Tag / Hiking

by Janet

A Jewel of a Journey

I’m back for a little Life: From A to Z and today I’m on the letter “J.” I love the word JOURNEY because it is such a beautiful way to describe life. Not to sound cliché, but…

Life is a Journey. A Jewel of a Journey!

I don’t know if young people see it the way that older adults do, though. The younger you are, the longer you have to go, the farther you have to travel, and the more unfamiliar and dim the road ahead of you seems. It has never been explored before!

But as we age, we start looking back on our journey and at the road that was so hard to see before, and there it is… right there under our nose, as clear as day. We recognize it because we walked it. And no matter what, it looks beautiful. Unless, of course, you’re hanging onto any negativity that you picked up along the way (and you’re refusing to give it up).

As for me, my journey has been filled with chaos. I’ve encountered struggles, picked up terrible habits, made a million bad choices, had wild times, happy times, sad times, and very, VERY dark times, and I’ve experienced too many crazy things to list.

BUT, I made it. And when I look back at that road, at where I came from, I don’t see those things. I see my family and the great times that we’ve had together. I see my encounter with God along the way, and I see my sobriety. I see the places that I’ve lived, the towns that I’ve visited, and the wonderful meals that I’ve shared with friends.

Better yet, my journey isn’t over. There is still road ahead, a path that I haven’t travelled on before, and it is just waiting to be explored.

Still, round the corner, there may wait, a new road or a secret gate.

J. R. R. Tolkien

I took this photo with my iPhone while I was hiking with a friend last weekend. I was going to call it iPhoneography, but I cropped it and did a little processing in Photoshop and Smart Photo Editor, so I wasn’t sure what to call it. After pondering it for a bit, and thinking about the letter “J,” I noticed that the yellow and purple flowers looked like jewels to me. It was an awesome hike and, just like life, it was a jewel of a journey.

Art-Hollywood Closed
by Janet

Restricted Access

Hollywood has unfortunately become a memory. It’s nothing but a sign on the side of a hill. —Mickey Rooney

I haven’t taken my walk yet but I’ll be on my way shortly!

I’m still testing out the new photo editor with some of my older images. This upcycled photograph (the original taken while hiking up to the Hollywood sign) seems to sum up all kinds of emotions that are circling around these days, and it is now my latest addition to the Quarantine Collection.

Let’s hope my walk discovers some of the beauty that is still out there.

Peace & Love!

by Janet

Photography Fun

You don’t take a photograph. You make it. Ansel Adams

I’ve been going through some of the images I shot Saturday, trying to see how to make them look artsy, or more unique. I’m still teaching myself how to use Photoshop and Lightroom, so it’s always fun to see what you can do in the programs.

I shot this city image when we were around the halfway point—when we stopped to take photos of the view and some slightly close up shots of the sign. The gentleman in the photo was in our group and stepped into my shot just as I clicked the button.

I took more, but I actually thought his invasion made the image even cooler! I like the fact that he looks a bit like a giant. I added some motion blur to him so that it looks like he is moving a little faster than he really was.

The hazy sky in L.A. tends to distort any photos I take of skylines or distant landscapes. I’m sure it’s just me, but I just love underdogs, so I always try to bring my worst images to life—regardless of how bad they look.

It’s funny that I was so excited to take photographs of the Hollywood sign. Once I got home and started going through them, they really aren’t that exciting! It’s just a mountain and a sign! So… I added some dramatic color and a rainbow- just for the heck of it. Just above the “L” you can see some tiny people. That’s about where I was when I took the images of the backside.

Anyway, I think I’ve already had my fill of the hiking images.

Life is good, and God is GREAT!

Photography is a love affair with life. Burk Uzzle