My First Blog Anniversary!!!

Today is the first anniversary of my entry into the blogosphere, so get yourself a slice of this cake and enjoy your time spent here. That first post wasn't much of a read, but then, most of my posts aren't. I did mention that I wasn't sure where this effort would take me, but there would be time spent doting on the grand kids. Mission accomplished. This effort has taken me to new blogs of some very interesting people from all over this great land and a few foreign countries, although Canada is almost like family. I have enjoyed the journey so far and I intend to continue exploring parts of this blogosphere that are currently unknown to me. Who knows, my readership might actually reach double digits someday.
So, let's get this party started with a little music from one of my favorite artists, Mr. John Fogerty. It is springtime in the Ozarks and we have a new AA minor league baseball team, so what could be more fun than "Center Field"? If you're old enough to remember how baseball used to be, you're gonna love this video.

Center Field - John Fogerty

OK, that was fun. Now what shall we do? I'm not going to post a whole bunch of links and wax sentimental about past posts. If you want to know what I'm all about, do a little exploring on your own. That's what I did when I went to your blog. I know, let's play "fun with PhotoShop".
As you know, I've been taking an online course in PhotoShop Elements. I have really enjoyed the experience. The following example is something I did long before I took the class, so there isn't much expertise required, just an inquisitive mind and no fear of buttons (you can always click on "Revert" to restore the original photo that you took. OK, here we go. A couple of years ago we had an extremely dry summer. The water level of the lake that supplies water to this area dropped nearly 20' below normal. That exposed multitude of photo opportunities. One such opportunity was this sunken boat. So, here is the original photo.

It's an interesting enough photo and with a little work, it could be suitable for framing. But let's create a little art. First I cropped it. Then I converted it to black and white with just a couple clicks of the mouse. Finally, I used one of my favorite filters, Sketch/Graphic Pen to make it look like a pen and ink sketch. Now we got something we can frame. Fun stuff. Here is the result. This technique is great for architectural photographs.

In my very first post I indicated that I would dote on the grand kids. So, no party is complete without them. I posted these pics a few weeks ago, but I have cropped them again for more effect. And yes, I converted them to black and white for drama.

























Well, I guess it's about time to wrap this party up. Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate that you took some valuable time out of your day to spend with me. As you regular visitors know, I have a love of inspirational music and a special love for Southern Gospel. I have been posting a hymn of the faith or other inspirational music video each Friday for a couple of months now. So, in the tradition of some of the early 60's television variety shows, I will close this post with an inspirational song or two. Tell all your friends, this party is going to be here a few days. Oh, there's plenty of cake left, so take a piece with you. And now, two of my favorite Southern Gospel groups, Signature Sound and the Gaither Vocal Band together. Thanks again for stopping by. Enjoy.

Holy Highway


I Then Shall Live