Tag Archives: PhotoOps

Flickr

Playing with new Flickr account

Playing with a new Flickr account. Took about 50 photos of mushrooms near our home. More are coming when I get this account set up the way I want it.

One thing will be to set up the Flickr template for ‘blog this’ to fit this here blog style/code a bit better.

What I intend to do, is post a lot of photos at Flickr, just post one here, and save bandwidth here.

Time will tell how it all works, but so far is smooth and seems like it could be a lot of fun!

This is a test.

[this didn’t transfer over very well and i haven’t used flickr in ages, will have to re do for WP]

Busy Busy Busy ..

Very little time at the town house with my computer and often that time is very tired time. I am starting to miss my more tech-self, I am yearning to learn new software programs like maybe redo my CreationsDreams.net site in www.drupal.org? I need to redo this blog as well and am debating with myself just which way to go.

Many of my web-friends are using pmachinePro, now that it is free, many have also gone to EE, www.expressionengine.com, which is not free. WP, www.wordpress.org, is very popular, but some how I don’t think I will go that way. [many years later and I did!]
Gallery 2 is now out, I started using Gallery 1 on my little EyeSee gallery, but never took it where I wanted it to go. I think I may turn this blog in to more of a photo gallery with commentary, don’t really know yet. Feels like I want to redo all my sites though, just need to start the process.

It would be good to feel passionate about this web stuff again, after the last years lull and focus on homesteading and home development, there’s less heaving lifting with web development 🙂

I just uninstalled an old Norton AntiVirus from the old W98 machine. I installed AVG Anti-virus and right now I am downloading the large virus definitions file. Then when my newer XP machine comes to the land with me, we will still be able to use the W98 for internet here in town. We haven’t connected with that machine for close to 2 years cuz of no protection.

I have had right hand thumb problems ever since I wood filled the plywood sub floor before we painted. It’s as if the extendor ligament is stretched to the limit (at night laying down trying to sleep, and really bad in the morning), I have to use my other hand to get it moving and then it is a bit stiff all day and sort of ‘popping’ out of its track, or so it seems. I started going to a chiropractor, knowing full well that I needed a full adjustment as it has been years since the last one, So she did all that and most felt better, but the thumb thing isn’t getting better, and its my typing / mouse thumb … yikes!

So Monday I go see a PT who every one raves about, and hopefully he will be able to tell me if this is fixable, or arthritis starting (oh I hope not!) This has been the other reason I haven’t spent the time I should at the computer this summer.

Once the moving of machines start, I will probably be ‘offline’ for a while. I pray our phone lines at the land aren’t as slow as many folks say. Just doesn’t seem like we can take on satellite internet just yet. I have been looking for an alternative to DirecWay, found Wild Blue, but they have no installers locally at all, and price seems to be the same. So what surfing I do will even be slower than here in town on dial up (44kbps). Guess I will add to the list of wants, needs, desires!! (along with Tivo, a pda, home theater surround sound, ipod or other mp3 player, good stereo speakers ……).

Oh, and yes, the house isn’t even near ‘done’ and there is no landscaping, outbuildings need to be created, water system needs major work.. and on and on it goes.

For my birthday though, this year, we bought a cd player for my new (10 year old) 4 Runner… a very nice Alpine which plays mp3s and wma files, and is set up to receive ipod or satellite radio. So it can grow with me. I was really getting tired of listening to old cassettes, although I found some keepers that I want to burn to cd, just need to find a cassette player and get the cords so I can transfer to this machine and clean up and burn.

Painted ‘Teresa’s Tan’ subfloor:

Many rounds of wood:

Some of the cords:

Faun, from the pregnant doe, Doey, who lives close by:

Finally.. a bit of time

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It’s been a long time since the last post – Sorry! We’ve been just so very busy.
The trip to visit family in Michigan (lawns and lawnmowers was a constant theme) was a good one.

Dad and Sue are good and everyone seems to be doing well.

We had a family gathering picnic at a quiet little lake:

We caught the fireworks:

It was very pleasant weather the first week or so, had a full on thunder and lighting storm which helped keep the temps down, then of course the last several days were 95 degrees with a 85% humidity!!! How can anyone live like that? Wiped me out totally.

The flight home was a bit strained, perhaps I will talk about that at a later time.

And when we got back to California, it had been in the 100s for a week and basically still is (2 weeks later). We have been working at the house as much as we can. I have half of the kitchen/dining/living room plywood sub floor wood filled in the nail holes and seams, I have bought the (ugh) oil based paint with polyurethane in it to paint it. So I need to finish the wood filling, sand, vac, and then paint..on a day that doesn’t get over 90 degrees! (This is a long hard job and have working at it for weeks.)

Any way, once it is painted, it is a washable surface! and I can start moving in the flea market furniture I bought last month and finding homes for things..and start the moving out of the ‘town-house-office’ scenario.

I have also spent a few hours trying to decipher both DirecTV and DishTV services, and Starband and DirecTWay… geez what a mess, but I think I will go with Dish for TV and use my current ISP on the funky phone lines at the house for awhile. If internet is too painfully slow I will look into one of the Satellite ISP’s then.

Me and Russel at the Fair parade in Michigan:

Yesterday was our 10th anniversary (15 years together).. we spent the day in Eureka to get out of the heat and shopped and ate and saw a great movie: Batman Returns.. check this one out, I liked it better than any of the past Batman movies, it was just full of great acting and story line.

And now, it’s getting ready to Reggae on the River time… next Thursday – Sunday.

I think we will go out to the house tonight and stay there until Sunday, next week will be full of Reggae and trips in and out the land, so this week end I hope to make great progress on my projects and Russel has been cutting and splitting wood for next season, and has lots more to do. Once I am at the land I never want to come into town. Once we have some entertainment like Dish TV and my computer there, well coming to town will be errand day and laundry and shopping and that’s about it.

Gotta go jump in Linda’s pool..it’s over 95 in the house in town right now.

Spring Garden

We have a small garden this year.. our peach trees in pots have peaches on them! The poppies are in full bloom, I’ll try and get a good picture of them. The sage and wild lilacs are fading.. but I planted a few marigolds and calendulas, as I just love the orange color:

May Aikido Retreat

Russel’s Aikido school, Mateel Aikido, had a retreat a few weeks ago. During that time several of his students tested for black belt ranks. I have several shots, most I am saving for their website (not quite ready for prime time yet, but soon).
This is one of my favorites:

Baby Bear

Last weekend late at night Russel heard a sound coming from the garden fence, using a big Mag Light he spotted a baby bear! I was so jealous that I wasn’t there to see it too… well look who strolled through our yard on Thursday:

We haven’t seen Mama Bear yet, but she must be close by. These were taken through the window, so they are not as clear as I had hoped.

We do live in the wilderness, it truly is a nature preserve 🙂

Living in the hills

It seems this has become a monthly blog of mostly pictures. I hope to some time soon update my gallery, EyeSee with more of them.

Not any real ‘news’ just juggling ‘town office’ and land home, trying to keep both stocked and clean in itself is a struggle.

We have started the process of putting in our solar-battery array-generator power system. Will have the first onsite consultation within a couple of weeks.

Here’s who’s been visiting lately:

All of these were taken through windows, so some contrasting and levels were used. I can’t seem to get a good picture of the raven pair — they are just to flightly, but I keep trying. There are about 3 more deer in this herd, who weren’t present. But there are always shots that got away…

Finally a new ride and spring delights

1995 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4×4, V6, manual – fully loaded and exceptionally clean in and out!! Wheeee… finally independence from sharing Russel’s work truck. I have been without a vehicle for 5 years. The 1971 VW bus runs, but doesn’t do the roads to our homestead well. So it became a town only ride and a rolling closet 🙂
I am really excited about this. Having my own vehicle that will take me where I want to go will really free me up.

Spring has come very early and very hot..80 degrees the last few days. We need more rain, but I am enjoying the nice weather too. Maybe we will have peaches this year!

I could tell you more boring homesteading stuff… like getting the pressure tank in line with the pressure pump so we will stop blowing out the pressure switch in the pump…stuff like that, there’s just days full of that sort of thing.

Living in the hills .. it’s like living in a wildlife refuge. I love it.

On My Beat

Living in the hills of southern Humboldt