So, I have just begun to explore the wonderful world of "actions," used in digital photo processing, in Photoshop. I had heard of them before, but was finally spurred into action when I saw a mention of a site to check out in the current issue of Creating Keepsakes Magazine. And again on a few blogs I religiously check out. (If you'd like to try them out for free, you can learn more and download some here.)
So, I have tested out several of these actions using the photos I took over the weekend. Here, as a recap, are my recent adventures. (Let me know what you think of how the photos turned out...maybe I'll post some "before" and "after" shots later.)
Saturday started off nicely...Tony and I set off on an adventure; wanting something just a bit different than our "norm." Armed with his ipod and itrip (to play it through the car speakers), we had our background music for the day, which helped to set the mood.
We were hungry (it was lunchtime), so we headed south to Dana Point towards the pizza place that Tony loved...Ballpark Pizza. Almost there, he remembered a great Italian place that he wanted to show me, so we went exploring for that instead. He drove down streets that seemed familiar (he used to work in the area), while I was just enjoying the different sights for a change. We came across a art/craft fair, so of course we stopped to peruse. It was small and we were done quickly, prompted by the ever-growing growling in our tummys. Well, we were able to find where the Italian restaurant USED to be...but it was there no longer. SO...off to the pizza parlor.
This is Tony's favorite pizza: terriyaki chicken & mushroom. Fake cheese and processed chicken. yum? strangely enough, it actually IS good.
(tony was already gettin tired of my constant photography...sorry...it's gonna be a LONG day...)
and here is the hallway next to the pizza place. It was just pretty.
After lunch, we headed to the nearby Dana Point harbor, just walking along and enjoying the day... live music was playing, and there was great people-watching, too. We shared an ice cream cone (rocky road) when we had room in our stomachs again. Here is a favorite pic from the area:
Then we headed out in the car again... headed to a "normal" place we usually hit on the weekends (Irvine Spectrum), but I wasn't ready to stop exploring yet. So we headed on down to the Newport Beach/Balboa Penninsula area... parked in the residential area and then walked along the beach, towards the pier. Here are some favorite shots of the day:
(this first one was another one capturing tony's lack of patience with my constant photo snapping. I admit it... it was overkill. So I don't blame him.)
and then we finally made it to the bar we were headed towards... I can't quite remember the name of the place... something "cantina?" The place was absolutely PACKED. I soonfound out why... it was one of their happy "hours," with each drink being priced two-for-one. Tony grabbed his two beers and I grabbed my ONE patron margarita. What was I thinking, turning down a "free" drink? I still don't know what came over me...
It was nice to be in that environment for a bit (and made us feel a bit younger again, too...) And then we were off again. It was getting later in the day, so we finally headed home...taking the long way down PCH, of course. Here is a great shot of the Laguna Hotel (which is where we got married a couple of months ago):
So...that was our Saturday adventure. (The rest of Saturday was a bit mundane.)
But Sunday was nice, too... we spent the morning working around the house a bit, unpacking a bit more (even though we moved into our condo a few weeks ago, we are still surrounded by boxes). Here is a shot of one of my favorite spots in the place; on the second stair, next to the window. I don't know why...it's just comfortable to sit there. Tony agrees...it's now his favorite place to sit and play his guitars.
After working for a bit, we got hungry and decided to try something out of the "usual" for us... so we headed to the Cuban restuarant in the Orange Circle.
And here is the sandwich we came for:
The Orange Circle is FULL of really cool shops and restaurants. This place next to us just caught my eye:
Here is me looking like a parakeet:
and here is a great shot of Tony...
The rest of the day was back to the usual routine... but this part of the weekend was absolutely wonderful.
