I am a spirited blogger from Chelsea, MI who thrives on adventure, creativity and exploring the world through the lens of my camera (even if it’s my phone). When I’m not chasing sunsets and amazing views, I spend time with my heart dog Maizie. If travel, creativity and a dash of blunt honesty (with the occasional F-bomb) sparks your curiousity, you are in the right place.
Tiny Planets App – this fun little gem does some pretty cool things with your images.
Yes, I know how to use PhotoShop, but sometimes I don’t want to break out the “big guns” to play around with an image, and yet I want more than a couple of muddy filters.
I have used my most recent vacation pics as examples, check this out:
Coliseum Comets (Tiny Planet option)
The city of Portland, Oregon at night (Rabbit Hole option)
Portland, Oregon in the daylight
A Geocaching site, taken as a panorama on my iPhone
And the “Video Planet” option that I have had mixed success with. Here is what it looks like using the Coliseum Comets
Look like fun and have an extra 99 cents?
Get the iOS version HERE . I couldn’t find an Android version by the same developer, but there are several similar apps.
It seems that the photos I am most proud of or cherish the most are never “technically” perfect – at least not in the conventional measurements of composition, focus, clarity, story, art or whatever. However, they are perfect in a way that those measurements could never describe.
I created this image as part of the Dogwood 52 photo challenge, for the week 7 theme “Portrait: Faceless” with a description of “Tell someone’s story without showing their face”.
Recently I braved the frigid cold of Chelsea Michigan on a Saturday morning with an adventure pal of mine to take our first class at Breathe Yoga Chelsea. I say adventure pal, because this whole yoga thing is a stretch (pun intended) for two fluffy, non-bendy old ladies. We were not sure what to expect, and were a little nervous – were we wearing the right thing? Would we be faced with judgy flexible yoga people who were appalled that we could barely get our jackets off without breathing heavy, let alone touch our toes?
Walking in the front door, the immediate greeting from desk personnel was a warm smile and encouraging words, and I thought…this might be ok.
Matt was our instructor, and he assured us that there would be modified poses for those of us who were a little “challenged” by the moves in his class. He was kind, and very understanding of our limitations. Before class we discussed the alternate moves and what we could expect.
And then we got started!
Those who know me in person are most likely aware that I am an “out loud observer”. So throughout the class, I had an extremely difficult time listening, as I was expending so much energy simply trying to keep my mouth shut. Don’t judge, we all have traits we need to work on. I will proudly say, that only ONCE did a “yeah, sure we will” escape my filter in response to the instruction.
The class was certainly challenging, even in the modified poses – but I know that very often things that are difficult for me are things that I just need to practice more. And I definitely need more flexibility – in mind, body and life in general.
One thing my adventure pal and I agree on, is that we will arrive much earlier for our next class at Breathe Yoga Chelsea – because the only thing worse than being a fluffy, non-bendy old lady in a yoga class, is doing it in front of the rest of the class, right next to the instructor. (kind as Matt is, I’m pretty sure he didn’t enjoy my “yoga face”. Gah.)
Bottom line? Breathe Yoga Chelsea was a warm, inviting and challenging environment – exactly what this fluffy lady needed, and I can’t wait for round 2. Thank you for that Breathe Yoga staff!!
(Image by Burrill Strong, courtesy of Breathe Yoga Chelsea, used with permission)