Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: fanciful

(+7 insets!) (view large to see the sunset reflection even better!) Happy Valentine's Day and HFF!! This is my last sunset presentation from Surfside! I hope you enjoyed the show and can see why I wanted to share all of these images! It was a truly magical evening and it pretty awesome to be able to capture a bit of what we experienced. This last presentation begins with my main picture, featuring yet another sunset! This time, however, it's reflected in the windows of the lucky row of RVs which have a front-row seat to this totally spectacular view every day. Steve saw the reflections and immediately went crazy taking pictures. His turned out so well that he added them to the Google Map location for Surfside and the one similar to mine has gotten nearly 1,000 views! That's pretty cool! My other pictures show views along the popular path between the park and the water and a fun pair of flags we saw that feature Canada and a pirate motif…I had some fun playing with filters for that one! You will also see a pair of pictures that show the lovely view from behind our trailer (daytime and at dusk)--a beautiful pond which rose and fell with the tide. And finally, a picture of our old Grey Wolf trailer and our truck, all set up and ready for a fun stay. We had such a nice time at this place. People have said they thought it was "stuffy" or overly policed, but we didn't find that to be the case at all. This "RV resort" is directed towards long-time stays for those wealthy enough to afford the $100k + price tag to do so, but we were delighted that they offer affordable stays to travelers too. Pam, just THINK of what it would be like to retire in a place like this! Would it not be a slice of pure heaven?! :D Steve and I were dazzled by this park. Even the places that weren't "front row", even when they didn't have a spot next to the lagoon or marsh, they were still nice. The place has a wonderful, spacious clubhouse, they have a bunch of different groups that do lots of activities--they even have a fishing group with contests! Steve talked to the people in charge for more information just for the serious details. It's no small feat to get into a fancy spot like this and they actually have waiting lists, spots that are willed to the next generation, and the credit checks are worse than an IRS audit! Insanity! But it was fun to look into and some day far down the road we will probably find ourselves settling down at one place after another for 6-month stays. It would be pretty ideal! Here's hoping you have a fabulous Valentines, Pam! Explored on 2/14/20; highest placement #1.

(+6 insets!) (Another picture that looks nice at full size!) (Please scroll down to "Today's Pictures" for details about the insets) Frosty Mornings are so COLD! Holy Frostbite, Batman, it's COLD OUT THERE!!! :D As I sit here at my computer, I have our the space heater in front of my seat, my sock-covered feeties tingling before it and trying to get warm again. It's not that horribly cold outside compared to many places but 28.5°F / -1.94°C is still WAY TOO COLD for my liking! You would think my tromping up and down my driveway would compensate, but it's just not enough. Even with the excellent, heat-generating slope all the way up from the main road to the base of our steep hillside. Add to that the fact that my washed hair makes my head and entire body struggle to get warm, even bundled up with a hat, scarf, gloves and heavy sweaters. But I'm slowly warming up and as always, the experience out there was easily worth what discomfort I might feel for a while after returning to the warmth of the house. Sharing a Breathtaking Sunrise with Pumpkin The beautiful day began the moment I got up. Together with Pumpkin, we peeked out the window after she climbed out of her fleecy-soft tent onto my finger and stretched her wingies, accenting each side with a satisfied "Urrrrrk." We admired the breathtaking pastel pinks, oranges and blues of the sunrise, contrails from the high-flying airplanes penciling soft white lines in the sky which slowly spread out into lovely, dissipating ripples. I couldn't help uttering my amazement of this view, complete with the beautiful Upper Table Rock stretching out in the distance before us. "Wowwwwwww, isn't that just gorgeous…" I considered running down to get my phone for a picture but decided against it. I didn't want to ruin this special moment with my little girl, nor did I want to wreck the serenity and peace that we were experiencing. Morning Routines and a Food-Flinging Parrot! Tiptoeing downstairs after a shower and getting dressed--I didn't want to disturb Steve, who was still sleeping at this early hour of just after 7am--Pumpkin and I shared the morning routine of preparing her food and getting my daily vitamins and pair of drinks together. Steve and I live a ketogenic lifestyle and part of this requires us to have extra potassium, salt and other electrolytes in our diet, which we get from an apple cider vinegar drink blend. It's so important, in fact, that if we don't have this drink every day, our bodies will respond eventually with fatigue and flu-like symptoms. The other drink was, of course, coffee, in the form of an Americano espresso (espresso and water). I save my cherished espresso and cream for a decadent afternoon treat. And yet, I totally enjoy my watered-down burst of caffeine I drink after downing my vitamins and cider brew. The crema and bouquet of espresso are so delicious! By the time I finish, Pumpkin's decided that violently flinging the contents of her food cup are the order of the day. I cannot help but smirk as I watch in amusement while chunks of bread and various seeds and pepper flakes are scattered over her perch and bounce into the sink. She is delighted at the mess she's made and I snicker at the maniacal, satisfied expression on her lovely face. Red eyes surrounding black pupils in her glowing yellow and orange face could look demonic if she were a nasty bird but she's an absolute doll and her mood right now is feisty and hungry. She was ready for a proper breakfast and I wasn't moving fast enough--this show was letting me know how she felt! "Well then!" Stepping boldly onto my offered finger, I continue, "Let's get you upstairs for your breakfast my dear!" Gripping my finger tightly with her large, scaly feet (we like to call them "her big, fat, chicken feet!"), we go upstairs together along with her prepared food bowl of veggies, fruit, and lots of other goodies. Pumpkin eagerly stepped onto her cage's upper perch while I put her breakfast in place. Before leaving, I turn on her music (80's and other fun songs that she loves) and tell her I love her with wishes for a happy breakfast before quietly closing the door. When I step inside after my frigid walk, Steve is bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and coming downstairs for his breakfast after having a wonderful shower with Pumpkin too! :) Our day has begun and it will be a beauty! :) Today's Pictures I'm sharing another selection from our evening walk along the water at Surfside RV Resort! My main picture today shows a perfectly synchronous pair of ladies enjoying their kayaks on the bay. I took some liberties with some creative filters and the result turned this otherwise "meh!" picture into an image I really like! Lots of insets today as well! There are three panoramas--a super wide one which made the view look like a bowl of land surrounded by water; a fading sunset view of a fingerling jetty which joined the place I stood at a 90 degree angle, and a wide view of the lovely, peaceful lagoon next to Surfside's resort. Also included is an image of interesting kelp that washed up on the shore. I have never seen anything like it and thought the resulting picture showed the fascinating shapes quite well. There are also two artistic renditions of an oystercatcher that I photographed. In the fading light, my camera's ISO shot up to a ridiculous number and the resulting grain rendered the pictures totally useless. Or so I thought. I'd never gotten a picture of this species before and I really wanted to do something with them if I could, grainy or not. Then I realized that I could break out my artistic filters and give that a try. How nice to have the excuse to play with my pictures in a purely artistic sense. I am delighted at the outcome, as these pictures were not savable otherwise. The results, in my opinion, are colorful and fun! :) I hope you like them too! (but I won't blame you if you hate them! :D) Pam, I looked to see if you have any pictures of shore birds, but I didn't see any. While I worked on my two Oystercatcher pictures, I couldn't help but think of you. I deeply admire your skill and dedication to the countless artistic images and collages that you've created over the years. I don't usually go that route but with my travel photography I am presented with the opportunity much more often. It's pretty common to find pictures that aren't up to par in one way or another, but when I switch on my creative eye, it's usually very easy to see the potential of an otherwise "garbage" shot. It's fun. I don't spend hours on them as you have with your gazillions of layers, filters, additional elements and so forth but I do allow myself the freedom to have a good time. It's really nice to do this and makes me feel as if I'm stretching other artistic muscles. Great stuff! Anyway, I hope this is a nice day for you!! *BIG HUGS* from southern Oregon! :) Explored on 2/13/20; highest placement #4.

[best appreciated at full size against black] It's been raining a lot these days, so I have to bounce out the door whenever I get the chance! The other day when I was getting mail by our front gate, I paused when I noticed a bush that seemed to sparkle at me. Looking closer, the bare stems were covered with brand new leaves popping out at all the tips!! And every one was adorned with tiny, perfect globes of water! I didn't have my camera with me, but the next break in the rain, I made a beeline for that bush and look at who I found waiting for me!! This sweetheart has two big ears, a big and little eye full of joy, and a happy smile on his face as he says, "O HAI!! WELCOME TO MY BUSH!!" Steve and I tried to decide on what animal this little guy looks like...half Kermit the Frog and half mouse? What do you think?! :D What fun it is to find animals and faces in the plants and flowers that I find!! I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :) NOTE! I have finally updated my profile and I hope you'll take a look to find out a little more about me and how important all of you are to my experience here on Flickr! www.flickr.com/people/sfhipchick/ This image was taken in March, 2012.