First walk outside since Monday.

I'm feeling so much better now that this cold is subsiding. On a lazy walk around Mission Hills CC this morning I decided to pay attention to photo ops, keeping in mind it was 11am and the sun was almost over head. I was taught to not take photos from 10am to 2pm, that the photos will look all washed out. I tried to use the position of the sun to spot contrast in the shadows cast on the side of houses.

I took 85 photos and didn't really get one I liked, but I'm posting 5 + 1 shots anyway. I'm trying to learn Adobe Photoshop CS4, so working on these photos was my practice for the day. I'm really hoping to spend some time each day, learning photographic software or shooting photos.

So to explain the 6th photo, I'm walking by the ninth hole tee box. I have to "gottago" and their is a woman's bathroom off to the side of the tee box. On my way out of the bathroom, I pass this table and chairs set up where the golfers might relax. No one is seated at the table. But I see something on the table. Something someone left, either intentionally or because they weren't aware they left something behind. I told you I started my hike at around 11am. It's now noon. I'm hungry. When I'm hungry, I want to eat. I am not happy when I make out what it is that has been left out on the empty table. Lollipops! I love lollipops. Lollipops don't happen to be on my current food plan. These 4 or 5 lollipops are there for the taking. No one is around. I know because I looked left and right. Hmmmmmm. Lollipops. Hmmmmmm.

And then I thought of Katya. If I ate the lollipops (eating one was never a thought) I would lose my 38!!!! days without sugar and Katya would still have her 38 days. Nope, no way is Katya going to have more days than I do.

So. I sadly walk on, only looking back once, headed home, to some yummy Turkey soup and brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts with soup you might be thinking? Well yes. I need to have two cups of salad or veggies for lunch and the brussel sprouts were already cooked and in the fridge. Easy. Gotta keep it easy when I'm hungry. Eating is no longer fun. But eating this way has relieved my obsession for food.......at least until I found the lollipops.

A 5pm walk around MHCC.

I'm feeling better today finally. I had to get out for a walk and Ray was up for it. I hadn't been outside for two days except briefly when I stepped outside to watch Ray and his golfing buddies play their 3rd shots onto the 15th green around 11am. This is the best time of the year down here in the desert. I'd guess the temperature to be around 80, most snow birds haven't arrived in town yet and it's just balmy and quiet. Very relaxing.....Why I don't go outside more, I don't know. It was a heavenly 45 minute walk we had around Mission Hills Country Club.

I snapped off this shot during our stroll. Holding the Canon Powershot 650 steady was impossible but I like shadows and I wanted to remember this relaxing walk with Ray.



Tomorrow Ray and I drive in to the SFV. We'll be staying over in the Marriott and returning home after our Thursday night meeting. Tomorrow night Jim H. is speaking at PG and a number of us are going to hear him.

This weekend and maybe early Thursday sometime, I want to spend time outside with my larger camera and tripod. I haven't taken one practice photo since I left Half Moon Bay. I don't want to stop the discipline of looking for and shooting photos.

While I've been sick I've not wasted this precious stay home time. I have been reading and learning some of the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 software I recently purchased. I'm in heaven trying to learn this way cool data base file management software. To be able to rate and keyword photos for easy retrieval once you pose a request of criteria will save me so much time trying to find photos. I only wish Cupcake were here with me. He learns so fast and I learn from him as he explains what he is learning. It takes me so long to understand something. But when I see someone working with the program and they watch and help me work with the program, I learn best. Where are you Cupcake? I think I need to find someone local who will come and teach me weekly. Wouldn't that be great?

Another learning curve starts as Thursday Scottie will bring me my newly ordered Adobe Photoshop CS4 software that was just released this week. My Photoshop 7.0.1 is so old, old meaning behind in all the newest technology.