A quick note

I've been sick this past week. I got a virus from somewhere, something that my doctor said has been making the rounds. It starts in the upper respiratory system then progresses downward. By the time it got downward I was dehydrated and had to visit the emergency room for re-hydration. After 3 liters of liquids, along with other tests, it only took a couple more days to start feeling good again. Consequently, one more weekend has gone by without any new pictures being taken. And, to rip of a common phrase, those pictures aren't going to take themselves!

Today, Mother's Day, was a slow day. Wifey didn't want to do anything, not even to ride her horse. I was feeling somewhat better, but not yet good enough to go to a park. I need to make sure I can get to my J.O.B. tomorrow (otherwise I may not be able to afford a new camera in a couple of months). So, I decided to at least try to post  
process and upload some more existing pictures to my online gallery.
I've been wanting to see if I could get some of my pictures from last summer worked to the point where I didn't mind posting them. I did my best.

Last summer on my "Birthday Driveabout" I visited northern Arizona and got some decent shots, or so I thought. Looking at them now, I'm not as happy.

That was the trip that got me interested in getting a good camera, which in turn led me to this blog. The pictures that I took then were all JPEG format, the only format the camera would take. And, they were all automatic exposures (not the camera's fault, but it isn't fully manual anyway).

I really have grown to see the difference between shooting JPEG vs. RAW. Not to mention, my Nikon's better overall image quality. While I don't mind my compositions from that trip, composition doesn't mean much if the end results are like they're drawn with big but inconsistent colored color crayons.

On the other hand, one other purpose that I have for taking photographs is to be able to prompt memories of the locations or trips I take. Looking at my pictures from that trip definitely makes me remember the trip. It was the first time I'd left Phoenix for years (due to trying to get a band going and then trying to record some songs). I was on the road with my companion Elmer, seeing places I hadn't seen before.

It was my birthday and I'd taken a bottle of Chivas Regal and some Padron Series 4000 Maduro wrapped Robustos. I hadn't smoked for almost 10 years; hadn't drank alcohol for a couple of years. I opened the bottle and had a cigar one night, and found I didn't care for either. I chatted with new people at the motels, but since they were Motel 6 (where I know they'll take pets), the people didn't end up becoming facebook friends. Elmer and I shared junk food like Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and Burger King. I wanted the road to keep going, didn't want my little trip to end.

When I re-discovered my pics of Elmer, he really brought home my memories, brought a smile to my face, and brought a warmth to my heart. I really am glad I took those pictures, regardless of what format they are!