This is not a talisman tree

Actually, this is not a lot of things. It's not Talisman Tree #12. It's not an autumn photograph; it was taken last year, in April. It's not local; it was photographed at my sister-in-law's home in Indiana. It's not even a colour photograph, not anymore. I converted the original to sepia. The colour you see comes only from the textures I used, one I found online and one of my own.

Yes, another texture from me, for you to use. You can find it in my Freebies set on Flickr; I called it "amber background". I hope you find it both attractive and useful. I'd love to see anything you create with it!

Tiger, tiger, burning bright

Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

--William Blake--

(tiger photographed at the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Indiana;

artwork created for Art Creations Friday and Photo Friday)

Nigel, we will miss you

It was only a few short weeks ago that my sister-in-law's family in Indiana lost one of their precious cats, Tuxedo. I'm afraid there's more sad news: this morning, their Nigel was killed by some sort of wild animal while protecting another of their kitties. This is completely his nature -- if he had been a person, he'd be that big brother who would always protect you, no matter what. Nigel died a hero's death but that is little consolation when you lose a beloved pet. Above is a photo of both Nigel, on the left, and Tux on the right. They were the two black cats at my sister-in-law's home and I was delighted this spring when I was able to capture a photo of both of them, sitting still and beside eachother. It is now a very precious photograph.

In memory of Tux

The news is not good. One of my feline nephews, Tuxedo, was fatally hit by a car last night. We're all very sad about this. Tux, as he was known, was a wonderful cat and he will be sorely missed. It's so hard to lose a beloved pet. He belongs to my sister-in-law and her hubby in Indiana and the next time we visit, there will be someone missing.

What is it?

No, this isn't some type of contest. I honestly don't know what this is. Do you? It's marked "Kentucky Giant" on the back, if that helps. I'm a city girl and this rusty old piece of farm equipment is totally foreign to me.

It's on display outside a local market in a small town in southern Indiana, near my sister-in-law's home. Over the years we've often driven by this store, without stopping, but last year we finally pulled into the parking lot and wandered around, buying some yummy apple butter. Which makes me wonder if this is some type of apple press. Do you think I'm close?

I'm posting the picture both to try to find out the equipment's purpose and as my contribution to the Thursday Challenge theme of "wheels, things that are circular". So, any guesses?

Greetings from Nashville

I know what you're thinking. Nashville -- welcome to the south, the home of country and western music. True, true. But I'm not referring to that Nashville. We're visiting family in Indiana, not Tennessee. Yup, there's more than one Nashville.

This is a beautiful rural area heavily populated with wildlife. Every day we look into the backyard and see deer, sometimes several of them. A few days ago we quietly and slowly opened our bedroom window so I could quickly get some photos.

The deer sensed the window being opened and at first I thought we'd spooked them. But after pondering the situation for a moment, they went back to grazing. And eventually wandered off.

I tried the "palette knife" filter on this photo. I love how it gives a painterly impression without losing any of the realism.