Leora

Today’s Flowers: Sedum

sedum_small
I grow two types of sedum in front of my house. The one in the above photo is a low lying plant that I bought several years ago. I pulled out some plants growing next to this sedum in the spring, and this summer I was rewarded with these tiny pink flowers.

sedum_rudbeckia
This larger sedum plant I bought and planted in the early spring. You can see my yellow rudbeckia growing behind it.

sedum_upclose
Here’s an up close look at the sedum. I suppose they will get more pink and less green as fall approaches.

todays_flowers

Weekly Review with Wildflowers

Wildflowers near the pond at Howell Living History Farm in New Jersey
Wildflowers near the pond at Howell Living History Farm in New Jersey

Images from this Past Week

water_effect2 roberts_florals Chickens at Howell Living History Farm in Mercer County, New Jersey
Howell Living History Farm in Mercer County, New Jersey Middlesex County Fair at night, August 3, 2009 Twitter Bird Illustration 2009

Click on any thumbnail to visit the post.

Elsewhere in Blogosphere

  • Ilana-Davita tells us ten reasons to visit Italy, and she also gives ideas on how to keep kosher while traveling in Italy.
  • Like mother like daughter: the blog of Nadine, who is the mom of EllieVellie (Ellie tells me she translates the comments for her mother)
  • I do like design tutorials, especially ones that teach watercolor effects. The top one on this post looks nice, but then something about the graphic bothers me. I keep thinking it’s almost the Jewish month of Elul, and then it’s almost Rosh Hashana – “Teshuva, tfillah u’tsedaqa ma’aviren et roa’ ha-gezaira” (repentance, prayer and charity avert the evil decree) – obviously, the post was written by someone who has never been touched by a Rosh Hashana service. Read Jonathan Sacks on Teshuva, Tefilla and Tzedakah.
  • I just started reading this book Caspian Rain, book review by Jew Wishes.

Windows of Roberts Florals

Three Women Outside Roberts Florals in Highland Park, New Jersey
Three Women Outside Roberts Florals in Highland Park, New Jersey

These photos were taken in June at a Random Acts of Fun night on Raritan Avenue in Highland Park, New Jersey. Stores show off their wares in a fun way, and at this night there was a concert and face painting, too.

View of the window front of Roberts Florals in Highland Park, New Jersey
View of the window front of Roberts Florals in Highland Park, New Jersey

A friend once remarked you can buy flowers for cheap at the supermarket in Highland Park. Or you can buy a stunning, custom bouquet at Roberts Florals.

For more window views, visit:
window_views

Watercolor Effects on a Creek Walk

Watercolor Effect Applied to Photo of Girl Walking in Creek
Watercolor Effect Applied to Photo of Girl Walking in Creek

I took several photos of my daughter’s adventurous friend walking in the creek at Howell Farm in Mercer County, New Jersey.

Creek Walk with Colors, Photo taken in August 2009 at Howell Farm, New Jersey
Creek Walk with Colors, Photo taken in August 2009 at Howell Farm, New Jersey

Another version, cropped differently
Another version of the Walk in the Creek, cropped differently

To learn more about the watercolor effect, see the tutorial:
Super Cool Watercolor Effect in 10 steps in Photoshop.

For more watery photos, visit Watery Wednesday:
Watery Wednesday

Ruby Tuesday at Howell Farm

Chickens at Howell Living History Farm in Mercer County, New Jersey
Chickens at Howell Living History Farm in Mercer County, New Jersey

Doorway Marked with a 12 at Howell Farm in New Jersey
Doorway Marked with a 12 at Howell Farm in New Jersey

Each area of the farm to visit was marked on a tourist map with a number, and in those areas there was a subtle number marking the spot.

farm_vegetation
Does anyone know what kind of vegetation this is? I don’t think it’s swiss chard; the stems don’t look as coarse. Update: I have been informed by some of my readers (thank you, EGWow, Carletta and Jim) that these are beets. Jim says they need some fertilizer. I guess the farm folks are paying more attention to the animals than the garden.

For more posts with a little red or a lot of red, visit Ruby Tuesday:
rubyslippers

Washington Crossing and Howell Farm

Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, next to Delaware River
Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, next to Delaware River

Today we went to Howell Living History Farm in Lambertville, New Jersey, and after enjoying the chickens, horses, a sleepy cat and a corn-fetching dog, we went to Washington Crossing Historic Park. There are two Washington Crossing parks, one on the New Jersey side and one on the Pennsylvania side. Today we went to the Pennsylvania park, with its historic houses (which were all closed, disappointing the girls we had taken), the park that borders the Delaware River. We got to watch the end of the last screening of the day of “George Washington Crossing the Delaware.”

Howell Living History Farm in Mercer County, New Jersey
Howell Living History Farm in Mercer County, New Jersey

I took over 200 pictures, so I’m sure some more will be showing up on the blog soon.

Summer Stock at the Fair

Middlesex County Fair at night, August 3, 2009
Middlesex County Fair at night, August 3, 2009

Yes, more photos from the Middlesex County Fair: night shots capture action and light.

fair_rides
I really don’t like going on the rides, but they are fun to photograph. This photo was taken just a few hours earlier than the one above.

fair_colored
Dhaval thought my sepia photo of the fair was still a bit gloomy, so I added back in a bit more of the colors from the fair. Then I took the sky out of sepia mode, so now it’s really the cars alone that get the sepia treatment.

For more Summer Stock Sunday, visit Robin’s Around the Island.

Fireworks at the Fair

Fireworks at Middlesex County Fair, August 3, 2009 (Opening Night)
Fireworks at Middlesex County Fair, August 3, 2009 (Opening Night)

I wish I had read Mason Resnick’s post on Fireworks Photography Basics before going to the fair. And I also wish I knew how to use the continuous shooting mode on my camera inside and out, instead of trying to hunt for it in the dark and running out of time. Maybe next by July 4th I’ll be prepared.

Mason writes:

Exposure tips

Aperture: Most photographers use ISO 100 and an aperture of between f/8 and f/16. The smaller aperture intensifies the colors of the fireworks and prevents overexposure. Experiment and see how the different aperture setting changes the look of your image.

Shutter speed: Use your camera’s “B” (bulb) setting. Start your exposure at the moment the burst begins, and end it when the burst reaches its peak. How long is long enough? For a single blast, a second or two should be sufficient.

Some photographers leave their camera on B and block the lens until there’s a burst, and repeating the process over several bursts. This results in a multiple exposure that can fill the frame with fireworks. Read more.

For more photos of the sky, visit Skywatch Friday:

Sky Watch Friday
Sky Watch Friday

Middlesex County Fair in Sepia

Middlesex County Fair, August 3, 2009 - Opening Day
Middlesex County Fair, August 3, 2009 - Opening Day

The Middlesex County Fair in East Brunswick, New Jersey had its opening day on Monday, August 3, and we had the fun of attending. I found this photo rather dull, so I decided to convert it to sepia (desaturated it then added yellow and tiny bit of red back in). To bring back just the fun colors of the fair, I colored over some areas with the history brush.

For more sepia photos, visit:
sepia_kitty

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