Welcome October!

Hooray for local summer

October or ‘local summer’ is my favorite time of year here in southern California.

Tourists are few and students are busy with classes and homework.  The beaches are welcoming and the water is still warm enough to beckon surfers, boogie boarders and swimmers alike.

The only crowds visible are flocks of seagulls clustering together near the shoreline.

This October I’m planning on spending as much of my free time as possible hanging out at the beach enjoying the feel of warm sand, the smell of salt drenched air and the sound of pounding surf; Paradise!

Photo Date No. 2

Another perfect Saturday…

This morning, after having cozy coffee with Rob, I ventured out on my second Photo date. 

During the week I had done a little more reading about my D40 camera. What I came to realize is that I’d mistakenly hit the exposure compensation button while changing the f stops on my camera during my first Photo date. That explains why last weeks pictures were so under exposed.

So armed with this new information, I ventured back to the flower garden behind the Carlsbad Historical society building on Beech street.  The lighting was nice, but the flowers were looking a little aged.  Hmm, they could use a little hair and makeup! 

I decided to take my time and circle around each grouping of roses until I found what I’d consider the shot.  It was fun to really LOOK at each flower and decide what I really wanted to focus on while looking thru the viewfinder. So here they are, my latest Pics...

Just a glimpse…

Well, I’ve finally accepted that I’m a daily commuter. The process of getting to acceptance included finding what I can call ‘good’ about the time I’m spending in the car going up and down the highway.  I consider myself fortunate that my commute is along the beautiful southern California coastline.  What I have discovered is that there are many beautiful vista’s to be seen east and west of the road.  Now its true that I can only take a quick peek, as I do need to stay focused on my driving.  I have found that even just a glimpse can make me smile, change my mood or bring me to a feeling of awe.

Some of my favorites include:

A wave crash on the shore, all foamy and white contrasting against the blue sky

The reflection of a green hillside in one of the glass like lagoons

The sun coming up over the eastern hills with the pink glow hovering just above and the lights of houses twinkling like stars

Low lying fog hugging valleys with palm tree tops popping up above looking like mop-heads

Flowers blooming along the center median

So my new daily quest is looking for the unusual, beautiful or otherwise interesting view.  Doing this helps to counteract the stress that rush hour traffic induces.

Dalia

Dalia
Originally uploaded by knitalatte1

Such a pretty face

Jamin

On my recent trip to Evans Washington to visit with my sister and her family, I learned a very important skill that I was otherwise lacking.  I now know how to make Golden plum jam.  I am very proud of this achievement.  It is so rewarding to put time and energy into a project that has an immediate reward.  I will be forever grateful to my sister Donna for teaching me.  We were able to enjoy the ‘fruits’ of our labor over and over again during my time there.  Pumpkin bread?  Must have Golden plum jam. English muffin? Much better with jam, Toast? Oh yes, gpj please!

Golden Plum Jam

4 1/2 cups of diced plums

7 1/2 cups of sugar

1 pouch of Certo (Premium liquid fruit pectin)

8 - 8oz. jars sterilized including lids

Before starting jam, fill water canner 1/2 full and heat so that when your jam is done it is ready to go into the canner.

Place 4 1/2 cups of diced plums in a large saucepan, heat on stove top to med/high and add a Tbsp of butter (to reduce foaming). Gradually add sugar about 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Cook until bubbles evenly, about 10 minutes. When full bubble, add pouch of pectin and cook until returns to a full boil and set timer for 1 minute. When timer goes off remove from stove and place near jars to be filled. Skim off any foam on top of jam.

Fill jars to 1/8th of top of jar. Wipe all jar tops down so will seal properly. Put lids on jars and using a jar tong insert sealed jars into canner filled halfway with water. Make sure jars are covered by at least an inch of water. Bring to a boil, once its a roaring boil set timer for 10 minutes. When timer goes off remove jars from canner with the jar-tongs and set on a counter covered with a towel. You should start to hear popping sounds, which means the lids are sealing. Test all jars after 24 hours by tapping lids to make sure they don't bounce back. Voila! Can store for up to 6 months.

I'm a dslr nerd

Learning to go digital.  Hmmm.  I’m in the process of taking the leap from point and shoot automatic to dslr manual.  I’m a bit timid about this transition and I’m completely frustrated with how it’s going.  I’ve started with the setting ‘A’ on my newly acquired used Nikon D40.  So I’m committing to setting the aperture while the camera selects the corresponding shutter speed.  The results so far have all been ‘under’ exposed. Ugh…

Fortunately I’ve been able to get a better version of the pics via my computer photo editing software.  Why am I on this quest?  I want to take better photos of the things that are important to me.  Knitted items, family and flowers… Resources are out there.  Watching instructional videos on YouTube has been a big help and Photokaboom has a great blog with lots of great ‘how to’ articles.  So, on goes the education.

The thing...

…Ok, here’s the thing.  While I was walking along the beach, I noticed a couple in front of me and one of them was talking on a cell phone.

It caught my attention as I’ve noticed this occurring quite alot lately.  What’s the deal? 

If I’m going to go for a walk along the beach with someone, the last thing I would want to do is have a telephone conversation with someone else.  Seems a bit rude.

I always feel bad for the person not included in the conversation and wonder if it is bothering them…