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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Gimp


This weekend Matt and I took some photos of us at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis.  After uploading the photos, I thought I'd try my first real attempt at digital photo editing.  Gimp, a photo editing software, is similar to Photoshop.  After reading a few online tips on how to edit some things in Gimp, I edited the following photo of us below.


Original photo before editing.


Same photo after digital editing. Under eye circles and wrinkles removed; flaws touched and eyes brightened.  Not bad for a first try!

Friday, July 12, 2013

Crows

 
Driving around the farm at work, I spotted this mass of crows hanging out on the hoop houses in our lilac shrubs.  I couldn't believe how many were gathered there, and why!

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Flowers

 
Some flowers around the yard and neighborhood that I have taken periodically this spring and summer.
 
An Iris flower petal shortly after a rainshower

Freshly dewed Iris after the rain

A row of bleeding hearts

A bumble bee in mid flight...Beehind!

Another bumble bee ready to land upon a cluster of Black Locust flowers

A blooming Black Locust tree

Chives in bloom
 
A beautiful orential lily

A delightful row of daisies
 

Friday, July 5, 2013

Packing and Cleaning Out

When it comes time to move, the packing is never fun.  For my Fourth of July, I spent the day packing up and cleaning out items.  My goal was to haul everything up from the basement and either throw it out, or set it aside in the spare bedroom until moving day.  Now normally hauling something up from a basement wouldn't be a big chore, but in this case, wanting to even make my way to the basement was a chore.  It's CREEPY.  Not "it's dark down there" kind of creepy; no, rather "what's going to crawl out of the wall, and land on me" kind of creepy. 

First, I had to open the "trap door" on the floor to get down there (which, I scraped my leg against a large rusty nail protruding from the side of it).  Then, I had to not trip on the way down while taking the 3" wide, crumbling cement stairs.  I had to watch out for webs.  They were all over the place, many of which my hair swept them clean from the rafters.  Finally, after  ducking water pipes, rafters, and web traps, I reached  the room.  

THIS ROOM.
 
 
 
 This chair was in the very same spot as it appears in this photo when I moved in.  I can't help but think, what was it doing there?  What was this room before I had used it as a storage area?  Torture chamber comes to mind every time I see it.  It's eerie.  Makes for a good Halloween card I say!  Once I had removed my stored things and returned it to its "original state", I snapped this shot, as one final memory to take with me, and a reminder that sometimes, it's better to leave some questions unanswered.  
 
 
 



Monday, July 1, 2013

The Mighty Post of all Posts

Drum roll please.........

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!! 
 
No more renting!  This is our future home in St. Paul.  We found this little gem about 3 weeks ago.  The minute we walked in we loved everything about it.  2 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, decent basement, a yard, 2 STALL GARAGE (we don't have one now..goodbye to scraping off cars in the winter!).  A perfect little home to start with. 

 
One of our favorite rooms... the kitchen!  It's nice and roomy, lots of counter space, and a dishwasher!  A microwave!  Things we don't have now. 
With closing date at the end of the month, there's much packing to be done!  Look for more photos in the next few weeks.  :)
 

Some catching up to do...

I've been bad about getting posts up lately (and I have digital now!).  I have a little catching up to do.  While the next few posts may not be in order, I thought I'd start with this one.  This was one month ago today, at my aunt and uncle's house.  My cousin Brendon graduated high school, and we attended his graduation party.  I snapped a couple of pics of my family before leaving. 
 
 
My uncle Duane came home from California to attend the graduation too!  From left to right; Duane, myself, my aunt Lori, my uncle Rick, and my cousin Trevor.  Brendon was quick to leave to attend other grad parties so I was unable to get him in the photo.

The Dykema/ Arnold side.