Observatory of the Quotidian
 
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Kudos and thanks to Golden Eagle for pointing out Flame Painter, the program I made this with.  Great fun!

...EDITH

P.S.  Just a brief reminder that Japan can still use a lot of prayer, and I still have hopes that the button below may go somewhere.  If you don't want to put the button in your sidebar, please at least consider using it briefly in a post.  Japan is currently finding that some food is contaminated with radiation, and while they've made steps toward restoring the cooling system at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, they're far from out of the woods.  Much prayer definitely still needed.
 
I have a Canon Powershot SD1000.  It's a decent little camera, and I like it.  My only real complaint is that I have some trouble getting it to focus where and how I want—time to whip out the manual!—except in Macro, which is without a doubt my favorite thing about this camera.  The Digital Macro setting is unfailingly fun to work with.  Last week's photos from my almost-daily rambles are a case in point:
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I LOVE this photo!
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Yes, we really did kick the soccer ball on the shoveled driveway.
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On Sunday a photographer friend and I made an expedition to the park.  It felt so good to be out in the woods.  It gives me a sense of having room to breathe...
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A rusty barrel sat on a wooden walkway, punctured with holes, its presence a mystery.
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This is one of my few pictures of snow I am happy with. Why is it so hard to photograph well, I wonder?

I promised you an abstraction, didn't I? : )  After my friend I were driven out of the woods by the cold, we stopped by some snazzy glass buildings to catch the sunset.  Voilà:
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...EDITH