Get Ready California

Batten down the hatches, hide the valuables, ect., ect., your truely is coming to San Francisco. Yep this September the husband has a convention there and I'm coming along.  Soooo, I was wondering if I could meet some of you guys for lunch?  Let me know,ok.

We Had Winter For Two Days

I guess it was fun while it lasted.  The horses seemed to be having a blast.  Once again, Joe Camp, you are proven right.

Have a lovely week.

Who Knew?

I was showing my "baby book" to a riding clinician whose clinic I had photographed.  The book obviously included this picture.  He took one look at it and stopped dead in his tracks.  He went back to it three or four times. He said, "she's going to be a palomino, right?  I said yes.  And being the bragging sort that I am when it comes to her, I added, "and you should see her spin.  Tom showed her how to do it once on a lead line and she loves it.

Well folks he turned to me and said, "Would you mind emailing me this picture?  A friend of mine is one of the top reining trainers in the country and I know he'd like to see this and don't be surprised if you get a phone call.

"She is not for sale." I quickly said.  No, no and no.

But as I was driving away, I thought about the owner of the Arabian I used to exercise.  He had a foal, who at five months could jump a four foot fence. I just about had a heart attack the first time I saw her do it.  I went to the owner and said, "You know with that kind of talent and natural ability, you really should send her, when she's older, to someone who could make the most of her.  Give her a job she will love and excel at. He looked at me, and said, "Maia she was born on this farm and she will die on this farm."  The last time I saw her, she was close to seventeen hands and a beautiful paint.  She was also bored out of her mind.

I know I don't have to do anything today, but I suspect the time will come when I will.  I was sort of hoping we could both learn western dressage. But you never know.

PS:  If I were starting out with photo editing software I'd buy Photoshop Elements and the book PS Elements for Digital Photographers.

Photography Lesson - Actions

Actions are tools that you use in processing.  The ones I'm going to talk about here, The Essentials Set from Paint the Moon, can be used with both Photoshop and Elements; and will make a huge difference in your shots with just a few clicks of the mouse. 

Here we have a shot I took at a recent clinic.  It was shot in raw and isn't too bad.  A little dark, but it's alright.

The composition is good and everything is in focus.  Now watch what happens when I use the "Punch it Up" action from the Essentials Set.

Now we're getting there, but still it could be a bit better.  So I'm going to use the "Luxe Color Boost" action.



To do this took me all of five minutes.  Without the actions, it might have taken me hours. 

Now let's go outside.

Our original.

Once again, not too bad. Interesting composition.  In focus.  But I think it's a little too blue.  So I'm going to use the "Warm it Up" action.

Hmm, getting there, so I'm going to use the "Paint on Vibrant Color" action and lower the layer opacity to about 30%.

Now I like it. 

This action set costs $45 and will make a world of difference in your pictures.  They load right into Photoshop and I'm guessing they load right in to Elements as well.  Now I can just hear you guys thinking to yourselves, "Actions, Smacktions, Maia would you please speak English.  I have no idea what you are trying to tell me here.  The Paint the Moon website has great tutorials which will explain exactly what an action is, what a layer is, and how to use them.  Do yourselves a favor and take a look. You won't be sorry.







When The Moon Hits Your Eye ...

(PICTURES COMING SOON)

Squigg:  "There she is folks.  Isn't she beeutiful."  Sigh. "Her eyes the color of a summer sky.  Each little whisker perfection."

Dweezil sticking claw down throat making gagging noises.

"Everyday I try to visit her.  I could spend hours just gazing at her loveliness."

More gagging noises.

"At least once a week I try to drop off a little present.."

Dweezil interrupting:  "Ah yes, a nosegay of deceased rodents, just the thoughtful gift every young lady wants to receive."  Hmm," tapping claws against cheek.  " Doesn't each nasty little corpse have a special meaning? Oh yes, I have it now., it's ratties for remembrance.  Or more likely in her case, mousies for misgivings might be more apropos. He thought for a minute and then finished with, "See a hare? Do beware."

Squigg laying ears back and looking annoyed.

Clippity clop, "Hi cats, it's me Jolie. Guess what I learned how to do?  Wanna guess, wanna guess?"

Dweezil: "Ignore it and it might go away."

"I can crisscross my front feet while turning, here I go." Jolie says pivoting around. "Well cats wasn't that the coolest thing ever."

Squigg:  "It's time somebody taught you some manners, missy. "It's Mr cats."

Dweezil:  "Why to I have to keep correcting everybody? It's Sir Dweezil and Mr. Squiggman.  I would think by now we would all understand these very clear social distinctions."

Sqigg: "Why do you get to be Sir Dweezil.  Aren't you the one who was born in a barn, while I was born in the lap of luxury, the adored only son of ...

Dweezil: "A woman of the streets and god only knows who."

Sqigg laying ears flat back and switching tail. "Don't you insult my mother.."

Jolie contemplating things:  "I know what a woman is and I know what a street is.  What to you get if you put the woman on the street."

Dweezil rolling, beating paws on the ground, holding stomach and laughing his head off, "snort, cackle, this is too good. If you put a woman on the street what you get is.."

Smack, swat,  smack, smack smack.

Jolie, jumping up and down :  Oh a fight, fight, fight.

Maia:  That's it! Stop this fighting immediately.

Jolie:  What would you be, if you went out on the street Maia?  I don't think it's possible for you to be Squigg's mother.Would you turn into another lady cat?"

Maia: "Enough. Jolie, stop this ridiculous line of conversation this minute. Sqigg, Dweezil, shake paws and stop fighting right now.  What is it with you two?  Why is it whenever I let you post something it always turns into this?  First we had perverted boy coyotes and hairdos down there.  Now we have nosegays of dead rodents and street walkers. I am mortified. Mortified, I tell you.  Sigh, what am I doing wrong.

The animals heads down start slinking away, except for Squigg who turns his head and whispers, "Sir Squiggman here. I think we all realize which one of us brought up nosegays of dead rodents and street walkers.  The lowlife who was born in a barn."

My Intentions

My online bud, the California Cowgirl posted some of her intentions for the new year.  Here are some of mine.

1. You're going to see and hear more of me.  I have several posts plotted out but unwritten.

2.  See #1.  I think I need to post a few more photography lessons.  From what I've been seeing you guys really need to understand where the sweet spot is.  Hello this is a photography class, not an X rated film.

3.  I intend to promote myself more.

4. I need to take time out to just be. I've been far to busy being busy.

5. I need to connect on a regular basis with my friends and family.

6. I think I need to redesign this blog. The music is boring me, God only knows what it's doing to you.

7. I will diet and exercise. I will I will I will.

8. Oh yes, now that I'm dragged into it kicking and screaming, I will try to be more tolerant of our US criminal justice system. I am going back to court in January.  If I could only find that prescription pad and burn it. Oh well.

9.  Howard Street has been quiet lately, but that doesn't mean the loons are gone. I don't think this counts as an intention, maybe it should be counted as an addendum to point 1.  Say point 1c. (Rereading this point 8 should be point 1b or maybe we're at point 1..a..27)

Have the Happiest New Year.  We were going to go away, but Tommy went to see War Horse and now he's so depressed, he just wants to stay at home.   I, personally, have no intention of seeing it.  I remember Bambi, Dumbo and ET.  There are certain movies I know better than to go see.  If any of ya'll go, I'll be interested in your reaction. 

This isn't a cheery ending.  So pooh on that. We are all going to have a lovely year and that's my last word on the subject.

Day in Court - 2

Well this happy trip into the US justice system was the polar opposite of my previous experience. First of all the defendants, for the most part, did not look like solid citizens who through no fault of their own ended up in court. Nope, they looked like they crawled out from under rocks, slithered out of flop houses, or wandered in after a lifetime spent on the street.  It was almost as if they were in a contest to see who could be nominated the dirtiest, smelliest and most pitiful person there. And, none of them had an attorney, public defender or otherwise.

The judge was also different.  The judge before was bored, but respectful.  This guy came across like some unhappy combination of the Queen of Hearts and the stereotypical wild west hanging judge.  The first thing he did after entering the courtroom was bang down the gavel and scream that if he saw or heard a cellphone, the owner of said cell phone was off to jail in contempt of court.

Then he called the names of several people in the courtroom and asked them to come up to the bench.  They came forward to see if they could get out of their charges.  One by one they told their pitiful story and after each tale was told, the judge slammed down the gavel and screamed denied.  Somewhere around the third or fourth sorry soul, he squinched up his eyes and stared out into the room.  "Was that a sound I heard out of one you?" he sneered.  "The next one of you who opens his or her mouth, is on their way to jail in contempt of court."

Now I believe it was the fifth or sixth loser, who stumbled up on two canes, carrying a canister of oxygen.  It seems she had been caught in possession of a large amount of marijuana.  "I'm a very sick woman, Your Honor," she wheezed. "Do I look like the sort of person who could smoke a large amount of marijuana?

"You don't need to be the smoker, to be in possession," he said, "DENIED."

Now if I was a member of this miserable and dwindling group, I think it would be occurring to me that this was a real losing proposition and my best course of action would be to tell the state's attorney I wanted a jury trial and find an attorney any attorney.  The odds had to be better.

But no,  they each stumbled up and told why they were innocent and each one was denied.

After about two hours of having all of this fun, my new best friend, came up and told me that the defendant wanted a jury trial and I was free to go.  So roasting, this courtroom was hot and yes coming down with another migraine I left.

Well, gentle readers, this the case of the stolen prescription pad, and the pages that were sold from it.   So, there very well could be more fun days in court to come.