Project avocado

I am beginning to have to think outside of the box when it comes to my next photo challenge.
I don't want to you be visually bored and I want new things to see through my lens as well.

So today as I was cutting my avacado for a midmorning snack I decided it would be the subject of my official photo blog of the day, and unofficial food blog of the day.
I really want to blog about homemade granola bars, and may yet...but the day is going by fast and I have lots to do.
We shall see.
My goal was to work on manual with my camera in my kitchen with only the natural light from the window coming in.
So here is what I got.
Oh, and just for kicks we will also make this an avocado tutorial of sorts.
I will put my photo information at the top of each picture and whatever else I want to say in green at the bottom.
We shall see how that pans out!


I learned just last week that I can look at the exposure level in my lens while focusing a shot.
So I zeroed in, adjusted that and clicked.

Cut a ripe avocado in half and remove the seed.
Next begin to score the fruit, in half inch increments all the way down to the skin.



Thankfully my knife would balance just fine while I snapped this next shot.
I was practicing adjusting the focal point here.

Now, score in the other direction as well. Maintaining an approximate 1/2 inch grid.




I tend to have a natural tremor all my own, so this was like a double challenge holding the fruit as well as snapping the shot. I found that as I tilted toward the light my exposure level changed quite a bit. Interesting!!

Now, put your knife down and pick up a spoon. Gently but firmly scrape all of the chunks from the skin. If you have scored it well, they will separate nicely.



Adding this other color in really brought something to the party! I love color.

Add a dollop of your favorite salsa!
I made this hastily last night from a can of rotel, a can of diced tomatoes, (both drained a bit), the juice of a lime, a hearty dash of cumin, a generous dose of garlic pepper, and a shake of salt. Oh, and of course cilantro!



just still concentrating on focus here

Now take your fork and smash it, and smash it, and smash it, smash it, smash it.
Gua-ca...Gua-ca-mo-le, guacamole!!
Ever heard the peanut butter and jelly song??
Yes, I have too.
Like a bunch these past couple of days.



The light was exceedingly different when I opened my back door to head out.
It was precisely at this moment that I remembered ISO.
Hello...ISO!!! The last time I shot was yesterday afternoon outside, so my ISO was still set at 100, which I just learned is the average number for such things.
Inside, with low light conditions 400 would be much easier to shoot with.
Duh!!
I could not go back and redo all the cutting and smashing but learned a very valuable lesson about checking my ISO first thing!!!

The next step in the process is to hail your trusty companion for a trip out to the herb garden.
Seeing as how you are still dressed in your pj's and cozy socks, you will find it best to slip into a pair of backless shoes. Do not be concerned if your feet don't go all the way in...those socks are thick after all.



Yes, I did go into my backyard in my pj's at 10:30 in the morning to pick cilantro because I am just hanging out at home today, doing laundry, cleaning house and worst of all bathing the dog, and so there is no way I am getting dressed until all of that is accomplished.
And, I overexposed this shot. Soon, my Gimp tutorial book will be arriving and I will be able to fix such things.

If you happen to have a cilantro plant then pick a generous amount to give this guacamole a boost. Of course, the other option is to use dried, but I wouldn't. I am never going back to dried cilantro and you can't make me.



At this point, I remembered that I had also changed my white balance setting for the pictures yesterday as well, and shifted that too.
Someday all of this will be second nature. Sigh!!

Chop the cilantro, roughly or finely...it matters not to me. I chopped it roughly because I am a meany and I was in a hurry. (It is 10:30 and I haven't eaten anything yet!)



I thought moving the guac to a white bowl would make it more visually interesting.
It didn't.

Now, eat. And clean up that cilantro mess that you left on the counter top!

Please remember that an avocado while healthy, is also a fatty food. Do not by any means follow it up with a chocolate chip cookie.

I will be here all week folks!!

Photo Post

I tried several things today to learn my camera better.
That is what this photo thing is all about after all.

There is a setting on my camera called white balance.
I was trying to figure out which to use when out in the sun, yet taking pictures in the shade.


See what a huge difference this is, just switching that one thing...and absolutely nothing else!?!


Next was a challenge to take a picture of something in motion.
The wind was blowing so I chose these berries to be my subject!!
The object...to get a clear crisp image, though the subject was in motion.
Not too bad!


And, much better!!!


My next self assignment, mess with exposure with a non moving object in the shade.

I am so stinking excited...you can't even tell this is in the shade!!!
Progress is being made my friends!

Funnier last night

So....
here at our house we have the perfectly normal habit of verbally narrating the deep thoughts and crazy concerns of our dog Shelby.
Under these circumstances she has quite a vivid personality...mainly supplied by my oldest son and I.
She comments each morning while we walk her to the bus stop speaking freely about squirrels, the temperature, wants, needs and desires.
Okay, mainly squirrels.

Her tone and tempo, and volume are comparable to someones great Aunt Ruth. You know, the one who has lost her hearing and comes at you in that strange scratchy high pitched voice. She carries a big bag which is filled to the brim with mysteries to wondrous to comprehend, and she cuts of your air supply as she bestows a full measure of her affection on you.
Except with Shelby, you have to add just a hint of snobbery to get it all pulled together just right.

Alrighty then....now that I have you all filled in on that....
Here is the latest communication by our dear Shelby.

"Hey Mom" ( she calls me mom cause that is what everyone else calls me. )
"Hey....MOM, come in here right now."
"I just wanted to show you this!!!"
She continues with the disgust evident in her tone.

"Do you see how your young boy has left all of these... these....these things out all over the floor?"
I begin to walk away not concerned in the least because I know this is a regular occurrence. These Bionicles are set up for a battle which will continue when he comes back to his room.

"Hey MOM!!! Come back here."
I turn and give her my attention, not wanting to belittle her opinion.
"Just look at this guy, he seems to be bellowing out his superiority...


and this...it just screams dangerous....


and this...I mean he could have at least put all of the red ones together."




"And is it really necessary that I point out to you other things besides just the little mulitcolored plastic creatures?
Please take note just to my right.
Do you see there, the disheveled drawers and obvious lack of laundry care? No wonder the boy can't find socks."

"I must say I am very dissapointed at the lack of cleanliness going on here!"

I turn to walk away yet again, unimpressed by her plans to discredit my son's abnormally clean room.
She heaves a heavy sigh of disgust and turns away in disbelief exclaiming,
"It is too much for me to bear. "


Well, this sure was funnier last night when I had all three of my kids rolling on the floor with laughter about it.
That is just because they know Shelby and her quirks and how she can just go on and on about a particular topic.

I feel the need to have a recipe on my blog soon.
I got a butternut squash and some sweet potatoes today at the store, in hopes of creating a nice creamy winter soup.
I don't really think it will fly with the fam but will make the attempt some time later this week anyway.
The thought just struck me that maybe, just maybe if I add a bit of crumbled bacon on top of each bowl it may disguise the lovely orange healthiness. It is worth a shot, right? I have to design it in such a way that bacon would, in fact be a sensible component.

Today I will butter them up with some good old homemade tortillas.
Wish me luck!
P.S. This cannot count as my photo blog today, as I technically took these photos yesterday.
So, I must post yet again today to stay true to my photo blog word.

Photo post

The event I was rushing off to attend this morning was a reading shindig at my daughters elementary school.

It was a perfect opportunity to get my photo of the day work accomplished.

I selfishly set my camera on auto mode and took quite a few shots, not wanting to miss a thing because of lack of knowledge.
After all, Daddy was unable to make it and he was depending on me for a play by play.

I then headed to see my buddy (from over at Frugal Fotography) to check out some of the great shots she took at the outstanding photo class she attended this weekend. In fact if you click that there link you can see some of 'em too!!
We talked ISO, exposure, fstops, and unfortunately fractions.
Fractions are a demise of mine.
We have the same camera so it is fun to get together, click away and learn from each other.

I came home and took a number of photos to work on shooting in my manual setting.

My Shelby dog is always up for a photo shoot, so I chose her as my subject.
Here she is curled up in my lap, as she is want to do.

It is a mildly successful, moderate failure.
It is over exposed, but I was taking it in my living room with no overhead light at 7pm with only the next rooms light filtering in.
So, it is a failure because it is not done well.
But it is a success because it is clear (and not grainy) and I did it 100% by myself!!!

Also...Amazon let me know today that my photo editing tutorial book is on its way today!!!
Woohoo!!
I have more pictures to post but they have worked themselves into a story line which I will attempt to type out tomorrow. I have a feeling it won't be as funny tomorrow when I am not still deliriously tired and trying to make my kids laugh!! We shall see.

Goodnight

I like Monday

It was so good to come home after being away for 4 days.
Everyone survived, tho my husband thinks our picky middle child may be skinnier as he had no great affection for anything my husband prepared for meals.

I thought for fun, and since it is rainy and dark outside, that I would just have a list day.

Likes and dislikes.
Or whatever else I want to include.
Because I can.
And because I don't want to go downstairs and get my camera.

I like my bed.
I like my pillow.
I like that my husband had to put my pillow sideways up next to his head while I was gone so he could bear to sleep without me.
I like my husband.
I like that my 13 year old son returned every single hug I was to deliver to him from his aunts and uncles. Full out, real arms all the way around you and squeezing, swaying back and forth saying mmmm mmmm mmmm hugs.

I like sitting on the couch with a laptop computer. Too bad I don't have one here.
I like knowing someone will be in charge of setting the timer on the coffee pot, and knowing without a doubt that I will wake to have coffee, even in a house not my own.
I like coffee.
I like setting the timer on my coffee pot and knowing without a doubt that I will wake to have coffee.
I like how little hamster cheeks feel when they rub against mine.

I like how my middle son will walk over and give me a squeeze, then a little rub across the shoulders then walk away as though he were the tide coming in and out.
I like how I can write something and it may only make sense to me, but I leave it there anyway.
I like how my girl picks out an outfit, days in advance and then looks at herself in the mirror confidently, knowing she did just fine with it.

I like that all of my children are so intrigued by a cooking show that they find it hard to pull themselves away to get to bed on time.
I like knowing that I can send a message to a friend and even though they may not be at home... they will get it and respond.

I like that when I am not at worship service on Sunday morning, my husband gets grilled as to my whereabouts.
I like a well made French Dip Sandwich.
I like how very random that last like was.

I like wearing my pajamas all day with my sister in law!!!
I like Burt's Bees chapstick.

I like going to the wrong passenger pick up area at the airport and having my husband drive up to get me anyway.
I like it when my computer works. It is sick again, and I am pretty sure I didn't cause it this time!!

I like Bliss dark chocolate just slightly better than Dove dark chocolate.
I like that you are still sitting here reading this and quite possibly, will come back again tomorrow to read something else.

I like that the most visited post from this blog is the No recipe Shepard's Pie post and that most of the visits are from across the ocean. Weird!!

I like coffee.
I know I already said that one, I like that you had no choice but to read it again.

I like buying in bulk at Sam's.
I like not slipping and falling on compacted snow which has become a slippery death trap.

I like knowing that I can still understand the different cries of a tiny baby because their little language is so universal.

I like chocolate cream filled cake with ganache.
I like that a person I know sometimes accidentally says goulash instead of ganache and doesn't notice the mistake.

I like that I am headed to see a buddy later today to get some photo tips.
I like that my camera has an auto pilot mode and though there are times I refuse to use it, it is there for fall back when a moment simply must be captured.
I like that one of those moments is coming up today as I head to the elementary school for a reading program.
I like being on time, so I am gonna get.
Check back later today for my photo post.
I am sticking to it like glue.

Hmmmmm!?! I like that all I did was like things.
It is just that kind of day.

I flew home today.
I got a cup of coffee to while away my hour and a half in the airport and also because I was a cup and a half shy of my normal coffee consumption for the day.


I had no idea that they had special lids made just for airports!!
I mean look right there, it specifically says "traveler lid"

I suppose they probably use them in Subways and train stations too.
Wow, something new everyday!

Wait a minute...when I drive up in my car...I am a traveler of sorts.
Hmmmm, I will have to check it out soon and see if this is the same lid for everyday car travelers as like...real travelers.
And, how would they be able to tell the difference?
You know...I am really, really tired.

I am going to head to bed now and pretend I didn't just write this post.

photo post

Weddings are so pretty!
I went to one today.







snow and ice


ice and snow

post done goodbye