Playing with color

I was feeling antsy and decided to walk to the ridge before sunrise on Friday. I did notice that a very light Hoar Frost had settled on the trees along with a low lying fog.

Taken with my unmodified camera. ")

Some wind blew as I passed the neighbor's yard and frost dissipated everywhere.

I'm just not able to help myself. I took the Infrared camera along with me.

I can't stop being curious about how things would look in a different light. I keep thinking that if I keep at it, I may even get proficient at it in all situations.

Seriously, I do not know exactly why certain colors show up. Items that reflect a certain kind of light appear a certain way. I can't explain it very well without referring to a long drawn out article on what spectrum the human eyes see and what we can't see.

In the 720nm spectrum, green leaves become white and the sky becomes very orange.

This is shot in the 665nm spectrum. 

I used a method called channel swapping to achieve these colors below.

The reddish tint on the trees can be yellow, reddish, or desaturated to be white.

And in the other direction...I removed the color in the trees but kept the bluish sky.

Have you gotten tired of Infrared? Two more samples from late afternoon.

This is with the 550nm filter. I haven't gotten the hang of it quite yet and I find I don't like it very much. The photo that comes out of camera is absolutely ugly.

I've did the channel swapping and the it still was horrible. More than likely it is because there isn't any bright green leaves, pines, or water to really make this sort of workable. Ick.

Edited to black and white, I find it somewhat pleasing, especially the sky.

The old car in the run off ditch is rusty colored but I sort of like this after I balanced the snow to pure white.

I went to black and white with this also.

And I loved it. The details in the rust came out like magic in B&W.

So maybe this filter isn't so bad as it shows variations in tone nicely.

Last year I did have one great day with that filter at the KVR big pond.

The thing I like about IR is there are no rules of color. It is like giving a kid a box of crayons and telling them to go wild.

...

Stay tuned for Dragons.

And a Foggy walk in IRChrome.

Inside work is the Pits, but...

....
sometimes you just have to do it. ~~~~~~
Cold wet rainy weather has prompted me to work on some indoor stuff.

The other night I had trouble sleeping so I went upstairs and laid down for a while.
When I came downstairs in the near dark I realize that even with my glasses on, the stairs all blended into a blob. I'd asked two years ago to alternate green and white on the stairs for better vision, but was voted down.

I came up with a solution.
The stickers come off without ruining the paint.

While butterflies are not my style, I had a bunch of them leftover from using them on a porch chair. I also tossed a few on the front of the stairs.
Hubby looked at them from across the room and told me I had all sorts of dirt on the stairs. His face was priceless when I told him they were butterfly stickers.
When I explained that they were a safety thing, he just shrugged.

[I would have loved Dragon Stickers, or something fun...just saying, the kid in me lives.]

I had walls to wash and cobwebs to conquer before my pals arrived for their next weekend.

I started by moving everything on the south side of the room away. Washing walls, using a broom and a vacuum to get all the gunk that collected there over the past summer.

While I was doing that, I decided to look for something in the basement. Uh-Oh. Three hours later I came up with an armful of winter gear to wash and two boxes of 'stuff' that hasn't been worn or looked at in two years.
I also brought up the paint to finish the work I started right after the Little House Remodel.

I begged to paint the walls around the big doors to the washer and dryer a neat green. I was met with that face of disgust.
I should have done it anyway. The green would look awesome with the pine doors.

I did these two walls in a jiffy.
The green can be seen below, that is the entry way to the house...

I want to do just one wall a different color in the bathroom just one little wall.
HE says no. I say yes. He says no.

I may paint it white now and add what I want at another time.

I asked to put up my favorite photos. HE said no. I said ... why not?
"I like the walls nice and blank, no clutter."

The good fight will continue. I was told that I could use 'the wall' opposite the washer and dryer to display my artwork and photography.

Grumpy ol' Cuss.

Meanwhile, upstairs I started back in on the west room.
A bit of hammered bronze spray paint and a bling sticker on some of the outlets.
Why not? It is my special creative room when no one else is here.

Re-arrange furniture to clear up one wall for Still Life Photography.

The rest of the room is still in a bit of dissarry but I'll get to that later. On the desk ... which I can NOW use, are wall stickers to create a silhouette of a tree.
I have a space to put it. Ol' Grumpy has no idea what I am doing.
The in wall Air Conditioner will be wrapped up and insulated for the winter in about a week or so.
It is ugly and I don't like it there, but it keeps the whole house cool on hot summer days and it IS no longer in the window.
So I will live with it for now.

I bought some wall/multi use contact paper and made a 'wooden' table. The contact paper is supposed to be easy to use. I will need practice to do what I'd like to do...

I think this would look neat on the wall behind this flip out bed...

Or it would look neat on the landing which is now old ugly plywood painted white.
The contact paper wouldn't stand up there I don't think.

So I got out a pencil and started free drawing some designs.
It will occupy my time coloring it all in with lots of colors of paints this winter.

If the Ol' Grumpy guy doesn't like it, he can install the nice piece of linoleum that we have saved for this spot.
I could install it, or I could have someone help me.

But why not do some doodling first?
I can always cover it up with something.

I'm thinking of putting some more photos up. Rich keeps telling me I can't as we need to finish the trim.

I'm ready to go get some lessons on the thingy out in the shed that cuts up the wood and make my own trim and put it where I want it.

I got company by Morris

She changes her habits a bit when we are expecting company or guests...or visitors.

Sometimes it is Uncle Ed and Joy and my gal pal Teslin that is coming.

Sometimes it is one of my favorite kids coming to visit, or a whole pile of kids coming to visit.

I just know that all kids belong to me. The big people are okay, but I like little people the best.

And sometimes they even bring a dog for me to fuss over.

Well. Sometimes I snarl and try and put the young dog in its place. I usually end up in my crate for that.

So the house was cleaned up and fresh sheets were put on the beds. Even the new funny looking bed was all tidied up.

I like the bed cover, it is fuzzy and just right for me to lay on.

Pretty soon I heard her leave and then heard two cars come. Oh I was ecstatic! Car noises meant people. People meant new laps to try out and faces to lick if I could manage it.

Imagine my horror when this black fuzzy dog walked in with the young people. 

Oh. NO!

My house. Ugh. Young dog came up to me and we sniffed noses.

"I'm Morris. I rule this house. Your people are now my people. Your young people now belong to me." Well really, I had to straighten him out right off the bat and give him the rules. 

"Oh boy, oh boy Hi! HI! Oh hello. Did you say something? Can I sniff you all over. You have a short tail and almost no ears! Oh boy, want to wrestle and play? I can jump right over you! The people call me Scout. Wanna play? Huh? Huh?"

I was crestfallen. Another young dog. Why couldn't people visit with an ancient old codger dog that doesn't move. Or better yet. Just ...sigh.

"No. I rule the house. I am top dog." I tried to reason with Scout.

"Okay! Boy that is nice! What is a Top Dog! You look like a little baby dog! Wanna sniff each other?" With that Scout stuck his nose on my hind end.

I lost all of my manners and snarled. Immediately I was scooped up and put in my crate. Scout went to bed in his crate too. Upstairs with the very nice young people. I was heartbroken. I wanted to claim them as my own.

Sigh.

However the next morning Scout and I were let outside together. We ran hard up and down the yard before we went with the visiting people on a hike. 

"Come Scout. Let me show you cool stuff." Dang the dog was gullible. I thought I'd make his people freak out.

"Oh what Morris? What is cool?"

I pointed. "That! Take some bites of those pies, very good." I winked at him.

His people started yelling..."Scout no!"

And I waited for it...wait. "Wait!" I told Scout. 

Shouts of "ICKY!" Came out of all the people mouths. 

I winked at Scout. "I told you buddy. Eat some cow pie and the people go nuts!"

I showed Scout where to find some 'Smart Pellets' and he thanked me profusely. Of course I think She just laughed and Scout's people were a bit grossed out.

Scout is a bit weird, but he said he is part water dog. He played and ran in the creek, biting the water and going after sticks that his people tossed into it. After a while we decided we were so tired out that we just walked along and kept an eye on the people.

"You know the way back to the house, Morris? Because there is food at the house and I am getting hungry."

"Yes Scout. I am Morris. I am an older dog. I know just about everything there is to know."

"Wow. Can I come and play with you more often?"

I didn't give him an answer right away because I wasn't sure that I wanted to share his youngun's with him.

Eventually we decided it was best to get along. 

He is a youngun' himself and after all, we had all of these people to look after.

Maybe it would be nice to have a younger dog to help keep track of these people.

And I am sure they thought they were keeping track of us.

Hahhhhrumph.

I'm sorta guessing that what they don't know, won't harm them too much. I was pretty impressed. Scout showed me how to use a Smart Phone.

I hope he comes back. 

I don't even mind sharing my couch with him.

Okay. I do mind. But not as long as I get the little bed upstairs.

She yelled ICKY at me! ~by Morris

SHE yelled icky! ICKY at me today while we were taking a hike.

More than once. 
Last time we hiked she yelled Icky and I had rolled in some exceptionally stinky goo to which she immediately put me in the bath when we got home.

I was fragrant and slimy.  I was a happy dog.

Today though I should have listened to her yelling at me.

We did have a fine time though.

I found a deer trail and after a bit we even found a Monster Buck.

SHE stood super quiet and only reached for her cheapo pocket camera.  We could hear the buck approaching us as we were on the downwind side of him.

Man, I thought she was going to have the 'Vapors', she was so excited.
And SHE said she just sort of got a crummy photo of the Buck.

[The big deer is at the top of the photo and very hard to see, but he had big shiny horns!]

I however decided to growl and puff up.  I was the guardian dog.  I growled very nasty stuff at him and he just turned and walked away.

SHE was still in awe.

So she was taking pretty photos of something she calls Barberries and Rose Hips so I decided to go eat some nasties.


I ate some small bones and then some really nasty Dexter poo and maybe some other stuff.

SHE wasn't looking!

So when I got home I drank a lot of water and then...well I went in my crate and had a barf-fest.

SHE was angry at first but realized that I didn't make a mess in the house.

Then SHE felt bad.

And then I felt even worser.

I wouldn't eat when she fed me.

I sat with my ears drooped and eyes at half mast.  
Then finally SHE came after supper and took my vitals.

Interesting.  She has a veterinarian's stethescopy thingy.
SHE could hear my breathing as normal and Heart Rate as normal.

SHE pronounced that I had a very bad stomach ache.

How did one human get to be so smart?

I'm feeling better now, but SHE is watching me carefully.


I'm getting to be an 'elderly' dog SHE tells me.  And she said next time she points her finger at me and yells ICKY I should listen.

Maybe SHE is right?

Awww poo on that.
I love icky.