Wordless Wednesday: I want her coat!

 LOVE this color

Never Forget

Flashback Friday: Just Two Weeks Ago?

Sometimes if I didn't have photographs, I'd wonder if I'd ever left home. You know... there is laundry to do, gardens to weed, meals to shop for AND cook. But on my first day back in my own home, it's also nice to look back on our first day in Orta San Guilio....just a short while ago.

Waiting in the parking lot in front of our apartment. Each time Elana has greeted us with the keys which we now know how to use easily. Big iron keys for doors that were made a long long time ago.

After unpacking and settling it,  and a short nap, we walked up the hill for an early dinner. We had eaten at Mario's several times on our last winter visit, and I wanted to try them again. There was no sitting inside this time! Being the first to eat, we had our choice of tables outside, and with ours was a view of Lake Orta as the sun started its descent in the west.  Perfect dry sunny weather, the kind I usually call "San Diego" weather.

Afterwards, a slow walk down the hill into town to see what changes had happened in the 18months since we last visited.  More restaurants were open that had been closed in the winter season, more people walking about on the narrow lanes, but the lake as beautiful as ever. With church bells ringing across the lake and down the mountains, it was truly as beautiful as before. It was good to be back.

A Walk to Remember

While staying in Genoa, our landlord suggested we take a city bus down to the town of Nervi which has a sea walk. Oh, what a wonderful suggestion that was! We had a day with brilliant sun and wonderful breezes from the sea. The waves crashed upon the striated rocks and it was one of those just perfect days. No crowds, just ordinary people walking along the sea, walking their dogs, or strolling with children on skate boards and scooters. Daily family life in a setting some of us only dream of and just a bus ticket away.

My quote says... There is magic every day, just open your eyes and see it. On this day, it was impossible not to see.

Life is Good

Just the quiet mornings,  with Mare Liguria outside waaaay down the hill, and a kitchen to cook in. I am blessed, and I'm grateful.

24 hours in Milan

We walked, we walked some more, we dabbled in a museum, we ate right by our hotel, and we fell into bed to sleep soundly. A good start to a trip in my mind. btw, I'm loving  this PicFrame app for my phone. Have you tried it???

Flashback Friday: I Remember This

While I didn't have hair like that or the full 9 yards of the outfits, my first glasses in the 1950s were cat's eyes frames. Oh so cool for a little girl! I remember we had black cushions on a living room chair that my mother made. The had chartreuse fringe on the seams! How about that!

This photo is a recreation I know, but hey...have yourself a root beer float and remember the '50s!

This is Pretty Typical

Happy man in Milano

Tuesday Tutorial: PSE Drop Shadows on their own Layer

I was looking at a tutorial to make images appeared curled, and while the narrator said you could do it in PSE, I found that there was a CS step I couldn't replicate. However, thanks to the wonderful people who share their knowledge on the internet, an almost solution was found. Drop shadows are not big in my book...I know, I know...we each have things we just don't care about that much. However, being able to curl a photo sounded like fun so here's they basic step you need to get that drop shadow on its own layer.



I still haven't been able to get the actual curl done with the separate shadow layer because I haven't had time to see how to replicate the non-existent Warp tool in PSE. If anyone has an suggestion on how to do that, I'd be glad to hear it!

I'm going to have to investigate the other videos Hummie might have. Hope you like this one!

I saw These!

In fact the flight attendant said rather insistently  "Look look!" So I looked and then grabbed my phone to take a photo or two. I'm glad the clouds opened up for me.

The Way it Started

made with PicFrame app

Blogging Break

I'm going to take a short blogging break for the next couple of weeks. There may be the odd post here and there but mostly I will not be here. However, as Gen. Douglas MacArthur said...

I shall return!

Wordless Wednesday - NYC Sad

just sad

San Francisco Finale

Winding up this collection of travel memories. It was such a good trip! and the making of these pages was almost as fun.

 

Goodbye San Francisco! Hope to see you again sometime soon.

Sunday Serenade: Zone Out

This was one of my most favorite tracks back in the day. I only had it on a cassette tape which of course got played out. There was something about the  opening section that used to make me cry. In any case, ignore the video ...just close your eyes and listen.

Flashback Friday: Rosita la Remachadora

original

This is a photo from the wonderful Flickr group Collage Items. The description comes directly from the Flickr page.

From National Women's History Project--copy and display permitted where the intention is to educate and/or write women back into history.

From the pamphlet Las Mujeres: Mexican American/Chicana Women

Rosita the Riveter
With the outbreak of World War II, the nation's economic situation changed dramatically. During the Great Depression, employment opportunities had been scare, and non-US citizens were denied many jobs. With the industrial boom brought on by the war, the US opened its southern border to admit thousands of temporary workers from Mexico, and set up job training programs for people who were already living here. Garment industries doubled their plant locations in border cities like El Paso, with Mexican-American women filling nearly all jobs.

Mexican-American women were also among the millions who took jobs in teh defense plants which opened to supply the war. Wartime employment offered many women their first opportunity to work away from the watchful eyes of family members, to earn decent wages, to socialize with women outside their immediate communities, and to wear pants. Doing work that was formerly done only by men, these women workers came to have a new sense of self-esteem, and pride in their accomplishments. 

(Text is taken directly from pamphlet, for educational purposes.)

A Little Bit More California

Oh really, is there ever too much of California? Well to this solid East Coast woman, it's always a surprise that I love California so much. Maybe it brings out the CA girl in all of us! the one I never was when I was a girl. In any case, we had so much fun this trip. I speak for myself. I'll  have to ask him, Mr. Process it Slowly, what he thought now that it's a few months down the road.

After our time at the market, we headed over to Oakland and met up with our son in the Coast Guard.  We had a full tour of the ship and while a good bit went over my head and wore out my legs standing, it made my husband happy and proud of his son. As I say on the page below, the great Mexican food at lunch revived me. All in all a really nice visit.

I have a hard time believing that we did even more that day but seeing is believing. A trip to the Asian Museum, a jaunt down to Ghiradelli Square and the harbor and finally a Thai dinner.

Just writing about that day makes me feel like a nap! More from this January trip another day.

Wordless Wednesday: Could This Work?

Makes you think, doesn't it...

Tuesday Tutorial: Printing Small Photos for Project Life

Today I have a simple technique from Ali Edwards on printing some of those 3x4" images for a Project Life Album. Most of us have printers that can print 4x6" photos so this allows you to print two small photos as a 4x6" photo and then just cut the 4x6" in half. You can also use this to print journal cards on card stock, by cutting some of the card stock into 4x6" pieces. Make sure to change the printing mode to Plain Paper-Best rather than Photo Paper or the equivalent choice on your own printer.


Ali Edwards | Printing Small Photos for Project Life from Ali Edwards on Vimeo.