Girls Girls Girls

Christmas with the women in Roger's world! DD and DGD

This was done with Sweet Made's "My Winter Blus" papers, and embellishments.

My Sister's new Avalanche

For TWO YEARS, my sister has dreamed of, and wished for a blue Chevrolet Avalanche, and NOW she has one! She absolutely LOVES it!

And HERE SHE IS!

Snow Time in Ruidoso

A Snowy Day in Ruidoso



Snowfight anyone?




Playing on the snow disks




After building snowmen and playing on the snow disks, there's nothing like a cup of hot chocolate that Grandma and Great Auntie B made for ME!

Paper and snowmen by Kimmie Stewart, Scrapbook Elements. Font: Almonte Snow

Our Christmas Day

DGD created this composite all by herself in Photoshop---done with Sweet Made's Sweet Winter Blues papers, frames and snowflakes. What a HAPPY Christmas Time we had this Christmas Day in Ruidoso.

Let It Snow

View from the Deck of my Sister's house---(on December 8th) This is promised again for tomorrow? But it is NOT looking likely!

Christmas at my Sister's

Visiting along with us in Ruidoso, is my sister's very best friend (through 45 years.) We hadn't seen her in 40 years, and our visit is just fantastic--and chock full of laughing and corny fun!! She has a nine month old long-haired Daschund whose name is Samantha Sue, and is she ever the cutest thing. Chester's at the Red Rock Pet Ranch in St. George Utah while we're away.



My sister has made hundreds of beautiful little beaded and cross-stitched ornaments, and the house is SO decorated and SO pretty. Here's just a peek at the special Christmas we're having



My sister lives on a golf course, and so do quite a few mule deer. Last night there were about a dozen of them in the front yard from juveniles to the mature ones--and then around the back they went to continue to munch, after they'd posed for me--Chamber of Commerce style!

Mountain Spirits

The Mescalero Apaches whose reservation is near Ruidoso New Mexico have the world -famous five star resort called Inn of the Mountain Gods. These photos are from the Inn. Outside are the famous Spirit Dancers, and the view from inside the Lodge toward beautiful Sierra Blanca (the white mountain). Outside the entrance is a beautiful fountain with the Spirit of the Mountain Gods spirit dancers, in huge sculptures, and inside a beautiful woven Indian Basket fountain fills the lounge. All of the Chefs at the world famous restaurant at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, had a Gingerbread house competition, and the lower image is one of the "sides" of the three dozen or so gingerbread houses....what works of art! We will go to Sunday Brunch there before heading for El Paso, and then on home after the holidays.

Sno Place Like Home

Rare snow---down low! In Mesquite Nevada's dusted Bunkerville Mountains south of the city, you can see remnants of a wintry blast that pummeled Southern Nevada on December 16th. In the foreground are the salt cedars along the Virgin River, in their Wintery Gold. Little snow men are Kimmi Stewart's "Snow Friends" at Scrapbook Elements.

Ladies Christmas Party

DD and DGD had a fantastic time at the lovely annual Ladies Christmas Dinner at their Church last night.

The layouts are done with Carrie Lopez and Jean Dougherty, in the Sugar Plum Lane kit, featured at Heritage Scrap.

The Gorge

Sometimes no matter how hard you try, an image has challenges that ONLY converting it to black and white can cure. This photo had major problems with light as dark shadows of a late afternoon created blown out sunlight areas and areas of shadow so underexposed you could hardly read the image. BUT working with the tonal values of the orignal photo and then converting it to Black and White made this quite beautiful, and very usable.All the concepts for how to create an image like this are taught for this in my FUNdamentals Class now on sale at the Photo Craft School House store. Font is Copperplate Gothic.

Along the Virgin River

This is a photo taken yesterday on a Photography Club Photoshoot of some areas of the Virgin River in the 'Gorge' along the Arizona Strip, and here at an overlook near Littlefield. I loved this photo because at this level, the River creates an Arrowhead shaped island that I liked as it meanders on its way to Lake Mead. We're a little past prime so far as the brilliant oranges of the Tamarasks in Autumn, but this late afternoon shot reminded me not to try to hand-hold distance photos! Techniques used taught in Part 3 'FUNdamentals~~Photoshopping with Priss'
now on sale in the BRAND NEW SCHOOL HOUSE website. (it's the only thing in the new store right now) and ready for it's Start on January 5, 2008.