3 Quarters Today

My Life, my photography, my passions

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Day 133/365: Macro View of a Daffodil

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Day 133: A Macro View of a Flower

I’m taking more pictures of daffodils that I intended, but this macro was just too good for me not to post. I only have a Fuji S1500 camera, sometimes  the macro sometimes decides to work,  other times not. I haven’t figured out why yet. I did change the focus setting to continuous rather than digital and I am getting better results.

Photoshop editing: Pretty much straight out of camera (SOOC), I looked at the before and after and there isn’t much difference. I sharpened the flower stamens and edges of the bloom, placed a drop shadow and that was all I did.

Day 132/365: Riding a Motorcycle, a Bucket List Item

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Day 132: I rode a Harley

I rode a Harley! Now I can check that off my bucket list. My daughter and I went over a friends house in Omaha this past weekend and had some girl time, some girl chat, and some laughs. Then Kelley’s husband took Jen and I for a ride on his Harley.  I’ve always wanted to ride a motorcycle, thought it would be cool, and it was simply AWESOME!!

Day 131/365: Magnolia Tree Blooms in Spring

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My spring flowers continue, I’m so happy it’s spring, color is starting to peak out from their buds and this magnolia tree was just starting to bloom. Five out of the next seven days will be of flowers and blooms. Every year I venture out to this tree to take photographs of the buds in full bloom, but magnolia trees are persnickety. The petals fall off so fast and if we get a strong wind, which in Nebraska we often do, they blow off before I get a chance. But this year it’s going to happen. I will have my camera at the ready.

Magnolia tree flowers in spring
Day 131: Flowering trees

So glad I started this 365 Project, gives me a reason, or an excuse some may say to take pictures without guilt every day. If you have a favorite Magnolia tree I’d love to see the photos. I love spring, flowering trees give me such hope for the future and the season ahead. I’m really a warm weather person and when the Magnolia trees start blooming then I know summer isn’t far behind.

More Articles on Magnolia Trees

Gardening: Hellebores signal spring gardening season

While many branches are bare and most soil is frozen, you’ll enjoy signs of spring when you plant winter-blooming Hellebores. “My Hellebore garden is right outside my back door, a 20-foot round bed beneath the largest tulip magnolia tree many have ever …
Plan Kindergarten: Trim A Magnolia Tree

A magnolia tree is a beautiful tree. The magnolia blossoms add to the beauty. The aroma permeates the air when the magnolia tree is in full bloom. It is better to move the magnolia tree than it is to trim it, but if you find that you …
Horticultural therapy enriches lives of people with dementia and disabilities

“We have a magnolia tree with big blooms. He smelled the bloom and said, ‘You know my grandmother was the best gardener ever. She could have laid a rock on the ground, and it would have grown.’ The power of the fragrance from the blossom connected …
 

 

 

Day 130/365: Spring Elementary Carnival

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Carnival Games: Put your ticket on a color, roll the die. Match you win!

It’s spring time and therefore the annual Elmwood-Murdock Elementary Spring Carnival. Student, parents and relative purchase tickets that can be redeemed for games, food, raffle drawings, jump houses and the very popular cake walk.

Although there is only a little over 200 students in the K-6 school at least twice that many attend the carnival. Kids everywhere, making a “joyful” noise. It makes you appreciate teachers. Thousands of dollars are raised that go back to the classrooms for supplies, trips, and other needed items for the students and teachers.

Although my kids are far removed from elementary school the high school cheerleaders had a fundraising table. Since my daughter was at State FBLA conference I took her place. Just knew my photo of the day would come from the carnival.

I worked in the ticket redemption center where little first graders agonized over prizes worth one ticket a piece, a 6 inch back scratcher or a sticky alien man. Boy, to go back to when those decisions were the only ones I had to make. The grand prizes were large stuffed animals worth 330 tickets, and yes it was normally the 5th or 6th grade boys. Over the years they had figured out the game system. Everyone had fun, I think, it was hard to tell by looking at some of the parents.

Day 129/265: My New Car, People and Pet Friendly

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After ten years of driving Subaru Outbacks I wanted something a little bigger. You see my fiancee is over 6’4″ and an ex-defensive lineman, so a smaller car is not very comfortable. But I was spoiled by driving a Subaru which was all wheel drive.

My goal was to find a smaller domestic 4×4 SUV that got good gas mileage. I live in Nebraska, you might have seen a little of our winters, and I didn’t feel comfortable driving a 2WD. So after doing my research on www.fueleconomy.gov I decided that my decision was a Ford Escape. Isn’t she pretty?

2001 Ford Escape

I searched all over the internet for a good deal on a pre-owned car. I had a price range where I wanted to stay and expectations on mileage. Sometimes you just have to throw that out the window when you find a good deal. This 2001 Escape had just been detailed and pictures were just uploaded onto the internet when I saw it. Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time.

Facts: Baxter Jeep Dodge, Omaha (ask for Kenny), 2001 Ford Escape XLS, 69,291 miles, asking $8,950

I knew from all my searches that for an Escape in that price range I wouldn’t be able to find with less than 120,000 miles. I had spent hours looking at other Escapes in the area and none were in this good of shape or as clean. But I had to bargain, and I did, hard. After several hours of deliberation we settled on $7,995.

After driving it to Des Moines the next day it got 22-24 mpg on the highway, not bad for the size vehicle. My Subaru consistently got 25 mpg.

So I drove it off the lot that night. One of the first things I did was buy a Dog Pet Barrier for the back. Although I used a Kurgo dog zip-line I didn’t want anymore dog hair in the back seat.  Below is the day I installed it and we went to the park to enjoy the sun and a good book.

Day 129: Off the the park!

 

My Favorite Dog Travel Products

Brody has ridden many miles with me back and forth to Lincoln and considering the hyper dog that he is this wouldn’t of been possible without the award-winning dog travel products from Kurgo. I highly recommend them

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