a weekend hike

I took a short hike last Saturday after work in the foothills just west of town. I donned my hike hat, shorts and shoes, grabbed my iPhone and took off in the hot afternoon sun. Thoroughly enjoying just being in the mountains I was also in 'gathering mode' - gathering images for the wonderful Photoshop Grunge class I just signed up for.

Up, up, up I climbed...almost to the top of the mountain,

with a magnificent view of the Denver area down below.

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I collected many texture photos,

but as always, the wildflowers beckoned...

I love the color of the soil in these parts...a beautiful, dusty pinkish-terra cotta.

I'm not really sure what any of these flowers are called.

I know...these dandelions are actually weeds.

The Good Lord is an amazing gardener, isn't He?

He doesn't seem to worry about the weeds.

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Linking up with:

• Friday Finds these trails are my streets
• Beyond Beyond where we are making textures this week
• Texture Tuesday these excursions are truly Stolen Moments...I used Kim's kk_avery in the texture I created for this post (see below)
• A Weekend Walk you gotta check out Helen's wonderful blog and join in the fun

All photos were taken on my iPhone 5, with the ProCamera app.

I made my own texture - 'RockGrass' - by combining these two photos, then layering with kk_avery,  following Kim's Photoshop tutorial, and playing around with it a bit on my own:

Here's my RockGrass texture:

All photos were edited on my iPad Mini with the PS Touch app. Just a bit of cropping and one spot removal (that spot alone took me at least a half hour by the time I figured out the Clone Tool); then one layer of RockGrass - Multiply blend mode @25% opacity.

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xoxo

Cindy

st. mary's glacier

O Lord, how manifold are thy works!

In wisdom has thou made them all:

the earth is full of thy riches...

I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live:

I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

PSALM 104:24, 33

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St. Mary's Glacier is less than an hour away from town. Last Sunday morning I went with my hike buddy Chris...and our new iPhones. We got there early enough, before the crowds. There were a few hardy souls camped there from the night before (at 10,000 ft it can get mighty chilly at night!).

We also encountered some adventurous souls with their snowboards and skis, ready to conquer the mighty glacier...

I believe we witnessed an unfortunate accident, though. The snowboarder (lower left) appeared to be in trouble at the end of his run...a little while later, as we were driving back down Fall River Road to Interstate 70, we encountered a Mountain Rescue truck and ambulance hurrying toward the glacier. I hope he wasn't too badly injured.

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I did all my photo editing on my iPad Mini, learning to use the Snapseed app. Just a few simple adjustments were necessary - crop, brightness, contrast, saturation. I even did some selective adjustments with a target tool to lighten some areas here and there. This is a very user-friendly app...and it's free!

No textures this time...I didn't want to diminish the sparklingly clear views here!

Linking up with Friday Finds and Weekend Walk.

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xoxo

Cindy

red rocks

Not ten minutes from home, and a perennial favorite hike/bike destination. Yesterday I put my camera in my Camelback, laced up my hiking shoes and headed for the foothills west of Denver.



I love living here.

i will lift up mine eyes unto the hills...

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. Psalm 121

For this week's assignment in Beyond Layers, Kim Klassen asked us to share a photo of our surroundings, our part of the world, to "...breathe in the beauty around us." Since I do most of my art - and now blogging - in the early morning hours before work, I often draw upon my own archives. These photos are from July 2008.

This time of year, these few weeks especially, my heart is in this place: Herman Gulch. About an hour's drive due west of Denver, this is by far my favorite hike. It is a strenuous hike, to be sure, with a trailhead elevation of over 9,000 ft, climbing to well above timberline at over 12,000 ft. This is peak wildflower season at this elevation, and here you will find the most amazing display: hillsides and meadows simply overflowing with a variety of wildflowers, including my favorite - and Colorado's state flower - the blue columbine. I'll never forget years ago, on a hike with our little girls, Kelly exclaiming, "Mommy, who planted all these flowers?!"

How truly blessed I am to call this place home!