Common and yet Not

I am feeling restless these days. We have mostly sunny days and rain comes down every now and then. Flowers and plants are bathed in cozy sun and are showered occasionally to reach their prime state. It is the time to plant annuals and make flower baskets. I prefer perennials, but annual colors are usually more striking. 

After selecting the primary colors for the pot, I began to grab some 'basket stuffers' which are mostly starters. I like starters for the price and also for the surprise. The pictures shown on the tag are not always accurate. I enjoyed watching colors popped out of the little green plants. And, this one is a nice surprise. I have not seen this flower not mentioning the deep cobalt blue color. The flower is only about one inch in diameter, but check out the details and multi colors.

Stuff in my pots are mostly starters. I think texture is the only way to clean up the clutter on the background, so here you go. I used 4 different kinds of texture plus couple of filters.

The process of texturing is so fun. I love to do it and also hesitate to engage in one. Once I sit down, I may not get up for a long time.

I will be showing the original pictures below in order that you can see the reason why I decided to use texture on these images.

In a recent doctor's visit, I walked out of the clinic and heard this beautiful bird singing that I have never heard before. Luckily I had my telephoto lens in the trunk, so I followed the song and discovered a bird perching extremely high on the limb. I started to shoot from distance and stopped below the tree. Even I was right below the tree, I could not tell what kind of bird it is. The song has a spell on me, and I had hard time to just drive away. 

Guess who it is? If I knew it is JUST a sparrow, I would probably not spend my time trying to snap these shots and have people stare at me curiously. It is not a bald eagle or snow owl, just a black-headed sparrow. I must be a joke in front of these passer-bys. But, if you look at sparrows closely and know how hard they are usually singing, I think you will enjoy and appreciate them more. 

The sky is a big blank white at noon, so I decided to give it some color and also  pay  this  guy a little

tribute. I have mentioned it before. Sparrows are no longer common to me. They are the best musicians. Meadow Lark sings beautifully, but sparrows sing a variety of songs that ML cannot compete.

You know I have driven almost 4 hours round trip (and more than once) to shoot tulips at Wooden Shoe tulip farm, but the one shot that I have been looking at is this small tulip that I planted bulbs last year. It is simple but graceful. It opens in the morning when sun rises and closes in the afternoon when the light is down.

While most of the tulips at the farm are winding down, this one stayed for almost a month. How does the most insignificant tulip (I thought) turn out to be my most favorite?

Common can become uncommon. I have the proof here.

Below are the original pictures of above three images:

What next? after dream come true....

Being the last child of the family, I am certainly not the spoiled nor the dependent. The oldest child in the family, my sister, is old enough to be my mother and most of the time, I lived under the jurisdication of the older siblings who liked to tell me what to do. Generally speaking, I was obedient but it only meant that my rebellious cell had yet matured and I was brought up to show respect to the older.

I have always wanting to be a journalist, but I did not dare to enter that as my first choice for college. I did what would please my parents, became an English major.  It was glamorous in my days (in my hometown) to be an English secretary fresh out of school or a flight stewardess who proudly spoke English in the air.  How things have changed, and my dreams have been crashed many times.

Up to this point, I am barely close to do what I want to do in my life, but gradually I got to do a few things that were just my dreams, big or small. I wonder what’s next when one dream becomes true, dream the next dream? When my life spam is going downhill and I still keep building my dreams uphill? I think the answer is YES! Dreams are timeless.

Among all pets, I only like birds. On my usual walk path, I heard this beautiful and crisp sound many times, but I could not figure out the owner of the voice. How can I miss this bird? I thought I am fully aware of the birds dwelling in our neighborhood. Maybe it is one of the birds I’ve known but I never heard their voice. Who are you, bird (it sounded like from one single bird)? I have heard you for months, show up and introduce yourself. Otherwise, I am going crazy. 

A flock of sparrows flew for lives when one day I suddenly decided to walk a different path  and they were apparently shocked by my unusual presence. Just sparrows, sparrows have been around since I was a child, no big deal. But, this bird landed on the brush by me, just 2 feet away and IT started to sing. OMG, can you believe it? Listen to its voice. This is exactly what I have been hearing for months. A little dream of mine just came true.  It is the golden-crowned sparrow. Go to the link below and click the Voice.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/GOLDEN-CROWNED_SPARROW/id

Scandinavia was only a geography term to me for more than six decades. It is not a common tourist destination, but I wanted to be there and this desire was getting stronger. My sister Grace has travelled around the world in the last 6-7 years and Scandinavia is one of the very few places she has not been. So, we made the trip and made my dream come true.

I love Norway. Though I could not take quality shots from our tour bus, I have since gone over the images tirelessly. I wish Norway is not so expensive and Oregon has fjords to enhance its beautiful nature. 

In the past, I have often dragged about the thought of getting on a cruise. I thought I would rust my brain staring at water and  feel   bound and restricted in a confined area. Endless food supply and dress-up formal nights are not temptation for me. But I was obsessed with this image I took.

This is exactly what’s missing in major part of my life. I always have a full schedule and I am always looking to do something. Confined in the ship, I was forced to nap and dream a few day dream.

So many photographers shoot Space Needle. I am gaining interest to do night shots, but Seattle is not an easy destination for me, and I had no clue where to find a right spot for the shot.  Thanks to my husband who maintained his ultimate patience while trying to find me this spot in Seattle. Getting around in Seattle and Los Angeles is surely a task. Bottom line is, I got my first night shot of Space Needle. It is nothing spectacular, but I did it. It is the thrill of dream-come-true that makes me excited like a little child.

By the time when you read this article, I am on my way to another journey, a trip that has been overdue and I wanted to do it since long time ago. I expect lots of photography opportunities if time permits, and I will surely share some with you.

 

I captured this airplane in night sky on the way back from Seattle.  I only had my 200mm in hand.  The jet showed up so suddenly, I was caught unprepared. Not a good shot, but it happens to well describe my current status: I am taking a long distance night flight crossing Pacific Ocean. I publish this post from my phone before I board the plane.

I am aiming for more journeys and therefore more discoveries, dream more dream, and make dreams come true.