June 2023 Calendars

On time, for a change.

Note: mucho calendars in this post (I think) . . . if the text describes a calendar you don’t see, just refresh the page as sometimes they’re slow to load.

I’m using AI-created artwork for the calendars. . . until I get tired of AI-created stuff. Here’s the first of the June offerings:

The printable files for the monthly calendars will all be uploaded HERE. Previous calendars are also there, and I’ll add each month’s calendar as I create them. You should then have the option to download any or all the files.

If you have a color printer — and you so desire — you should be able to print them on 8.5×11 letter-size paper. As mentioned, if you don’t have a color printer, you can print the color versions in grayscale or just print the monochrome versions. I could have made an A4 version, but unless requested, these will all be Letter-sized.

I’ve also turned on the download option for the SmugMug Gallery (HERE), so you could also download them from there . . . and let me know if it does — or does not — work. One thing, if you right-click and choose “save-as”, it will download whatever size you’re looking at. There’s an actual download icon to get the original size file (looks like a downward arrow). View full-size to download the full-size version if you plan to use “save-as” and want the full-size version. (The Google option is probably easier.)

No, I won’t be offended if no one downloads them. Part of doing this is to keep in practice with some Photoshop features, so, again, it’s for my benefit.

As before, I don’t expect anyone — in this digital assistant age — to actually use a paper calendar, but a few readers said they’ve used them, so I’ll continue to offer them.

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SmugMug Appreciation Sunday — No. 068

In brief, these posts serve to introduce new readers — and reintroduce regular readers — to photos from the early days of this blog and, occasionally, to photos from days before this blog came into existence.

Today’s photos are from three SmugMug Galleries documented in two posts. I’ll give the links at the bottom, so if you don’t care to read this post, you can go directly there.

A little background . . . in 2011, I came across the idea of blended layer focusing . . . which some call Focus Blending or Focus Stacking Images. I called it Blended Layers in my post, but the other terms are likely more accurate than my made-up shorthand. Click on the links to read a description of the process . . . or read the next paragraph.

You can use the technique for anything, but I was interested in it because when shooting macros, I struggle with getting the entire subject in focus. The problem with Macro lenses is they have a small depth of field, meaning the area in focus is a narrow band; things further away and things that are closer than that narrow band are out of focus.  The closer one focuses, the smaller the band becomes.

Now, ‘real’ photographers like the resulting shallow depth of field, but I prefer having the entire subject in focus.

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SmugMug Appreciation Sunday — No. 067

In brief, these posts serve to introduce new readers — and reintroduce regular readers — to photos from the early days of this blog and, occasionally, to photos from days before this blog came into existence.

Today’s photos are from THIS SmugMug Gallery, and they’re not documented in any post. Wait . . . a few have appeared in various posts for a variety of reasons, but the entire galley used to be marked private, accessible only via a direct link.

A little background . . . in 2015, while living in Colorado, we became concerned about the water situation, the fire situation, and the large influx of people in the area. In preparation for possibly listing the house (it would happen a year later), I snapped a portfolio for an eventual listing.

Don’t be misled; we loved Colorado, and were happy with our house, but felt a change was needed because of said issues. Or, perhaps, subconsciously, we were keeping with our pattern of moving shortly after getting the house just like we wanted, or eleven years, whichever came first.

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A few hours at Rend Lake

A rare capture of a Water Ostrich striking its signature pose.

Rend Lake is a man-made lake/reservoir about a half hour from where we live. On occasion, when Melisa has something going on nearby, I take the opportunity to drive around the lake and hit most of the boat ramps and day-use areas. Sometimes, I take photos.

Oh, wait . . . not a Water Ostrich. It’s a Great Blue Heron messing with me.

OK, so those weren’t the first photos I snapped. This Eastern Box Turtle takes the honors.

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Genre Writing Challenge Round 03 — E. J. D’Alise

We’re in the third round of the Genre Writing Challenge. Each round, the three writers — Perry, Gary, and I — will write a story on a genre. The Twins decided the Third genre is Science Fiction.

We’re again staggering the publication of the stories, and this is my story. Perry’s story went live this past Saturday and can be found HERE. Gary’s went live on Tuesday and can be found HERE.

Here, I must apologize to a few regular readers. You see, it appears I’ve lost my ability to write. Rather, I’ve lost my ability to create. I can write up a storm, but when it comes to writing something creative, I’m hitting wall after wall.

I’ve been trying to get a particular story off the ground for the better part of two weeks, and it’s going nowhere. Worse, even when I say, ‘screw this!‘ and try to move on to a different story, nothing comes. I sit there for a bit, and then either I read a book, or watch something on YouTube or one of the streaming channels. Or, I go and do some chores.

This is the first time I’ve experienced this. Sure, sometimes I write crappy stuff (some say more than sometimes), but I write.

Now, let me be clear . . . I’m not asking for advice, encouragement, or sympathy.

I’m serious. Please don’t offer any.

The only reason I’m even mentioning it is because I’m about to post a previously written story. And, I’m only doing that because this story has been behind a password (I had intended to submit it for publication), so I know only a few people have read it.

Hence my apology to the three or four people who’ve already read it.

For all others, this is a story I wrote in 2015, which I liked well enough to think someone might buy it (no one did).

I like all my stories, but, beyond that, this is a story from when I could still write stories I liked, and I hope new readers will as well.

The usual disclaimer:

The writing challenge has no restrictions, and the stories span a wide gamut of subjects. The majority of the stories fall in the PG range, with a few perhaps pushing into the R range. Those ratings are guidelines, but they are subjective. If you find a story disturbing because of the topics, language, and/or plot points, stop reading and move on to the next one. The same goes if you are not interested in finishing a story. It may seem like obvious advice, but many people go out of their way to experience outrage (and then complain about it).

So, without further ado, here’s my contribution to the Science Fiction genre.

Wait . . . first, the blurb:
What would you do if you came face-to-face with a robot asking you for help? Would you put yourself at risk by helping, or would you choose the easy path and not get involved. For some, it’s an easy decision to make.

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Genre Writing Challenge Round 03 — R. G. Broxson

As mentioned, we’re starting a new challenge — the Genre Writing Challenge. Each round, the three writers — Perry, Gary, and I — will write a story on a genre. The Twins decided the Third genre is Science Fiction.

For the record, I think this is a difficult assignment if trying to think of something in the future. That’s because we’ve easily exceeded expectations — well, some expectations, the more reasonable ones from 20-30 years ago, let alone from 50 or 100 years ago — and completely missed amazing things that are now commonplace in much of the world. I mean, Captain Kirk and Spock would be very envious of my Galaxy S23 Ultra . . . probably as envious as I am of their Phasers.

Anyway, we’re again staggering the publication of the stories, and this is Gary’s story. Perry’s story went live this past Saturday and can be found HERE.

Our usual disclaimer:

The writing challenge has no restrictions, and the stories span a wide gamut of subjects. The majority of the stories fall in the PG range, with a few perhaps pushing into the R range. Those ratings are guidelines, but they are subjective. If you find a story disturbing because of the topics, language, and/or plot points, stop reading and move on to the next one. The same goes if you are not interested in finishing a story. It may seem like obvious advice, but many people go out of their way to experience outrage (and then complain about it).

So, without further ado, here’s Gary’s contribution to the Science Fiction genre.

Wait . . . first, the blurb:
I know, weird title, right? But if you can stick with it till the end, you’ll get it. There are a lot of moving parts in this epic tale. They all lead to a new beginning. So follow along as the Jones family in Hawaii try to survive the forces that would destroy their unique newborn. For better or worse, hold on for a wild ride.

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SmugMug Appreciation Sunday — No. 066

In brief, these posts serve to introduce new readers — and reintroduce regular readers — to photos from the early days of this blog and, occasionally, to photos from days before this blog came into existence.

The photos are from THIS SmugMug Gallery and are documented in THIS post. That post covers one of the stops in our flight from the Mainland, the Joshua Trees National Park.

It might be worth reading the original post since I’m writing this in a hurry because it’s late and I’m tired. Plus, the post is from seven years ago, when I was much cleverer, funny, and creative.

The gallery opens with the namesake.

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