Another local patio - on a Saturday morning ...

Shall we faire partir?

Friday after-work x-word puzzle and beer oasis.

Waiting for Van Gogh

 
We're back safe and sound from two weeks in Provence. This is a pic of Jule sitting in Arles with the Van Gogh - made famous, Le Café la Nuit, in the background. Jule is a fan of Vincent and she says he had an eye for yellow and painted his night sceen with more yellow than was probably there. The café itself is painted yellow now and yellow is a predominate colour along the Van Gogh trail.

We had a good time in Arles and environs, and got to spend a few days in Paris as well. All went well. We avoided two "perterbations" in the train schedule when the railways went on strike. ("Of course in France it is always about the strikes!") And we had good Provençal food and southern wines and we can't understand why so many Canadians find the French, especially the Parisiens, rude. Except for one old hag in Avignon, we found them splendid to deal with and we think they found us and our even more Provençal efforts to speak their language très amusant.

I'm sorting my pics from the trip and will start putting stuff up tomorrow. The bulk will go to flickr in various easy-to-access groups, I think.

Jule chillin' with a G&T

 

Normal vs. Extra Vivid

I like this saturated look for nature and man-made items found on my walks and bike rides, but even I agree it's too saturated for people pics. Skin tones come out way too red. So, I saved these settings in one of the custom menus and then set up another, less saturated one, for people pics, and saved that one, too. Now I can change back from one to the other as needed. It might be even quicker to do if I can program the Fn button, but I know there are predetermined limits, so I'm not holding my breath.

Here's a comparison of the two settings, "Standard" (for people pics) and "Vivid +" (for most saturated colours). Jule may not be happy to see these experimental shots of her here, but I'm sure she's willing to sacrifice some dignity in the name of science! Right honey? :)

 
 

Funny thing is, I printed 4x6" prints of these two shots and the more I looked at them, the less I notice the red cast ... I wonder if it's like those old ladies who douse themselves with perfume each morning because they've lost their sense of smell after using it all those years and don't realize how it can make the eyes water in a confined space

Out and about

 
 
 
 

Local Colour

 
 
 
 

Early morning puppy watching

 
Harsh sidelight, ISO 1600, window burned-in with Photoshop, Warming filter (85) added.

Jule and Uma

 

From the archives

 
Jule and Uma enjoying the afternoon sun on the patio. We still miss her.

Jule x3 - More colour play

 
 
 

Jule at the end of the driveway, on her way to the College. The snowbank on the right is in our front yard! There's no place left to put the @#!%#!!*&^%$# stuff!!