A Photo that Pops

A photo that pops - color pops, is the challenge for today's Texture Tuesday. The day I read about the new challenge (last Tuesday) I had just bought some roses from Trader Joe's. I loved their color, and there was no doubt that I would take some photos of them.

After I did some hue/saturation adjustments and turned it into black and white, I brought back the red in the roses. Then I blended it with Kim's texture "februarymagic" in Difference at 42%. Another hue/saturation adjustment and I was happy how it looked.

I thought I was done with today's challenge - but when the geek and I took a walk yesterday afternoon in the neighborhood we saw a huge crowd of crows sitting in a tree. It was amazing how many birds there were - it almost felt like "The Birds" - and hey, Bodega Bay is not too far away from here! Anyway, we took pictures of the crows, and when I looked at the photos at home, I had to play around with one of them in Photoshop. This is the result:

I first did a levels adjustment and then applied Kim's texture "kim klassenpumpkin grunge" in hard light blending mode at 91%, copied it and blended in soft light at 100%, followed by one more hue/saturation adjustment. The color really pops, it's almost glowing - that's what I wanted to achieve.

Game Day

We're not football fans. Or let me rephrase that, we're not American football fans. Football for us is actually played with the feet and a round ball - yes, you call it soccer here. We call it Fussball. Germans are passionate about Fussball and their teams, and they share this passion with many other countries who have excellent Fussball teams, like Mexico, Brazil, Italy and Spain (sorry England I didn't mention you here, we're kind of the arch rivals, aren't we?). I remember the day Kaefer was baptized, there was the final of the World Cup in the evening, between France and Brazil, and to our big surprise it was my two old aunts who really wanted to see the game and were really nervous about it. They knew every single player, knew all the rules, and they were happy as a clam when the entire big family gathered in front of the TV to watch the game (France won that year).

We never ever got excited about the Super Bowl. Super Bowl for us translated to an empty ice rink which means both the geek and Kaefer headed out there with their ice skates. This year we at least knew that the San Francisco 49ers were playing - after all, we're living in the North Bay. I even knew that the other team was the Baltimore Ravens - that's a first for me.

But we still didn't plan on watching the game. Heck, we don't even have a TV channel where we could watch it! We have ONE TV channel, yes, that is ONE, uno, eins, un, yi, ichi. But when Kaefer and I went baby clothes shopping this afternoon we suddenly had the idea to at least get the chips for the Super Bowl. Which we did. With a hint of lime.

Oh, they were so good.

And then my daughter became a bit nervous. She reminded me of my two old aunts at her baptism. She suddenly wanted to know how the Niners were doing. She knows about football, she has been to a few of her high school games. She actually has played football in PE. But what to do without a proper TV channel?

Well, she has a geek as a dad, right? And of course there was some device - a laptop in this case - that would bring the game into our home. There they sat, father and daughter, watching the game. They started to watch the game shortly before the power went out in the Big Easy. When the Niners caught up. But to Kaefer's huge disappointment in the end it was the Ravens who won.

And of course, the chips were gone as well.

The Winner of My Give Away!

So - it's February 1st and I promised to announce the winner of my Grow Your Blog give away today. This was such a fun blog hop that Vickie organized. I had visited so many beautiful blogs, "met" new bloggers, and at the same time there are also quite some bloggers who have decided to follow my blog. Thank you to all of you and welcome to my space here. I hope you stay around for a while.

Now, who has won my "Fences" calendar?

It is Gabriela from Gabriela Rocco Gaudet! Gabriela, please send me your address via my e-mail (link in the sidebar) and I will send it to you.

Bœuf Bourguignon

Edited with Kim Klassen's texture "minus 43", blended in soft light at 100% and texture removed from the food again. 

This is for this week's Texture Tuesday.

Last Saturday I wanted to serve one of those slow cooked, rustic meals for dinner. I thought about what to do and looked through one of my most favorite cookbooks that I found a couple years ago in a sale.

This cookbook has all kinds of tasty meals from around the world, including France, Italy, Thailand and Mexico. The recipes are explained very well and it's easy to follow them (I think). The measurements are both in metric as well as what is used in the US. I especially like the French recipes, and on a cold night Bœuf Bourguignon seemed just right.

You need quite a lot of ingredients. However, once the prep time is over and you've started the meal, it's not as complicated as it might look. The best part is that you throw the entire thing into the oven and let it cook for two hours, while the most delicious smells wave through your house. This recipe makes 6 - 8 servings.

So, this is what you need:

- 8 tbsp (75g) flour
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3-4 lb (1,5 - 2 kg) beef chuck, cut into cubes
- 2 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 ribs celery, sliced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 lb (500 g) thawed frozen pearl onions
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 1 bottle (750 ml) Burgundy or other medium-bodied red wine
- 1 can (28 oz / 875 g) diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 cup (250 ml) beef stock
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 lb (250 g) cremini or button mushrooms, sliced

In a shallow bowl, stir together 3 tbsp of the flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Turn the beef pieces in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. (I actually use way less salt)

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Have ready a plate lined with paper towels.

In a Dutch oven or large, heavy pot over medium heat, sauté the bacon until it renders most of its fat, 4-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to the paper towels and set aside.

Working in batches if necessary, cook the beef in the rendered bacon fat, turning frequently, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Using the slotted spoon, transfer the beef to another plate and set aside.

Add the carrots, celery, yellow onion, pearl onions, and peppercorns to the pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the onions and carrots begin to brown, about 5 minutes.

Pour in the wine and deglaze the pot, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to dislodge any browned bits. Stir in the tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil.

Stir in the remaining 5 tbsp flour and the tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until the mixture has thickened, about 1 minute. Return the beef and bacon to the pot. Season with salt and pepper.

Cover, transfer the pot to the oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours.

When the stew is nearly ready, melt the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they release their moisture and become tender and brown, about 5 minutes.

This is the moment when I add something that is not in the recipe - a little bit of lemon zest finished salt, a present from a friend. It gives the mushrooms this tiny little bit of extra, it adds just a hint of lemon which always goes well with mushrooms.

Add the mushrooms to the stew just before serving. Divide the stew among warmed shallow bowls and serve at once. Enjoy!

Grow Your Blog

It's finally here - the Grow Your Blog event, hosted by the very generous Vicki of 2 Bags Full. This is her way of giving back to the blogging community that has given so very much to her (these are her very own words). I was very touched by her words and by the way she has set up this entire event that I knew I wanted to participate. Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity, Vicki.

So - welcome to my blog! You either came here through Vicki's links or by pure chance or because you stop at my place on a regular basis - either way, thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you have a little time to look around.

My name is Carola. I'm a German native, photographer and mixed media artist who has moved to Northern California in 2001 together with my family. We have loved living here, and I feel blessed to live in such a wonderful spot of our beautiful planet.



I started blogging in the summer of 2010 as a result of an online course that I had taken. I had thought about starting a blog before that because I wanted to connect with other photographers and mixed media artists from all over the world. This was just the last and decisive kick in my butt I needed. Since then I haven't looked back. There are so many wonderful people in blogland I have met, who have become friends even though we have never met in person. It feels like coming home when you land in the place of a kindred spirit, no matter where they live.

Blogging has also given me the opportunity to show my art, something I was very shy about in the beginning because I thought my art wasn't "good" or "worthy" enough - whatever that means. The blogging community has been good to me, I have learned so much and even found the courage to open my own Etsy shop. This has been one of my big dreams that I don't think would have come to life without my blog. It still thrills me to no end when I find blogs with beautiful photos and art that speaks to me. There is still so much to discover.

The photos you see here are a few of my favorites. Photography has been my first big love that hasn't lost any of its thrill for me. This is why my give away is a 2013 calendar I made - putting fences on center stage. Fences is one of my favorite motifs, along with anything nature, animals, interesting architecture and my daughter, the biggest gift life has ever given to me. This give away is for anyone - it doesn't matter whether you have a blog or not, live in Australia or just around the corner - anyone can enter. Just leave a comment on this post including a way how to contact you in case you are the lucky winner! I will announce the winner on the first day of February here on my blog.

By the way - many people have asked me about my blog header. This beach is along famous Highway 1 in Northern California between Bodega Bay and Jenner, just an hour away from my home. It's also one of the most dangerous beaches along our beautiful and rugged coast because of its treacherous sleeper waves. As so often in life, danger and beauty go hand in hand.

I look forward to hearing from you and to visiting your blogs. Most of all, I look forward to meeting kindred spirits and making new friends.

Laguna Sunrise

This morning, after I had dropped off Kaefer at school (she has zero period and starts at 7:00 am), I went out into the country and to the laguna. A friend of mine who passes the laguna every morning on her way to work had posted daily pre-sunrise pictures of this spot on Facebook which have been an inspiration for me. Finally I made my way there as well, and absolutely loved what I saw.

I arrived only minutes before the sun crept over the hills and spilled his beautiful light over the water of the laguna. I love the silhouettes of the bare winter trees, it is so calm and peaceful.

The geese loved the rising sun as well. Two flocks took flight only a few minutes apart from each other. I felt happy to be there just in that moment.

There they fly into the new day, spent in the vastness of the laguna, while I still marvelled at the beauty of this place and its lone trees.

After I had been there for quite a while, happily chasing the morning light with my camera, I noticed the barbed wire in the gate I was standing at (I hadn't had my coffee yet, so my slowness is somehow understandable). When I got down to my knees (oh, that hurt in the cold - it was around 29F) I could see the sun right below this detail of the barbed wire, and of course I couldn't resist to take a few more photos.

It was an excellent though cold start to a beautiful, sunny and clear day.

The Fairy Art Mother

Since I didn't paint for quite a while, I gave myself a kick in the butt and signed up for Life Book 2013 by the amazing Tamara Laporte. Before that I did a "little" class taught by her about a Christmas painting, and I really like her style of painting AND her style of teaching. She's organized, funny and a great teacher - plus an exceptional artist. Life Book 2013 lasts for the entire year, and so far I have only done the "warm-up exercise" which was so much fun. Meet the "Fairy Art Mother":

For this painting I mainly used the Caran d'Ache watercolor crayons which have become a favorite of mine. When shortly before Christmas one of our two art supply stores sent me a 40% off coupon I didn't hesitate to get a pack of 30 of these wonderful water soluble crayons. On cold press watercolor paper they turn into brilliant colors when activated with water. So the Swiss not only make good chocolate and cheese but also fabulous art supplies.

I'm usually not someone who paints a lot of whimsical, but I think I could get more and more into it. This painting of course is very simple and I did it in one day which is quite extraordinary for me because usually I take forever. However, I enjoyed painting this one so very much that I couldn't quit it in between.

Finally, I'm linking up with Paint Party Friday again. Since I didn't paint for such a long time, I haven't participated in the party, and I'm glad to be there again. I hope I keep up! I also link up with Sneak Peek Friday at JRU studio which is another favorite site of mine. I encourage you to go and visit there and perhaps even link to their sites as well.

A lovely weekend to all of you - tomorrow is Saturday which means I will unplug again. Enjoy, everybody!