Blue Hole

The weather was nice that one Saturday so we decided to venture to one of Georgetown's nature trails. We were not disappointed.

It is also one of those days when I wished I have a real camera with me.  The image was shot on the iPhone 7 plus.  I think the image is pretty decent.  But I think my traveling Fuji X100F would have provided more pixels and better quality.  Oh well.  Someone once said that the best camera is the one you already have.

This is called Blue Hole.  Not sure why it's called that way as the water is green -  likely from the trees.  The foliage change is not very significant here in Central Texas.

Blue Hole is just a stone's throw away from the Georgetown town square.  Who would think that there is a nature scene close by.  The water is from the San Gabriel River but at this time of the year there is not a lot of river flow.  Not yet.  I think that around spring there would be more stream activity.  I have yet to research where the source is coming from.  In the meantime, I'm just going to enjoy the tranquility of the river.

Hope your day is going well.

Bad Reputation

The guitar is a Melody Maker from the Gibson Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  Mahogany body and neck, ebony fingerboard, one humbucking pickup, one volume and one control.  Really basic basic.  But that's all one needs for playing post-modern Punk music (think of the Green Day), or Reggea (think Bob Marley) or even Classic Rock (think Jeff Beck).  The guitar belonged to Joan Jet who was the founding member of the group Runaways.  Was that in the 70s?  I believe so.

The original image was captured around April this year with the iPhone 7 plus at the MOMA in New York.  Here is what the original looked like:

Hope your day is going well.

Upright Bass

The bass belonged to James Jamerson.  Yes, the legendary bass player who provided the melodic lines to the Motown sound.  Think of "Please Mr Postman, "Heat Wave" and "My Guy".  He didn't use it much during the Motown sessions but occasionally he did.  The bass was exhibited back in April at MOMA in New York.  The creative texturing and layers are courtesy of this present writer.

Captured with the iPhone 7 plus.  Original image is below:

Psychedelic Gumbo Guitar

My own version of the Southern Jumbo guitar.  Maybe it ought to be called Southern Gumbo with all its wild textures.  The original image was captured with my iPhone 7 plus.  The image looked atrocious so I decided to embellish it with psychedelic colors and bokehs.  The hands are courtesy of this present writer.  I thought that they fell right into the sound hole was providentially cool.  Obvious from the original image is that they are reflections from the glass cage.  The guitar was Don Everly's (of the Everly Brothers) main songwriting instrument.  The Southern Jumbo is a powerful flat-top guitar favored by many country and western musicians.

Before its transformation.  MOMA, New York.

Hope you are having a wonderful day.

What Else to Do

It had been raining.  And the temperatures have dropped to freezing.  Really surprised about this weather in Central Texas.  Didn't think it would get this low as it was just a few weeks ago when we were in the 100s degrees Fahrenheit.  What else is there to do?

Never tried a VSOP cognac before because it was pricey so when I saw the Meukow VSOP on sale I didn't hesitate to get one.  Plus the liquor clerk vouched for it.  Popped it open that night.  Sure enough he was dead on.  It was smooth.  Better than the Hennessy VO.  Not surprising since the VSOP is aged longer than the VO.  The Meukow is my new favorite.

I figured I had to document the drink and the unusually cold rainy night.  Shot with the Fujifilm x100F, which I hadn't used in a while as I have been too lazy to bring it out.  (Instead, I've been relying on my iPhone 7 plus.)  The light coming from the side is from the flashlight of the iPhone.  Added a bit of gradient on the side and top for drama.  The glass is a Glencairn whiskey glass from Canada. Bought at the same time with the cognac. Table cloth courtesy of Rose.  Don't know where she bought it but I think it blends well with the still life.  Image processed in the new Photoshop 2020, which took a while for me to learn but it's more powerful than its 2019 predecessor.

Hope your day is not as cold.  Cheers.

What I did to my vintage guitar after watching Jimi Hendrix burn his guitar

The original image was captured with the iPhone so I can remember the guitar settings.  Wasn’t intended to be displayed as work of art.  Then one thing led to another.  I suppose at times this is how creativity work.

Jojo Runner succumbs to his altered state of mind when he realizes that bicycling in heavy urban streets can cause massive panic attack and desperate need to go to the bathroom

Is  he going to make it?

Another Hope for the Flowers

But what if?