time. With the squirrels napping I was able to put the suet out and the woodpeckers were grateful. Isn't this bird cute all fluffed out?

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Cookie Bags

My daughter asked me to make some gift bags for her cookies to her friends. Of course I said yes. These are 8 1/2 inches wide by 10 inches tall. The plastic bag full of cookies can be slipped inside and the drawstring pulled. It makes a nice presentation.

I am mailing five bags to her!

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Special Tree

Isn't this tree fantastic? It is across the street from my house, near the creek. This is a good time of year to look at trees - to see their "bones" so to speak.

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A Relaxing Snowy Day

I did get up and go to work this morning. The rain was changing to snow and by the time I arrived in Orange, everything had turned white and the snow was really coming down. We decided there would not be enough business for me to be needed at Sherri's Shop. After a quick stop at the grocery store where the milk shelves were nearly empty, I headed home. In Virginia we always stock up on bread and milk when it snows even an inch!

At home, hubby, the cats and I settled in for a cozy day. Here is Big Guy doing his share!

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Back after a break.

Well, I have taken a little break from blogging. I had not intended to but I had craft projects to finish before I put away the mountain of craft supplies that I had strewn around the house. Then the house had to be cleaned and baking done. It was a wonderful holiday with three of my four children home, one with a wife of one year and one with a girlfriend.

I was saddened to learn that Cliff, the husband of Joanie, (My Blue Mountian Home) passed away.

Does anyone know what happened to Jane of The Thrifty Countryrwoman? Her blog is not online and I miss her.

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Fun at Home

This used to be my dining room table and will be again. I have so many projects going all at the same time that the work table in my craft room is full. Besides, it is cold down there, whereas upstairs I can cuddle up to the fire. In my defense, my craft work table is pretty full with a computer, scanner and printer. But I'm certain that I could fill any number of tables!

(My family shouldn't look at these photos! There are secrets here.) I am busy making Christmas presents and having a great time. Hubby agreed to take over the kitchen for a few days - well, actually two - but I'm hoping to stretch that by a few days. I helped him tie on his apron (he can't tie behind his back!) and he took the cookbook I created for the family last Christmas and cooked Porcupine Balls which just happen to be his favorite! Then he whipped up an apple crisp. A very successful supper. And I just kept on sewing!

You can see the makings for several projects on the table - potholders made in the string piecing method, wax for a leaf wreath (directions at Color Outside the Lines), a clay figure in the foreground, and a package of transfer paper.

Here is the close up of the potholders. Two finished and several more to go. I was lucky to have five red fabrics that went so well together. I used this to explain to hubby why I need to have such a large selection of fabric!

Isn't it nice to be surrounded by those you love on a cold November day? Hubby didn't want me to post his picture so filling in for him is "Paws."

You know how people are posting pictures of a cup of tea in a fancy cup with the fire in the background? Here is my version of that. My favorite mug with three yellow kitties like mine. Doesn't the one on the right look like "Big Guy"? See his picture in the right side bar and in the center of the mosaic below. It is the same bewildered look.

Another fun day! I think hubby is making macaroni and cheese tonight. He will need a little advice on that. What are you doing this gray November day?

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Mosaic Monday

This is Mosaic Monday sponsored by Little Red House. If you are new to making photo mosaics, click on the photo tutorial button and follow Mary's instructions. I warn you, there is a learning curve. I am not happy with my mosaic and one is not given the opportunity to change the arrangement of the pictures. I did learn that the first picture in the set (on Flickr) will be the center photo.

These are photos I took this fall in Virginia and Connecticut. The cat in the center is "Big Guy" who is lying at my feet as I type.

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PK's Jewelry Giveaway

PK at Room Remix is giving away a $ 75 dollar gift certificate to Stella and Dot. It is gorgeous jewelry and you will find something you love! Just follow the directions to sign up. The contest ends on Sunday. How about this lovely pearl necklace?

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Black & White Photo

This is my cat named, "Big Guy." As I left to do errands I glanced back and saw him lying in the leaves. He looked so cute I snapped his picture.

Look at the black and white photos at Maya's blog, Springtree Road.

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Fall Leaves Mosaic

Everyone has been posting beautiful mosaics and I have been so envious. Apparently my Photoshop Elements does not have an application for creating these. If I am wrong, and one of you knows how to create a mosaic in Elements, please let me know. After much searching, I found a free program on the internet called "Shape Collage." It was not easy to use and needs more study. If you know of an easy way to do this on a Mac, PLEASE let me know!!

These photos were all taken in my yard and two were actually snapped from my porch!

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Lane in the woods

This is the lane that leads to my house. Hard to tell there is a road there, isn't it? This is where I start my walks. Often a group of four deer leap across in front of me. It is a doe and her triplets, two boys and a girl.

Enjoy Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer.
Check out Dipity Road. Her photos are breathtaking!

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Happy Halloween!

Don't be afraid! It is only my cat "Paws" who is actually soft, sweet and orange - not scary at all.

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Trick or Treat!

"And ghost stories are the very best stories of all. The tale-teller speaks in a hushed voice that inspires shivers and shakes and half-frightened silences, whilst the conjured spirits lurk, listening, in the dark corners of the room. At last, the fire burns down, the cider is drunk up, and the storyteller and the audience creep off to bed, where they hurriedly say their prayers and pull the covers over their heads very fast, before the fairies or ghosts or trolls can come out of their corners and carry them off. "
From "The Tale of Applebeck Orchard" by Susan Wittig Albert

Doesn't everyone like a ghost story at Halloween, especially when it is told in the dark? There was no chance for the children to be frightened of Halloween Ghosties today because they Trick or Treated in daylight. Fifteen hundred children, plus parents, were expected on Main Street in Orange to fill their goodie bags.

Here are some of the costumed Trick or Treaters.

This pooch was dressed up but wanted to get so close to the camera that his outfit didn't show!

This squirrel needed a little help with "tail management."

And a good time was had by all!

Happy Halloween!

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Why did the Box Turtle cross the road?

Every summer B and I stop the car and remove turtles from the road. We save about twelve a year. They move so slowly that many of them get hit. Why can't people be careful and avoid them? Usually I move the turtle off the road in the direction he/she was going. When I approach the turtle he usually pulls his head in and closes up. Not this one! He put on a burst of speed and crossed the road by himself! You can see that he is actually blurred in the picture. I was lucky to have my camera with me.

Actually I think it is a she because of the height of the shell. Boys have a high dome shaped shell.
After she moved into the woods, she closed her shell and dismissed me.

Here is some information from a web site about Box Turtles.

"Box Turtles are some of the longest lived and slowest reproducing species in the world. Although still fairly common over much of their range, their future is uncertain. Box turtles are slow growing, have few young, and have exhibited delayed sexual maturity. These qualities make them particularly susceptible to damage due to human activities.

"Box turtles may also wander out of their isolated habitats into the matrix (the land used by humans), where they are particularly susceptible to accidental death due to humans. Each year countless box turtles are hit by cars or trains when they attempt to cross roads or railroads. Others are accidentally killed by lawn mowers, tractors, and farm equipment.

"Another concern is the capture of box turtles for the pet trade. The impact of taking turtles from the wild can be devastating to local populations. Over the span of their lifetime, female turtles will lay hundreds of eggs, but only 2-3 of these offspring will survive to adulthood. These offspring will eventually replace their elderly parents, allowing the population to remain at a stable size. But, if box turtles are taken from the wild to become pets, or are killed by human activities, they are removed from the overall breeding population, the number of offspring drops, and the overall population declines.

Additionally, box turtles have a homing instinct that causes them to try to return to the place of their birth if they are moved. As a result, when box turtles that have been taken as pets are returned to the wild, they will head straight for their natal grounds. This journey causes the turtles to encounter many dangers, such as roads, predators, and humans. For these reasons, if you are looking for a pet, you should try to find a captive-bred animal or consider a different pet."

If you see a turtle in the road, please help him/her get to the other side. But if it is a huge snapping turtle, "assist" it with a long stick or shovel.

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Rain, Sun & an Anniversary

We have had alternating rain and sun today. Everything looked so pretty with the sun on it. The wetness really brought out the color. It was warm (72) and breezy. The leaves were "raining" down. I kept thinking, "Don't fall, don't fall. I'm not ready for bare trees!"

This dogwood tree is about two feet from our dining room windows which are on the second floor on that side because of the daylight basement. So we look right out into the foliage. It is amusing to see the squirrels jump from the roof and land in the tree. They have been snacking on the nice red berries. Dining with us perhaps we can say! I leaned out from the porch and snapped this picture during our first rain of the day.


Here is a close up so you can see the water running off the roof. I was getting a little wet.

And then the sun came out! I took this picture from the other side of the porch.

Today is our 44th anniversary! It seems a long time ... and then it doesn't. It's sad that we forget so much of our lives, but I suppose our brain only has a certain amount of space. I wish I could remember every single minute. Sometimes when I look at B, I flash back and he looks, for a moment, like he did years ago. The same devil is in him and he says the most outrageous things! (No wonder my parents didn't know what to make of him.)

We've had some great times, a few sad times and lots of excitement with four children and now we've added two spouses. We remodeled many houses, drove from Maine to Georgia many times (Are we there yet? No, two more days!). Think of how many meals cooked and dishes washed. And how many "I love you's" have been said? (At least two a day by two people for 44 years! That is 64,240 I love you's! And, God willing, more to come!

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Need Your Advice!

Hello Blogging Friends,

I am learning how to do this Blog as I do most things - logic and trail and error. Not having friends who blog is a disadvantage as I have no one to ask about different features. I was clicking around to learn about my "Followers" and I came into Google Friends Connect. This was all new to me and I was hesitant to sign up. I always worry about getting into something I can't get out of. So can any of you inform me about what my duties are to my "Followers?" I didn't understand the advantages of Friends Connect and why there is the option to block people.

Many people mention their Blogging Friends and they seem to be planning things together online, like links and events. Is this done through Friends Connect? I really would appreciate some guidance! Thanks in advance.

Nancy

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