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Click to see more Yellowstone Scrapbook Pages

Since I’m often found for Scrapbooking Yellowstone, I’ve pulled together my layouts in a gallery at my Photoshelter account and embedded a slideshow here. I’ll be organizing and working to include credit for kits, templates and such over the next few days, but most come from DSP.  Hope you find some inspiration in there! If you have photos you would like help pinpointing a location or identifying a thermal feature or animal or whatever,  I’m happy to take a stab at it – either post in the comments or email me.

And if you’ve got layouts of Yellowstone, I’d love to see those! Post links in the comments so I can take a peek and find inspiration as well.

Good Friday Morning to you!

Last weekend, I finally opened the bird box since I was sure it was vacant. As much as I would have loved seeing the babies I knew were in there, that’s too much stress and I’d rather know that the babies would have a better chance at life and left it closed until now.

This is the combination of two nests. In March, I went on the Hunt for Spring and found the White Breasted Nuthatches taking up residence. Last year a pair of Mountain Chickadees successfully nested here, using moss and dog fur and bits of this and that to create their nest. We left it there over the winter as some birds use the box to stay warm during our cold snaps. I planned on cleaning it out in the spring, but the Nuthatches beat me to it. I watched them clean it out completely, saving the bits they liked by stuffing them in cracks in the tree bark.

Then they started over, using tree bark as a base. I didn’t get a photo of it when they were done as we were in Yellowstone then. And, by the time we got back and I thought about it, a pair of Violet Green Swallows were working on their nest which they obviously just built on top of the Nuthatch creation. In my research on the swallows, I learned they used feathers in their nest – and watched them carry feathers they found into the box.  And I waited. The Swallow babies fledged just a day or two before I left for the class with the Yellowstone Association. That was the same time the young squirrels discovered the bird boxes and were dive bombed by the parents constantly. Not sure if they had fledged or been too stressed and died, I asked Mike to check on the box. They had fledged. I don’t think we really saw them much after that.

Other birds who have successfully nested somewhere around here, though, have stayed close – Mountain Bluebirds, Evening Grosbeaks, Stellers Jays, Pygmy Nuthatches, Williamson Sapsuckers and possibly a Townsends Solitaire – though the T.S. immature (I think that’s what it is) is by itself.

Sitting outside each morning and just watching all the life that surrounds us relaxes and rejuvenates me in a way nothing else can.

While in The Illustrated Journal class taught by Susan Zwinger, she mentioned doing postcard poetry – finding something that captures your heart each day and writing a few sentences about it and perhaps add in a sketch. Being a photographer and scrapbooker, I took this basic idea and saw the potential in it for me. I love the concept and have continued to create a few more ‘postcards’ to add to the album. A few simply document this trip, but others fall more into the poetry/prose category.  Just another way to document. These will be printed as 4×6 photos and the panoramics as 4x9s – some of the same sizes I do offer as actual postcards.

It’s that time of year again. Firewood season. Time for us to start working on the wood we’ll need to keep us (well, mainly me) warm through the winter. Last year, the forest service sold a timber sale are near us, but the buyer defaulted and they ended up opening up the felled and limbed trees to regular fuelwood permits. People liked it so well that this year they did it deliberately – hired a logging company to prep the wood. Not only do people like it, but it allows them to better create fire breaks around the various subdivisions. With the easy pickings, the guys in our neighborhood network are working together to get everyone set. This network of neighbors is a crucial part of living well up here – on so many levels. If you don’t like to talk with your neighbors at least occasionally, you can make it fine up here, but it’s a lot harder.

When they go out for wood – they don’t come home empty. The bed IS sitting on the springs there – good thing it’s not far. And how manly is it to be driving out three trucks fully loaded? Physically providing like this for their families is deeply satisfying.

Firewood – it’s hard work – not for everyone. Occasionally co-workers come up to help. Usually they only come up once. They think they’re in shape. Then they meet firewood. It doesn’t seem like it would be that hard, but hucking wood down a hill and into a truck is a workout. I really should see if we can get a weight on one of those logs. Right now they’re green and it’s been raining. I don’t even attempt to lift the big ones. This is how the truck looks normally:

Now the next part starts. Splitting and stacking. Mike and I work together – he works the splitter. My job is to keep a steady supply of logs there to split and to stack the split wood. I sort of just roll the logs to the edge of the pile, then tighten my stomach muscles to protect my back and walk it down closer to him. Right now we’re still on the smaller ones, but the larger ones (that make the walls to hold it in) will just get rolled into place. Is it worth it? Yep. I’m really looking forward to seeing how our new wood stove works this year. There’s nothing better than heat from a wood stove. And now it’s considered ‘good’ – as it’s heat from a renewable source. Go figure.

There are so many things I picked up from the class I took at the Yellowstone Association. I’m still working to organize all of my thoughts on it, but I’ve started on a few quick layouts (in random order for now) to include in the Yellowstone 2010 album I’m working on. They’ll be ordered as 4×6 prints and added in somehow.

This first one was a bit blurry, so I altered it until it made me smile.

The mix of people in this class was perfect. Lots of backgrounds, lots chatting and sharing and lots of giggles and laughter.

Used to getting up early, I was out wandering around with the camera. Sorry about the watermark covering the lone bison – it’s the dot in the top of the n.

By the third day…

More to come…

If you could make one wish, right now, at this moment, what would it be?

No story behind the click on this one because my wish is different from yours, as it should be.

This photo embodies the possible…take a few and dream big…dream wide…dream deep.

And to seal that dream – take one step toward it.

Happy Friday!!!!

I’m back from 3 amazing and inspiring days. Just trying to sift through all the thoughts, organize and process photos.

Biggest Lesson: Unplugging from cell phone and internet does a body an immense amount of good and should be practiced more often.

Photos + Words to come.

Happy Friday! Time for another Story Behind the Click!

We do have Classic Tractor Fever in this house with the tractor my husband is starting to restore – and naturally with small boys around, what better than just use the tractor as a prop and carnival ride? That’s exactly what we did for a 4th of July get-together.

This cutie pie is just beginning to walk on his own and it’s so fun to watch him get better with each passing day. His dad stood him up on the seat and just out of the shot Dad’s holding his legs. With this security, he naturally just grabbed the wheel – but that’s not what I really love about this one. It’s when he stopped looking at me and at the tractor and looked over me and out – with solid confidence. I’ve seen that same look on his dad’s face of knowing exactly which direction he wants to go in life. And I’ve seen it on his Mom’s face, too. I have a strong feeling he’s going to follow right in his parents’ footsteps with that ability.

This is the type of shot that I aim for with kids – ones that freeze those fleeting looks that defines an aspect of their character. To me, this type of photo is one of the best rewards of being a photographer – knowing you nailed it, again.

LIVE WEBCAM LINK – “THE VIEW FROM HERE”

For the past week, I’ve noticed a few Williamson’s Sapsuckers around here – occasionally on the hummingbird feeder. So if you see larger birds hanging off of it, that’s them.

There seem to be three immature adults (2 males and 1 female) and a male and female adult – or at least that’s all I’ve seen at one time. They’re out most mornings and evening on the ground eating the ants (Yay, birds!). I assume they nested somewhere near here – more info from Wikipedia.

The other morning I watched two baby mountain bluebirds being fed moths by the parents near the house under a light that’s on at night (the summer bird feeder of sorts).  I took photos, but haven’t even downloaded them yet from the camera. We also have baby squirrels romping around – they might make it into the camera view on occasion – they’re pretty bold (or just young and stupid) right now and seem to have no fear. Rhad and Taylor almost got one in the dog yard the other day, but I think both dogs were stunned at getting so close and didn’t really know what to do if they actually caught one, so they stopped and then chased again when it got farther away from them.

I cannot believe what designer Kim Liddiard has done for me today. She asked if I would mind doing a test run on a new product of hers. It’s life changing – well, life saving – TIME SAVING. And that, especially in summer is life changing.

Summer is always jammed with busy-ness. My life is no different than anyone else’s – so much to do, so much more I want to get done – and gorgeous days beckoning me to step outside, just for a bit. I always want to keep up with basic documentation of life – the stuff to create layouts with. But how do I get the pages that reside in my mind and in my notes actually DONE?

I did THREE pages today – between laundry, and cooking ahead for an upcoming trip I’m taking, and processing photos for those who are waiting for them, and working to make sure the 365 blog can continue while I’m on this upcoming trip.

If you’re a photographer looking for a simple way to present photos to clients – or create storyboards or albums quickly…

If you use Photoshop – if you want to try digital scrapbooking, but even the layered template/quick clicks seem too much to learn or just do…

THIS. IS. THE. ANSWER.

REALLY.

The secret: Actions

Yep, actions – lovely one click actions – to get the basic page done in literally a minute! I had the idea in my mind for this first layout, but had put off creating it – and while Kim has these as square layouts, I created it as she designed, flattened and then dropped it onto an 8.5×11 layout. Added in journaling and a bit of extras to tie things together and voila:

IDEAS TO FINISHED LAYOUTS (and posting this) in LESS THAN AN HOUR for all of it!

Click on them to see them larger.

Action Used: It’s a Snap 9 Square 12×12

(for the 9 square, I cropped and sized the photo and uploaded it all 9 times)

You can find them now in the DSP Store! AND – Kim has a freebie for you to try on her blog!

Action Used: It’s a Snap 4 Gifted