Quick Photo Editor

IrfanView is a multi-faceted photo editor. I've used it off and on for several years and still haven't exhausted its possibilities. Recently the company came out with a wide variety of plug-ins which boggle my mind. And all this is free. That's really a boggler.

The 3-D button effect is one of my favorites. Because the program is so simple, it's readily available and works on the fly for quick changes and editing. But it's complex enough to allow a virtual plethora of changes, alterations and editing fun.

This particular photo was sharpened, resized and gamma altered. The raindrops were there originally but if they hadn't been, IrfanView can add them. Amazing, isn't it?

North of Summer, A Decade of Poetry is available at Lulu Publishing

One Hint of Nostalgia

Change comes quickly and leaves me in a state of questioning. When did that building disappear? When did that stand of pines fall for a new gated community? When did the neighborhood grocer leave? When did the traffic arrive? What happened to the little town I knew?

Last fall, I drove to several nostalgic spots to take a photo or two to accompany my gray days - those when I know old has been replaced by new and big.

I like this picture - the bald eagle has been removed from the endangered list. The barn has been re-roofed and added to that list.