Heidelberg Castle Ruins

The ruins of Heidelberg Castle with a texture by Jinterwas to lend an antique look.

Pima County Courthouse

The mosaic dome of the Pima Country Courthouse framed by a jacaranda tree.
Textures by Kerstin Frank and Les Brumes.

Portofino Lighthouse

A view of the lighthouse on the cliffs of Portofino, on the Ligurian coast.
Textures by Paree Erica and Shadowhouse Creations.

Apollo Fountain, Versailles

The Apollo Fountain is one of many beautyiful fountains on the grounds of Versailles.
No textures, just adjustment layers.

Castries, St. Lucia

The photo was taken near the main port of Castries, St. Lucia.
Textures by Shadowhouse Creations and Unaciertamirada.

Boynton Canyon, Sedona

Boynton Canyon and its beautiful red rock formations.
Textures by Jinterwas and Shadowhouse Creations.

Afternoon in the Park

An early summer afternoon in the Parc des Buttes Chaumont in Paris. The third largest park in Paris is located in a residential area of Paris in the 19th arondissement. You will find more Parisians than tourists here. The structure atop the hill in the background is the Belvedere (Temple) of Sybil, modeled after the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, Italy. 

Textures by Tim in Ohio and Shadowhouse Creations.

Saguaro National Park

This photo was taken on a fall afternoon in Saguaro National Park West, in Tucson, Arizona.
Textures by Jane Garratt and Shadowhouse Creations.

Fruit Boat, St. Lucia

This beat-up and colorful fruit boat, covered with the flags of many different nations, was a welcome sight to those swimming in the bay. Several people waded out into the water to purchase fresh fruit.
Textures by Ellenvd and Stephanie in Love

Cactus Corner

A grouping of potted cactus and succulents outside Webster Auditorium at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden.
Texture by Paree Erica.

When Doges Were in Style

These shop manikins are cleverly carved doges. The doge was the chief magistrate and highest elected official of Venice. The last one abdicated in 1797.
Textures by Musymas and Shadowhouse Creations.

Shelf Life

Potted plants and watering cans line a shelf at the Center for Desert Living, an area within the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix.
Texture by Shadowhouse Creations.

November Monarch

This is one of the many monarch butterflies in the butterfly house at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix.  This acacia flower is a favorite source of nectar for the butterflies.
Texture by Shadowhouse Creations.

Autumn in the Desert

We visited the Desert Botanical Gardens today and enjoyed the Four Seasons sculptures by Philip Haas. These impressive sculptures are 15 feet high and were inspired by Giuseppe Arcimboldo's Renaissance era paintings.
Texture: Boccacino

David Lost in Contemplation

Here's another image based on a photo I took in one of the eclectic rooms at Whitfil Nursery in Phoenix.
Texture by Jinterwas.

Vegetable Stand, Florence

Vegetables and flowers at a store front leading to the Piazza Signoria in Florence, Italy.
Textures by Lenabem-Anna and Paree Erica.

Cortona Doorway

This doorway, off a steep hill in Cortona, Italy, was blocked by colorful potted flowers and plants.
Textures by Shadowhouse Creations and Distressed Jewell.

Aqua Shutters

If I recall correctly this is the back of the Hotel Bartolini in Montecatini Terme, Italy. I walked past it daily on my way to get a cappucino and pastry.
Texture by Sienna62.

Early Morning in the Neighborhood

One morning I woke early and decided to walk through the neighborhood. The sky was tinged with pastels and the moon was still visible.
I've added textures from Lenabem-Anna and Distressed Jewel.                                                

Doorway, Montecatini Alto

I photographed this doorway during an early evening stroll in Montecatini Alto, the medieval town that sits above the spa town of Montecatini and is accessible by funicular.
Texture by Shadowhouse Creations.

White Wash

This is another photo taken during my walk through the countryside near Monteriggioni in Tuscany.
Texture by Joes Sistah.

Venus and the Early Bird

A collection of items found in the outdoor warehouse area of Whitfil Nursery in Phoenix.
Textures by Shadowhouse Creations and Joes Sistah were added.

Tuscan Archway

While walking through the valley below Monteriggioni, we stopped for a quick break and I explored a few of the nearby buildings while others lined up to buy fresh fruit from a local farmer's cart.
Texture by Emma Cox

Portofino

This image was taken while cruising in the Mediterranean.  Due to the rough seas, our ship's captain decided not to attempt to take passengers ashore via the tenders. I had booked an excursion to the Cinque Terre and I was incredibly disappointed to miss this opportunity. Several years later, I finally made it to the Cinque Terre, but I still haven't had the chance to visit Portofino.
Texture by Paree Erica.

Across the Canal

A photo taken from across the main canal in Ghent, Belgium.
Texture by Shadowhouse Creations.

Church, Dubrovnik

The Jesuit Church of Dubrovnik was finished in 1725. Although striking on the outside, the interior is rather plain.
Texture by Shadowhouse Creations.

Colorful Corner

Flowers create a colorful border at a restaurant in a corner of the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium.
Texture by Shadowhouse Creations.

Game Night

Another view of the many eclectic items found at the Whitfil Nursury's main building.
Texture is from Shadowhouse Creations.

Garden Store

This image was taken outside at the Whitfil Nursery in Phoenix.
A texture from Paree Erica was added.

Red Door

This image was taken on the island of Santorini. I liked the bright red door against the backdrop of the equally bright blue sky and whitewashed stucco. I've added a texture from Shadowhouse Creations to enhance the textured look of the stucco.

The Old Pharmacy Transformed

This image began with a photo of an old pharmacy in Brussels which was built in 1895 and combines many styles of architecture. I've added fog, birds, a moon and a texture from Shadowhouse Creations to create an eerie night scene.

Don't Go Into the Woods

This was an experiment using two photos from the MorgueFile website. I've added two textures from Shadowhouse Creations.

At the Door

I was just playing around and trying to come up with a spooky effect for Halloween. Starting with a photo of a door that I took in Taormina, Sicily, I added a texture from Shadowhouse Creations. Then I decided to add a snippet from Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights.

Venus in the Garden

A replica of the Canova Venus amongst a profusion of plants and herbs in the Whitfil nursery.
Texture by Lenabem-Anna.

Corrugated

This is another photo taken at Whitfil Nursery in Phoenix. These items were in a warehouse-like portion of the nursery and it was hard to tell if the dusty weathered objects were staged or random.

Maui Sunrise

Early morning on Ka'anapali Beach. I just posted 50 new photos on the Wanderlust blog, so I'm not looking forward to getting back to working with more textures again.

Bug's Eye View

A red ginger plant on Maui.
Textures by Paree Erica and Shadowhouse Creations.

The Jungle Beyond

This photo was taken on the grounds of the Grand Wailea resort on Maui. There are several replicas of thatched huts, some with seating, surrounded by jungle-like vegetation which must keep a veritable army of gardeners busy full-time.

This Is a Good Day

Another eclectic display which I never expected to find at a plant nursery, of all places. The photo was taken at Whitfil Nursery and the texture is by Shadowhouse Creations.

Ceramic Vases

A trio of brightly colored Mexican ceramic vases atop a tiled table at a local nursery.
Texture by Shadowhouse Creations.

Zigzag

I was intrigued by the zigzag that someone had drawn in the sand. OK, I promise not to post any more beach sunset photos for awhile. I've been working on my new blog and I promise to have something completely different for my next post. LOL

Tropical Moon

Textures from Paree Erica.

Hawaiian Dancer

This young woman was one of the performers at the Feast at Lele in Lahaina on Maui. If you only go to one luau on Maui, this is the one I recommend. It takes place at the shoreline around sunset and the food and entertainment are top notch. Because we reserved far in advance, we were thrilled to find that our table was front row, center stage, which definitely enhanced our enjoyment of the evening.

Texture by Shadowhouse Creations.

Balcony View

This photo of Ka'anapali Beach was taken through a railing framed by bougainvillea vines. I've added a Polaroid effect.
Textures by Shadowhouse Creations.

Hanging Out

Yes, I took LOTS of sunset photos on this trip and I was always amazed at the subtle differences even a few minutes made. This is another sunset over Ka'anapali Beach.
Texture is by Lenabem-Anna.

Red Hibiscus

I took this photo just before dusk at the Sheraton Black Rock on Ka'anapali Beach. A texture by Shadowhouse Creations was added.

Ka'anapali Sunset

Just back from Paradise where photographing the sunset was always a popular pastime. Here is last Monday's sunset at Ka'anapali Beach. I've added a slight HDR effect.

Going on Vacation - Back in a Week

This photo was taken in Florence while I was touring Tuscany. I've added a texture by Shadowhouse Creations.

Florentine Trattoria

This appealing trattoria is located in the historic center of Florence, not far from the Piazza della Signoria.
Texture by Shadowhouse Creations.

Pienza Bar

I loved the streets and views of Pienza, a hilltop in Tuscany famous for its pecorino cheese.
Texture by Jodi Dogma.