James Brubaker

When you sing, musical vibrations move through you, altering your physical and emotional landscape.As the popularity of group singing grows, science has been hard at work trying to explain why it has such a calming yet energizing effect on people. What researchers are beginning to discover is that singing is like an infusion of the perfect tranquilizer, the kind that both soothes your nerves and elevates your spirits.
I found the above info and more at: http://ideas.time.com/2013/08/16/singing-changes-your-brain/

Sing while you dance! or Dance while you sing. or just dance. or just sing. I’ve been told it all works to change your brain.

1. I read a lot of “Novels” of ancient folks – 17,000 years ago as we were just becoming socially human – Singing is an ancient art form. People living in less technological societies than our own still sing as a central way of being together. There are no distinctions between audience and performers, no-one watches on passively. — Now you know why I seldom passively sit and watch TV – I am ancient!
2. I worked a number of years in Scandinavia and I liked their way of thinking – A recent study at the University of Stockholm showed that Scandinavia men and women get an oxytocin high when they sing – during pregnancy, lactation, and sex. —I did not make that up!!! –  In case you have been motivated – I say SAS is a great way to fly!
3. Being of Germanic background, I know we are very serious at times, and always need a reason to do what we do – Dr Kreutze at Frankfurt University sampled singer’s saliva before and after singing. He proved that our secretion of antibodies is increased when we sing, so our immunity is boosted! — so submit the cost of you voice lessons to your health insurance provider!

As a kid, I have had a snake bit or two – but never while singing – or playing the flute or what ever! So, making music is good for your health.

Your best camera is the one you have with you – In my case, my I-phone – yesterday by our home in the Great Outdoors, Florida. But I wanted to be an artist and do a little Photoshop to add interest, keeping color and texture – see the following Photoshopped photos.

Here is the start photo

I decided to add a bird  – just for interest!

A closer view of the same starting photo with bird added

How about a digital painting of me and my dog canoeing into the sunset!

Hey, enjoy playing jump rope and Photoshop painting with your I-phone photos – try it – you may enjoy jumping rope – even if Photoshop is not your thing

The glare is not always soft this time of day- But digital photography can make it that way

The birds are in prayer – it seems. “God always answers prayers. Sometimes it’s ‘yes.’ Sometimes the answer is ‘no.’ Sometimes it’s ‘you gotta be kidding”.
Jimmy Carter

Enjoy your cool weather – we are freezing at 50 degrees –

I love to walk in the woods with camera in hand.  I see lots of things others may not want to photograph  – This one is a  stump of a fallen Palm Tree – a foot or so of the outer bark turned inside and fell to the ground.  This is as shot – no photoshop.  Nikon D5300, Tamron 18-270mm, f4.8, 46mm. Auto flash did not fire.

This photo gave me an opportunity to practice some basic elements of art design (with photoshop) that I have been studying about – and since I like surreal art – truth is not required. Key elements are 1. Lines (curved or straight), 2. shapes we recognize, 3. dimension (depth), 4. texture, 5. repeating pattern, 6. color. Have I clearly used any of these elements in creating this surreal spider and dragon fly from the original photograph?  (Dragon fly is above the spider’s left eye)

I hope to keep making surreal photos from real ones I take on my favorite walks in my favorite Florida outdoors! and learn more about art and culture, music, etc

No, this photo was not taken in our community – This is the way we all remember that we looked when we were young . (Our memories are blurred a little)

I turned to the News Paper to read of resolutions. Found 50 – here are a few. I will tell you my first thoughts – Now remember these are only my first thoughts!:
1. Get in shape – At almost 80, I work at it every day. You have to – shape does not last for more then 24 hours at my age!
2. Learn to cook – I go to the store every day to learn not to cook – It is amazing what the store does for you – They roast whole chickens every couple of hours, Why would I ever buy a raw one and cook it – If I wanted to do that I would go back further – like my Mom – She went to the chicken coop, caught one, chopped its head off, plucked the feathers, and cleaned out the insides.  Then she could start to cook it. Mom did not raise a fool – she taught me to learn a better way – and I did.
3. Travel more and see the world – I was blessed – I had a great opportunity to work in a large international company and travel over the ocean almost every other week. And, I had a boss that made it fun – He designed the job and office attitude that made those numerous years seem like a large vacation – but I feel we did a great job for the corporation – it is just that we enjoyed doing it – Thanks to Mr Walt!
4. Learn to be happier with your life – I do have Joel Osteen as an automatic button on our car radio.
5. Adopt a cute pet – Perla says “You did” Perla is my horse of course.

Of course, in the 50 resolutions are a lot about hobbies and earning new stuff. Well, I am trying to learn a lot about art – Need to do that so I can hold meaningful conversations with Gloria! Showed you this digital “Photo-Painting” I did the other day. Well I practiced and turned it into the one below:

See, I used the one above to turn it into this digital-photo – Should I take up cooking instead? What you think?

Among the 50 resolutions were dressing modern and learning modern dance steps?! Maybe I do a selfie for you to see my improvement in the modern dress code

I often take my camera out into the swamps and other water ways around our Florida home – Then I am practicing how to create “Digital Paintings” from a photo I snapped. Here is real one – real until I just had to add a Donald Trump hair piece! “I titled it “Presidential Birdtential Race?”

One of my favorite birds to watch is the American Coot – I like the way it “Walks on water” on takeoff. So I created, just for fun, these two Coots racing to the “Dinner Potential Race” – You know this is not real – Coots do not chase goldfish for dinner!

“LOL” – has it been added to the Webster Dictionary – Hey, do they still print dictionaries?

“I am trying to understand what you are saying”

“I like your Good Morning kiss!”

The message “I am pleased with my last comment!”

No bitting – we are playing

It is too cold to go way up to the barn

Learn to rest like me said the kitty to the human!

No sound needed – If we had a phone like this – Hey, we do – it is called Skype – try it sometime with the sound off! Wives are more effective with sound – but we really get the message with out sound – Do we not???

2015 – The manger and the three wise men bearing gifts.

I have taken note of family get togethers this Thanksgiving weekend. Our photo club offers a service of photographing family gatherings – I did a family on vacation – “Hey, get off the phone for the family photo” – I talked with my own family while they were driving with grandkids in a family car – the driver was all alone so to speak – ( of course the driver was talking to me!!!)- alone because the grandkids were lost on their electronic devices while sitting in the back seat – I saw it at a Black Friday Best Buy store – I saw it a Country Club Thanksgiving dinner we attended – So I wondered what the “Lower Forms of Life” (Animals) were doing in this modern age – So, I did my PhotoShop Art practice session thinking about the Cell Phone and the animals – Here it is! Oh, by the way – I love my cell phone -I am  never with out it!

I do not use all the modern technology – but my phone is always with me and I use the car’s NAV system when I go grocery shopping 2 miles away!