Thematic - aviation

Carmi's theme, this week, is aviation. The art or science of flying.
Free Bird ~Lynyrd Skynyrd

Abstract III - how to

I use Photoshop 7... any program with filters and layers should work.
Open an image, duplicate to preserve the original.
Increase canvas size a bit to enable more space for the abstract to flow.
Filter-Pixelate-Mezzotint-short strokes. Crystalize also works well. Experiment.
Filter-Blur-Radial blur-amount: 100 /method: zoom /quality: best (or good)
Filter-Distort-Twirl either left or right. Any number (above 100 seems better).
Layer-duplicate layer.
Filter-Distort-Twirl opposite the above. Any negative number pleasing to you.
In the layers pallet with the "backgound copy" still selected, set the layer mode from normal to lighten.
Flatten layers.
Crop, resize, leave be... whatever you like. Show off your work!

Say goodbye to botched shots :-) Warning: addicting :-D

Abstract II

Both from the same photo. Click the top pic to enlarge. Tomorrow I will post a how to along with a few more.

Abstract I

Created using yesterdays Alcatraz shot. Click to enlarge.

Operating Room

in Alcatraz. Click to enlarge.

Martha says...

My sister, D, is a big Martha fan, so much so that for the longest time whenever she would say "Martha says..." I thought she was talking about a friend of hers! Anyway, she told me about the header contest they were running last month and these were my entries. To see the 5 favorites and vote winners click here. Even though mine didn't make the top, I enjoyed playing.

My World: the stadium

click to enlarge
Since they were born in 1946, the Browns have played on the same site on the shores of Lake Erie. From 1946-95, their home was Cleveland Municipal Stadium. On that same footprint is Cleveland Browns Stadium, which was opened in 1999.

Municipal Stadium hosted many memorable Browns games but by the late 1980s and early 1990s it began to show its age. The owner of the Browns, Art Modell, proposed that a new stadium be built. The City of Cleveland wanted to renovate Municipal Stadium but the Browns wanted a new state of the art facility. On November 16, 1995 after failing to reach an agreement, Modell announced that the Browns would move to Baltimore after the 1995 season. That was a sad day, to put it mildly. It would be the first time since 1945 that Cleveland would be left without a football team.

In 1996, the City of Cleveland and the NFL secured a deal to return the Cleveland Browns to the city by 1999. The deal stipulated that the name, colors and heritage of the Browns would remain in Cleveland. Meanwhile Cleveland Municipal Stadium was being demolished. On May 15, 1997, construction on a new stadium began.

Construction was completed in time for the home opener on September 12, 1999 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns were defeated 43-0. The team would go on to lose their first seven games, finishing the season 2–14, sixth in the AFC Central. They did not win a home game throughout the season but it was so good to have our team back!

Walking Stick

click to enlarge
I wouldn't have had a clue what this guy was if Patricia, over at Pollywog Creek, hadn't spied one for one of her Photo Hunts a while back. He hung around over one of my entry doors for a couple days and has now moved on... and I kinda miss him...

WMMS 101 FM

Click to enlarge.
WMMS 100.7 is a commercial FM radio station in Cleveland, Ohio with a rich history of broadcasting both locally and nationally. From April, 1974 until September, 2007 its longtime promotional mascot was "The Buzzard."

Ahhh... those were the days, really! In the 70's and 80's there was no other rock 'n roll radio station, anywhere. They promoted all the big names, some even before they were big names... some maybe became big names because they were promoted. Anything going on in the music scene was going on at WMMS 101 FM, Home of the Buzzard...

They did a lot for the local bands, too. Weekly Coffee Break Concert's often featured locals. A very good friend of mine, with his band, had a couple Coffee Break airings. I have them recorded on tape, somewhere. I actually have several Coffee Break Concerts on tape... some on 8-track, lol. Remember those?

MMS, as we so fondly called it, retired the Buzzard in '07. I wish I still had all the "Buzzard" stuff I had accumulated in the years before I moved from Ohio in '88. Not just for the memorabilia but, wow... the prices I've seen on ebay... who coulda known?
The photo is my blue T-shirt, from the ground up.

The CEO

we trusted you so
your shareholders, woe are we
while you laugh out loud