Toning down the Reds

I shoot with a Nikon and have noticed a re-occurring problem with the red hues in my photos.
They are crazy bright and overwhelming.

I decided to do a little test with this watermelon picture. Notice how almost unrealistic the red looks.

‘Agh! The reds are hurting my eyes! Do something!’

Using the ‘Magic Wand’ tool, I separated all of the red from the rest of the colors in the photo.

I clicked on the ‘Image’ tab, scrolled down to ‘Adjustments’ and over to ‘Photo Filter’.

Typically adding blue to red will mute it a bit. I chose to use a deep blue filter to tone the ‘SHAZAM’ down.

Here’s the after with the red muted a little. And below is the before.

Doggie Trouble

A ruckus erupted below Biceps and I, as I steadied myself on my perpetually sinking ladder.
The Big Girl Playhouse had become the Doggie Battleground.

To say these two are ornery is an understatement. Notice the holes they have dug in our perfectly leveled earth? Tisk, tisk.

But one cannot stay the least bit angry at a mug like this.

A battle began between the two furry animals with absolutely no regard to ladders or to the humans that stood upon them (me).

Chloe (blonde dog) was loosing the battle and took off for a hiding place.

Buster was confused…

…forlorn.

Chloe was smug.

Almost prideful…

The moment Buster gave up, Chloe jumped from her hiding spot, tearing through the garden and leaving us all in her dust.

Without anymore entertainment, I had no choice but to continue working. Biceps however, kept snapping away. He is quite ornery as well.
Tisk, tisk.

The Sacrificial Moth

*if you have an attachment to moths and their well-being, maybe you shouldn’t be reading this….

Cowboy is quite proud of himself if he ever catches anything.
Devoid of claws and the basic hunting skills most kitties were taught by their momma’s; he has a lot working against him.

Ooh, what’s this fluttering around in the grass?

Sniff, sniff?

One heavily sniffed moth was transferred from grass to patio.

More sniffing was involved after the transfer, until the moth decided it was time for him to escape the gigantic furry creature.

An intense game of ‘Cat and Moth’ began. It looked like the moth was winning.

The heavy paw of justice informed me that I had spoken too soon.

Hit ‘em with the right!

Uppercut!

Eyes are locked, whiskers twitching, he’s coming in for the kill.

One last sniff, oh give me one last sniff….

Crunch. Chomp. Crunch.

Goodbye, Mr. Moth. You fought the good fight. But Cowboy needs to win one every so often. Thank you for your sacrifice.

The Big Girl Playhouse-Part Two

A mystical structure is being formed while you are walking around like nothing is happening, drinking your latte, (light on the syrup), and reading the paper. Perhaps you have read Part One of this fanciful Playhouse.
Perhaps Not. Mayhaps you should.

This is where I left you in Part One. The posts were in the ground, the stringers were up and the beams were set across the top of the posts.
Now, let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

What you see here, pardners, are the rafters that will hold up the roof. We built them on the ground, assembly-line style, using pressure treated wood.

We placed each rafter 24” apart, screwing them into the beams with exterior screws.
I am apparently very happy about this.

We designed the roof to be a little modern, a little cool, a little awesome. You will see the roof shape later, my dears.
Just know that you will love it.
Notice that we have two ladders on the job site and yet, I decide to stand on a rickety old fence? I have issues….

Kids, don’t try this at home. Also, don’t let your hubby take pictures of you when there is obviously way too much sweat going on.

Next came the ‘purlins’. With a ‘pole barn’ structure, the purlins lay on top of the rafters and provide the backing you need to nail in your roof.
They also add strength to the entire structure, cinching it together.
Oh, and also they are invaluable for hitting your head on. If you are into that sort of thing.

We roofed the top of the Big Girl Playhouse with corrugated Onduro-which is basically indestructible.
The roofing material smelled like licorice. It was weird.

And then there was this weird monkey that kept hanging from the rafters, saying stuff like, ‘Look at how strong I am. Aren’t I cool?’.
That was weird also.
Next up-windows and siding. Brace yourself chicks. This could get interesting.
If you would like to catch up, read The Big Girl Playhouse, Part One.