<body><script type="text/javascript"> function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) { if(window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener('load', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }); } } </script> <div id="navbar-iframe-container"></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> gapi.load("gapi.iframes:gapi.iframes.style.bubble", function() { if (gapi.iframes && gapi.iframes.getContext) { gapi.iframes.getContext().openChild({ url: 'https://www.blogger.com/navbar.g?targetBlogID\x3d8356741\x26blogName\x3dShowers+%26+Sunflowers\x26publishMode\x3dPUBLISH_MODE_BLOGSPOT\x26navbarType\x3dBLUE\x26layoutType\x3dCLASSIC\x26searchRoot\x3dhttps://judlesblog.blogspot.com/search\x26blogLocale\x3den_US\x26v\x3d2\x26homepageUrl\x3dhttps://judlesblog.blogspot.com/\x26vt\x3d-7308569820558853386', where: document.getElementById("navbar-iframe-container"), id: "navbar-iframe" }); } }); </script>

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

"CEMETERIES" THEME, TIME TO VOTE!

Hello voters!

The September photo contest for "Cemeteries" theme is up and ready for votes.

We've had a couple of people vote for more than one picture, please remember to vote for ONE picture only. Thank you!


Head on over to Stardom Awaits! and enjoy the photography. Once you're ready, just click on the Vote Caster on the right hand sidebar, and place your vote. In about 2 weeks time we will tally the votes and announce the winner(s) both on our own blogs (like this one) and on the contest blog itself.

Thank you so much for participating, you all make this so much fun for us.

PEACE!
Love Jude

Thursday, September 25, 2008

ANYBODY WANT A JOB?

We're hiring. Or hoping to soon! You'll love the people. And the work isn't bad really. Lots of interaction with the public, you get solid breaks; 2 coffee breaks and a lunch. And you'll be working with ME! *bats eyelashes*

So c'mon, step right up! We need you there and trained like..... yesterday!! That way we can all stop working so many #@!* extra shifts.

[/rant]


My God it's beautiful out! Autumn is here in full force and I.AM.LOVING.IT. !! The temps are nice and "coolish" and the colours are brilliant. Yesterday morning I saw a bit of frost on the garage roof. Ah yes you know what that means, don't you?

The FRIGGIN' wasps will now take a hike! YES!!

When sister Pammie and I went on our last "photo op" just a few days before I went back to work this week, we hit our Alberta Legislature grounds. Let me tell you, it is gorgeous. (next post ~ some pics, mkay?) Every year it amazes me how this happens, I leave work in summer weather (usually complaining of the heat and how I hate sweating, I hate it!) and somewhere right smack dab in the middle of my 3 week vacation the colours start to pop and the temps go down.




Thank you God, for autumn. **psst! Can you make it last for about 6 months?**


Have yourselves a fabulous weekend wherever you are, and don't forget to take really good care of each other. We're all we have!

PEACE!

Love Jude

Friday, September 19, 2008

THE VACATION WINDS DOWN.....

Sadly, I did NOT win the lottery while on my 3 week vacation at home, so I have to go back to work on Tuesday.

Every year I do this to myself, and every year I tell myself to try and not think about it; but this year was no different and for about the last week or so before going back to work I'm depressed and super bummed out. *sigh*

Nothing to be done for it, on Tuesday I'll be back at it again. I know, I know..... and in actual fact I am grateful that I have a job (well, this job) and things could be so much worse; but I'm just plain tired and wish I could retire. Well in 4 years time when I turn 60 maybe there will be a way I CAN afford to retire early. We'll just have to see. In the meantime I'm managing to make it work for me being only part-time and that's a blessing.

At least on my vacation this year I can't say I wasn't busy doing some fun things. As it happened, my sister Pammie also had a couple weeks of much needed time off. And as we both have photography as a hobby, we've been out to a couple of groovy spots for some photo shoots. What a great time!

One of the places we visited is about a 10 minute drive from my home, right smack in the middle of our city in the river valley. It's called Fort Edmonton Park and we made 2 separate trips there to try and capture most of it.

And that we did! Lots we missed or hadn't time to get to, but for the most part we were able to get a very good visual memento of life in Edmonton in the early days. Here are some examples of some of the shots I took there. In some of them I've had a lot of fun playing with a couple of photo effects in my paint.net program.

First off, here's a shot Pam took of me when we got there, when I wasn't looking. Little sneak! LOL




From the fur trading and Fort era
1.



2.



3.



From the 1885 Era
4.



5.



6.



From the 1905 Era
7.



8.



9.



From the 1920 Era
10.



11.



12.



If you have about 20 minutes to sit with a cup of something and enjoy, I posted all 6 sets at the photography site I belong to. If you don't, come back when you do and check them out, I think you might enjoy the stories and shots I posted. They are in order of "age" of eras my photos represent.

1. Fur Trading Era
2. 1885 Era ~ Settlement Years
3. 1885 Era ~ Living The Dream
4. 1905 Era ~ Hamlet to Capital City
5. 1920 Era ~ Modern Times
6. Wheels of Motion ~ Trains, Autos and Horses


It's been a very fun vacation, and very busy! I never got one dang thing done around the house but hey what are vacations for?

I hope you are all doing well in your neck of the world. Take good care of each other, and I'll see you in blogland soon!

PEACE!
Love Jude

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

BLOG BIRTHDAY!



Four years of sharing, venting, tears, laughter, and most important of all ~ making friendships!

The whole reason I started blogging was because of the friendships and it's still the same reason I am still here blogging today. If it wasn't for you guys, what's the point anyway, right?

Four years ago today I started out with 4 bloglinks (Danni, Janna, Debs and Lors), and only Danni is still blogging but we all still keep in touch nonetheless. For example my "sista" Janna hasn't blogged for about 3 years but I can't imagine not staying connected with her. We CONNECT, and in my opinion, at a soul level in so many ways. Friendships made and kept. Those 4 bloglinks very quickly became many more and over the years some have gone and are not blogging anymore, but other new links have been added and thus new friendships made.

I've been there when friends have gone through ferocious fights with cancer, lost loved ones, watched their kids grow up and leave home, celebrated new babies, commiserated menopause, go through divorce, get married, got sick and then got well, had joys and felt pain.... and I feel like you are all a family to me.

And all these blog buddies have been here for me too, through my own ups, downs, laughter, request for prayers and happy dances.

Nope, I couldn't keep doing this without you guys ~ you're what makes it work. So to all of you, thank you for the good 'blogships'; and here's to another 4 more years at least!



And... Happy 4th. Birthday, Blog o'mine!



********************************************************

If you haven't seen it yet, the "Night" photo contest winners are announced in the post previous to this one!

Take good care of each other!

PEACE!
Love Jude

Sunday, September 14, 2008

"NIGHT" CONTEST WINNERS!!




Congratulations Orion and Kim, you've both done it again!!

And to Fullmoondolphin, your winning runner-up shot was only ONE, yes ONE vote behind!

Great photos from everyone, and the top 3 winners deserve kudos and cream pies of their choices in their faces! WooooooHoooo! **splat!**


Thank you to all the voters, without you we couldn't do this. In a couple more weeks we'll be doing our next contest, "Cemeteries". Stay tuned!


*damn, and I really wanted my coconut cream pie too...*


PEACE!

Love Jude

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

FOR JEREMY ~ More Fun With Fotos

Just for you Jer, I tried what you were asking with a couple of shots. I'll let you all be the judge.....


Without border:



Same with border:



Another without:


With:



I'll let you all be the judge of what your eyes discern. My eyes tell me it looks much tidier and there are more contrasts between the gray and coloured areas WITH borders.

Not only that, but it's really, really hard doing straight lines or perfect circles etc. with just your hand/eye coordination!! When I use the borders I place them first, and THEN I gray out the other areas.

It was fun to see what it would look like though, thank you for the suggestion Jer!


*******************************************************


Only a couple more days left to vote over at Stardom Awatits! if you haven't already cast yours for ONE favourite shot!

*******************************************************


I'll be posting here again at that time, so until then have a good week and take good care of each other.

PEACE!
Love Jude

Saturday, September 06, 2008

FUN WITH FOTOS

I had a "vision", literally, last night and decided to get into my photos and my photoshop program and try it out.

Not only did they turn out fairly well but it was a lot of fun too!


1. Through The Looking Glass




2. Home




3. Proud And Free




4. Soaring




5. Day's End





6. Bright





7. Fill 'Er Up





8. At Rest





9. Focus



It was a hoot to play around with this, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did making them!


Tomorrow sister Pammie and I are heading back out to Fort Edmonton Park to TRY and photograph all 158 acres of neat stuff. We were there last weekend for only a few hours and only managed to cover about 1/4 of the place. Lots of cool things to see and photograph for sure, and it's right here in the city along the river valley, only about 15 minutes from home.


****************************************************

And if you haven't already done so, there's still one week left to go on over to Stardom Awaits! and submit your vote for your ONE favourite photo. Thanks!

****************************************************


Have a great week everyone, and take good care of each other.

PEACE!
Love Jude

Monday, September 01, 2008

TIME TO GO VOTE!

Hello folks, it's that time again!

The August photography contest for "Night Theme" is up and ready. Please go on over to Stardom Awaits! and submit your vote for your ONE favourite photo.

All votes are anonymous so feel free to choose the shot you like. In a couple weeks time the voting will be over and votes tallied.

Enjoy the pictures, and thank you. Good luck, entrants!

PEACE!
Love Jude