Let the Sun Shine

I left the cool comfort of the air conditioning and dared to venture out into the Texas summer heat. After seeing some flowers thrive in the sunshine, I decided to take a closer look.

I tried out some different setting combinations and found that blurring out the background, or adjusting the Depth of Field (DOF), worked best for this type of subject. And, moving in closer and filling the frame didn't hurt either!

Another bit of adjustment in Picasa and you have a striking photo of a beautiful flower in Texas.

Green Light - Go!

Ever wonder what your camera sees if you leave the shutter open just a bit longer?

I wondered.

So, as we were approaching an intersection with

traffic lights, I decided to find out.

To the camera, it looks like we're going 100 MPH...but in all reality, we probably were lumbering along about 30 MPH.

Once I downloaded this photo, I did increase the shadows on it in Picasa to increase the focus on the light streaks.

I love it how looks like we flew past the intersection. We really didn't, I promise!

Sunset

This photo was taken last Friday out of the passenger window. The clouds were on the move but at a leisurely pace, giving the sun ample time to paint them with sunset colors.

Looking for Rain

In this heatwave of 100+ degree temperatures, rain has become a myth.

The upwards view shows some cloud cover, but not the kind of clouds that promise rain, only the ones that lie about it.

I've forgotten what real rain looks like, so if you have photos of rain, leave a link in the comment section or send them to me.

An Hour in Gruene, Texas

Friday afternoon, I decided to take a quick trip into the past at Gruene, Texas. Since this was my lunch break, I had a limited amount of time and no control over the amount (the crazy amount) of sunshine (and heat) that was covering the area. Click on the image for a larger view.

Now, some of the best times to head over to Gruene, TX are during Market Days, which are held on the 3rd full weekend of each month, Feb-Nov and the 1st weekend of December. During these days, you can find some unique gift items, handcrafted out of wood or metal and some just unique treasures (and people).

There is also Gruene Hall, which is the oldest dance hall in Texas. It is also the site for one of scenes from John Travolta's movie, Michael. There's no a/c in this place, but lots of cool refreshments can be bought...which lead to some interesting stories. So I hear....

Gruene is a place where you can enjoy wine tasting, homestyle cookin', the Guadalupe River and so much more.

Ever been to Gruene? I'd like to hear from you! Leave me a comment with how far you travelled to get to Gruene.

Cicada Shells

Cicada husks can be found just about anywhere this time of year...on houses, trees, mailboxes and apparently, tires!

They emerge from their shell and are transformed into winged insects, but they must wait for their wings to harden before taking flight. Once they are in the trees, they are nearly impossible to see, as they are as green as the leaves around them. Even though they aren't easily seen, they can be heard for blocks, making an incessant buzzing noise!

Before taking off to work earlier this week, I found another cicada on my front tire, with his newly transformed self sitting next to who he used to be. After taking a few photos, I moved him to a new spot so that he'd be able to fly away later. Pay no attention to the dirty rims :)