Live Fish and a lotta fun and welcoming artistic rendurings

                                Birds too!  Don't miss the Penguin Gang also...

                Beautiful Creatures beyond description, but thankfully, a photo story

                 Shooting Silhouette - everybody has a camera in this wondrous place

                                                 Fish? I'm ready - gimme some!

When it rains Jelly Fish, it Pours!  Another two-photo Montage

The Monterey Bay Aquarium - one of the finest in the world.  Hard to take photos there with the light and reflecting glass of the tanks, but one gets a few good shots here and there - or trumps them up!  The main thing is experiencing this wondrous place with its broad collection of creatures, tribute to John Steinbeck, playful places for kids, and much more.  The most wonderful 3 or 4 hour walk you can take, anywhere.  See my favorite photos from my shootout here in January of 2012 through my EVENTS1 link on www.nokodachrome.com.  

Good things about Christmas?  A silly question I pose, because of course there are so many.  One could not endeavor to post thoughts and photos here to cover it all - Our Lord's birthday, family gathering, wonderful food, lights, songs, presents, and so much more.  I very much oversimplify it here by just sharing a few closeup shots of a few of the many icons/decorations about or house.  They hardly add up to the wonder and blessings of Christmas, but make for a fun look at the little things that help construct what we surround ourselves with to celebrate and enjoy this festive time.  Merry Christmas!

The Frosty Snow Man - not seen around these parts though I remember him as a kid in New England

The Iconic Santa - gott have him

It's all about connecting...

Yes, fun stuff right down to the plug-in the the bathroom!

And the wise men gathered to honor our Lord - the essential story

papaROYzzi

A random collection of photos I've worked on to add to various web sites 

I do (NINE total, from Family and Friends' sites to small businesses, a baseball

blog site, and my artistic photo site: www.nokodachrome.com).  The first 

one was taken on my iPhone documenting a nice bottle of French Wine

I enjoyed while working on my sites. So, Cheers! 

The papaROYzzi

 Above: Home Art: The Bass Man.  Below: More Home Art "Topazed"

 in Photoshop Elements

Above: The Grand New Leal Estate to host great wine events.  

Below:  Best Friends Sean and Peg's new wine rack - cool, and I want one!

Little Bits of Home

Sometimes a week, or maybe two or three, will pass before I have a significant event or life moment to share here.  But that of course is how life is, so sometimes we'll fill in with something stored in the photo bank, and other times we'll just go silent.  Currently, while engaged in snapshots and postings on my private family web site for the holiday gatherings, I have a "little thing" to share here.  Moreover, the little things about the house.  I find from time to time that doing macros - zeroing in - on things around our home can be great fun, and challenging photography to get useful images.  We must branch out later on this idea, for it seems that in the first chapter of this adventure, the kitchen ruled.  Herewith just a few of many fun shots I've found by getting up close and cozy with objects around the old homestead. ----   the papaROYzzi

I took a left turn away from playing in and directing United States Chess Federation tournaments about 25 years ago.  Life happens and changes our direction and priorities.  As of now, I'm turning right and getting back into that world.  I won't of course play with anything other than the beautiful - and required - classic Steineiz chess set.  None the less, I have a small collection of other "decorative" sets which I enjoy for their unique sculptured look.  Herewith a few shots from one of my favorite sets, which I first saw displayed in my veterinarian's lobby - had to have one, went right out and got one.  The Game of Kings, featuring the King of the Jungle...

papaROYzzi

The highly promoted "Safe Halloween" event in downtown Morgan Hill:  the community loves and buys into it, and we subsequently have a huge crowd lining the closed-to-traffic streets for two hours each year as costumed kids and parents alike walk the line and collect candy from the generous shop owners along Monterey Road who hope to please the locals and bring them back as customers again, and again.  While they love the free candy, the hundreds of attendees each year no doubt love the macabre pageantry and fun of the whole thing that seemingly brings the entire population of Morgan Hill into downtown.  I concentrated my photo shots this year on adult costumes, and here are a few examples of my favorite grown-ups being kids again.    the papaROYzzi

Fall

Oil Painted Fallen Friends

 Having finally figured out how to install and find the plugin Topaz Simplify to PhotoShop Elements, I humbly share a set of photos from my first couple of weeks of playing with this great "photo painting" program.  Though I largely prefer to stick to natural photos, or natural black and white pics with basic tweaks (crop, sharpen, light adjust), I enjoy the occasional big leap to a montage, textured look, or now painted look, and more.  A photographer should choose a style or two that fits and work to perfect it, though sometimes it's just fun 
to take a left turn and venture out.  

Flight South Begins

Rain Reflection

The Fall Classic starts this week!

Fall - to - Christmas Colors at home