weekend walk: just up the street

Most of us lead far more meaningful lives than we know.

Often finding meaning is not about doing things differently;

it is about seeing familiar things in new ways.

~Rachel Naomi Remen

There is an irrigation ditch at the top of our street,

and the path alongside it

is a popular destination for folks

in our little neighborhood

to go for a stroll.

Recently I took

my iPhone camera there

for a little spin

(funny how I think of my iPhone

primarily as a camera -

probably because that's the main reason

I got an iPhone in the first place)

No definite intentions

or real plans

for what I might

capture...

...just delighting

in the

serenity

and

simple beauty

of the place.

The dirt path is shaded by

many big old trees.

A couple of these

big trees

had been recently

cut down.

I mean

b i g.

Someone had

gathered some apples

...

and then left them

to rot.

I was of course

drawn to this rusty old

piece of machinery;

I think it controls

the water flow

somehow.

The entire ditch property is bordered by

several fenced-in back yards

with gated access

to the trail.

Lucky for me

the gates are weathered

and rather rickety.

One property

has this little old cottage

on the banks

of the ditch.

I like to imagine it

as an artist's studio.

October is a beautiful time of year,

with its contrasting colors

of early fall.

This was my favorite

wabi-sabi

fence/gate shot;

I am fascinated by the

tenacity of nature

as it overtakes

man's efforts.

Notes:

CAMERA

iPhone 5

ProCamera app

I love how I can control

focus and exposure

independently,

especially useful

on a hazy-bright day

with plenty of

dappled sun and shadows.

LIGHTROOM

I haven't yet figured out

how to efficiently

edit a batch of iphotos

(I'm sure there's an app for that)

so I just imported everything

into Lightroom.

Minimal editing:

just a bit of the basics

and minor cropping.

Then I auditioned several presets

and finally chose Kim's

kk_earthy.

PHOTOSHOP

No texture work needed;

I tried a few but found

that it interfered with

the clarity,

and literally

muddied the waters.

Linking up with

A Weekend Walk

Friday Finds

Be Still 52 (Week 22)