Monkey See, Monkey Do

There's a new kid in town, being developed by some of the folks who did Picnik. Moody, isn't it?

Here's the original.

Here is the Gypsy we know and love...

And here is Gypsy after Picmonkey.

PicMonkey has a ton of features that will delight the tortured soul (and aren't we all) who want to play with their photos but don't have Photoshop.

Now, I confess, I never did play much with Picnik -- I didn't have the time. But when our IT person sent this link for us to practice with for work purposes -- well, I had to get informed! It would just be wrong not to!

Here are a few more examples. The original...

After Monkeying around!

This is my friend Jerry's courtyard in Paris before...

...and after!

And here is the gate to the cemetery where Monet is buried...

...and here's my Monkey version.

I share the photos below and their story with some hesitation, but I think it speaks to the power of photo techniques to alter a mood. This photo is of Kevin, who will graduate from college this June, taken when he was about 10. It was a glorious day at the lake as we rowed across in a rowboat way too big for him to handle, but there he was, gamely rowing away.

This photo is after alteration. I shared it with Rick, rather proud of myself with what I had done. His reaction was quite different, an extremely physical and emotional one, as he saw his youngest son, pushing forward into the future, while Kevin's brother and Rick were fading in the background.

What was a summer memory shot had become an emotionally charged imaged wrapped in memories. A different photo and experience altogether.

Now, I haven't refined this at all -- in fact, in the spirit of overkill, all of these were done using nearly all of the features (on the same photo). But I'm loving to play around with it. Give it a shot!

NOW AT CHOPSTICKS AND STRING: A look at Paula Byrne's "Mad World," a biography of Evelyn Waugh and the events and people that inspired "Brideshead Revisited."

This Kid Wins My Heart!

When Greg was little he drew cars. Then he did portraits. He still does beautiful pencil and ink drawings and wonderful larger pieces. Now he's doing abstracts!

These paintings are from his first gallery show. (He did a gallery showing last fall with other ArtPrize participants, but this was different. This was his!)

I never saw Greg as doing "Pink" but these abstracts, which chronicle elements of his relationship with a former girlfriend (don't ask), take the pink-black-white tones to the max and I wish I had a pink house so I could buy one!

He also had two pieces in the collection that were much colder. I'm particularly fond of the one on the left, but his mom bought it! Reminds me of a bird feeder in winter!

There were eight pieces in all and they showed me a different side of this kid -- no, this young man -- I've known for 16 years.

Greg, you've come a long way since you were nine! And I'm really proud of you!

(Check out other Pink Saturday posts HERE, beginning Friday at 3.)

I also have a new book review on Chopsticks and String. Check out the latest Alexander McCall Smith book featuring Isabel Dalhousie!)

Season of Frenzy -- Celebration Edition, Part Two

Preface: Some of you asked about the reference to soap in the last post. If you saw the movie "A Christmas Story," you may remember when Ralphie says a bad word -- not Fudge. (You can see that scene HERE.)

His mother makes him suck on a bar of Lifebuoy soap, during which he imagines himself having gone blind from soap poisoning. Let's just say that during the plumbing incident, Rick didn't say "Fudge." The ceremonial licking of the soap was his penance!

* * * * *

The good thing about having one Christmas on the evening of the 23rd and the morning of the 24th is that there is time to have another!

'We didn't really have "real" Christmas Eve plans. Kevin and Molly were at her parents' and the three of us weren't sure what we'd do. Then Rick talked to Paul Davis.

Paul and Bonnie live in the neighborhood where Greg grew up and he and Matt were friends from Kindergarten.

Both were creative, in the same Scout troop (with Paul and Rick overseeing the Pinewood Derby and a massive cake-baking fundraiser!).

So, when Paul said, "Come on over for pizza," we were so there!

As we walked in, he said "After dinner, we're making Christmas ornaments and you can make as many as you like, but you have to leave one here for our tree."

Is that not the coolest thing ever?

Rick, Bonnie Paul, Paul's dad, Matt and Greg. I am taking the picture.

So, make we did! Rick turned out a bicycle.

For my ornament to leave behind, Paul is showing a pizza I made to remember the evening by.

I also made the cat below and a very cute choirboy that photographed very badly!

Of course, there's one in every crowd!

Greg made this creature that must speak for itself.

I can't describe it, apart from that it was a creature with a purple headdress sitting in an elaborate chair holding a shotgun! It attracted quite a bit of interest during its creation as Matt chipped in with a support system!

I think a lot of you will "get" this -- to me, sharing an evening with good friends and having the chance to do an art thing was so over-the-top for me, I'll never forget it!

Christmas Day brought presents in the morning with Rick and Gypsy.

The evening brought friends Mike and Kate over for dinner (with Richard stopping in later).

I have to say -- I'm going to make a "Flat Jeanie-on-a-Stick" -- like a flat Stanley, so when I'm the photographer, Rick can hold me up and I'm still in the photo.

Gypsy and the Bow

I said I'd tell you about what Gyppy thought of his Christmas bow. He looked so cute, with his polka dotted bow, that when I left for Christmas #1 at Rick's, I left it on Gypsy. But when I came home later to get something, it was nowhere to be found. I assumed he had snagged it going behind the tree.

But later, when in the bathroom for obvious reasons, I happened to look in the toilet.

(Good thing that didn't get flushed down, or it would be Kevin and his plunger to the rescue a second time!

Couldn't even say "bad cat" because it was so darned funny! And he's so darned cute!

Hey, mom, I'm innocent!

About the Puppy... We're still waiting for the final verdict on Charlie B. Barkin' -- but he's responding to treatment and Kevin says he's really skinny, but he should be coming home today (Thursday!). Thanks everyone for your good words; I can't help but think they helped!

Season of Frenzy -- Celebration Edition, Part One

Today is Boxing Day and I should be out getting a good deal on a new camera. Maybe later -- I suspect all the crazies are out there right now! So, I'm just reveling in the past few days of holiday activity.

Our Christmas was filled with the good...

The gathering of family...

The annual Christmas cookie decorating on our first Christmas Eve...

A pretty table, a delicious dinner...

And presents!

The bad...

Kevin gets an adorable puppy.

Everyone loves Charlie B. Barkin'...

Who is sweet, placid, cuddly, adorable...

...and who came from Animal Control with a disease called Porvo.

(Charlie B. is currently at the vet getting a $1,000 treatment -- everyone chipped in -- and our fingers are crossed that they got him there in time and that he'll recover from this serious canine disease.)

The ugly...

So, it's Christmas Eve #1 and Greg puts carrot peels down the garbage disposal. This is taboo in Rick's house. With good reason.

It was rather colorful articulation that occurred...

Rick started; Greg took over. It didn't work.

Kevin to the rescue with the plunger idea. (Initially pooh pooed. But it worked!)

We didn't have Lifebuoy.

Irish Spring had to do!

The ceremonial licking of the soap.

The wonderful...

Our annual Christmas cookie decorating!

We started this when the kids were little as a way to do something on Christmas Eve after dinner that didn't involve video!

Love the concentration, with everyone working hard to get theirs just right!

Molly wrestled with year-old frosting in a tube. So far, no one has died from eating the cookie.

As always, Artist Greg does one cookie. One really spectacular cookie!

And that's just the first Christmas Eve! Next time we'll show what we did on Christmas Eve #2 -- and what Gyppy really thought of his bow!