Having been called a purist snob in regards to both photography and flyfishing (and not caring a hoot about that label), this post is a bit challenging to write.  I’ve also been told I must like crow because I eat a lot of it. I’d say the latter is very accurate. I do eat a lot of crow.

As much as I’d like to claim I never manipulate my travel photos, that would be a bald-faced lie. I do. Furthermore even when I shot only Black & White film and developed it in the darkroom, I altered the process; different chemicals, rinses, times, tools used to burn and dodge. Man! those were the days.

This penchant has grown with every new Photoshop tool I discover.  I’ll likely never be one for a great deal of manipulation, mainly because let’s face it, I’m unlikely to ever acquire the skills.  Last winter after a 40 hour Photoshop course with Doug Henderson (7 Tips From a Photography Pro), I became LESS of a Photoshop hack. It’s sort of the same as giving a compliment by saying something “doesn’t suck.”

I discovered Nik Software’s Silver Efex sometime ago. It’s become my digital darkroom work-horse. And I’ve yet to find anything about it to criticize (highly unusual).  I wanted to test another of their products, Color Efex Pro, so I downloaded the 15 day free trial and put it through the paces.

I’ve loved this sign since photographing it on a road trip to Kansas. I’ve not done anything with it – until downloading Color Efex Pro. See Jane run.

SOOC - straight out of the camera. For the most part.

Sunshine filter

Kodachrome 64 filter

Old Photo filter

Old Photo filter

Polaroid Transfer filter

Detail Styler filter

Solarization filter

Tonal Contrast with High Pass filter

I used the Tonal Contrast with High Pass filter on the Serva-teria photo on the post: 13 Reasons for a Road Trip.

Polarize filter

The software is offered in 3 versions – standard, select, and complete and ranges in price from $99 to $299. After testing it, my advice is to buy the complete version for $299 – it’s the best value and will lend a degree of creative latitude and flexibility you can’t get elsewhere.

And I hope none of these are mislabeled. My trial version ran out before I had time to double check the filter names. Regardless, you get the picture.

SRT is fluttering in blue ribbons. Years ago, flush with the career fever, I announced I no longer worked for trophies, pats on the back, or awards since you can’t eat those. I lied.

Being named by Jamie Jensen, author of Road Trip USA as one of the Top 10 Road Trip Blogs and recently winning the Portrait category of John Batdorff’s Black & White Photography contest has raised my chin and straightened my back.  I don’t want to consider there could only be 10 road trip blogs, and I know for certain John’s contest had some incredible entries, even in the Portrait category.

Blogs.com asked Jamie Jensen to compile a list of the Top 10 Road Trip blogs.  Here’s what he had to say about SRT:

“Much as I enjoy traveling with my family, there’s a sense of freedom and exhilaration that comes from hitting the road on your own. The existential excitement of the solo road trip is magically channeled by Tammie Dooley into this beautifully illustrated, thoughtful blog.”

Since I don’t think it possible to spread enough of the road trip love around, here’s the entire list, so you road trip aficionados or wanna-be’s can check out the others. Enjoy!

John Batdorff is a 2nd generation professional photographer whose work has been showcased by the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming. He specializes in outdoor/landscape and travel photography.  John’s blog is a fun, perpetual photography course. He has a knack for presenting his experience and talented eye in a way that both entertains and better than that, sticks – you won’t forget the instruction he imparts.  Anyone wanting to improve their photography should follow his blog. Not only will you learn, but you’ll have a great time doing it.

Click here for all the winning captures in his latest contest.

The photograph of the woman taken during the 4-week backpacking trip to rural China with my son won the Portrait category.

Celebrate with me for this one brief post. We’ll return to the real world tomorrow. Actually, tomorrow is Thanksgiving!  Happy Thanksgiving. And thank you for being here.

I’m home tonight.  With no plans to work on any of my assignments due within the next few weeks, or even blog about the latest road trip, I sat down, propped up my feet, and opened the innocent looking package from my husband’s employer regarding medical insurance for 2010. This is not a comedic stand up routine folks. Despite the fact the American medical system is broke and front and center in the news, I plowed in. How bad could it be?

Really bad. Five minutes later, depressed at the knowledge the cost for our coverage would be increasing by one-third, with thoughts of an HMO flashing through my head like Boris Karloff with a flashlight under his chin, I made my way to the kitchen.

Tonight I’d make the persimmon bread from the recipe that accompanied my recent post about the fruit’s seed being a predictor of winter conditions. The persimmons purchased over a week ago have ripened nicely on the countertop and need some attention – as in a suspension of batter and an oven.

fruit, pecans, whiskey, raisins, butter, eggs. Forget about mixing all this together with flour and sugar; the individual components would be a gourmet meal for me.

Cutting into the first persimmon yields a soft, fleshy, orange fruit, the color for which fashion designers would need a brown bag. It’s that glorious.

Only thing missing: ummm, seeds. Nada. Zip. Zero. None. Whaaatttt??!!  My post that spawned a rush all over the world to purchase persimmons, is a LIE?!

no seeds!

Yes. And no. The trees that yielded the persimmons that yielded the seed that yielded the spoon indicating lots of snow this winter, were wild persimmons picked on my Dad’s ranch. Being the ranch is 3 hours from here and to achieve 2 cups of mash from the not-much-bigger-than-a-marble fruit would take a bushel, I opted for market persimmons.

Some desperate research indicates I purchased the most widely cultivated species: the Japanese persimmon ‘Hachiya’.  Another variety was also available (looked more like the ugly step sister of a tomato) for which I will return to the market tomorrow. I’m on a seed quest. And geez louise, so are some of you!

My advice if you’re looking to open a seed to shock and awe your friends and family with Farmer’s Almanac type winter predictions that are a bit more scientific than my beloved Magic 8 Ball, tell the person at your market what you want to do. They should be able to guide you towards a persimmon species with seeds, thereby rescuing my reputation as a, umm, as a highly regarded forecaster with a Farmer’s Almanac and a Magic 8 Ball sitting on her desk.

Tomorrow I’ll post about how the seed quest turned out. In the meantime, the bread is fantastic – my new favorite quick bread – better than banana nut bread, strawberry bread, or zucchini bread. It’s my new go to for gifts. Good thing we were low on milk.

Tumbleweeds the size of boulders streak past in all directions causing me to involuntarily close my eyes and make darts to the left or right behind the safety of the windshield. One sticks on the hood ornament and I lurch back with enough force to strike the head rest and then bounce back to an upright position. My motions would appear silly to anyone watching, but there isn’t anyone. I’m lost.

Travel writers and guides never fail to recommend getting lost in such places as Marrakesh or Seville. All those twisty narrow lanes of mystery lead to experiences that fully engage the senses. Maybe not always gently; sometimes “onslaught” is a more accurate description. Onslaught or not, a memory is etched. THAT is the essence of travel.

Getting lost gives the experience an “edge”, an emotional jump start. And road trip travel in places like Kansas is no different. Really. Those twisty narrow lanes of mystery in places with exotic names have nothing on what you can stumble across in Kansas.

The first time through Mullinville was a mistake.  If you read that sentence carefully, it’ll tell you that a second time was on purpose because the first trip was rewarding enough to go back.

Careful of my speed limit through the small town, I’d just begun picking up speed when I see this:

“What the?!” The wind is doing its best to alter the footing of the 5,000 lb. Yukon as I pull off the road. The sun is full-on but the barren landscape broken by the freaky signs, the desperate squeak of whirling buckets suspended as high into the Kansas atmosphere as the strength of a metal pole will support, the flags flapping out of unison, all screechingly collide into one perfectly produced Twilight Zone scene.

It’s October so I pull on a jacket before picking up camera gear, zip it completely (I’ve learned a few things about Kansas wind), and get jerked out of the truck onto my side because I’ve learned a lot about jackets and Kansas wind, but I’m still learning about the wind powering open a truck door. I don’t bother looking around. There’s no one to have seen me.

After gawking for sometime and taking in all the symbolism and dark humor, I begin taking photographs. A local barrels by on the highway and honks (he obviously knows the local law enforcement). His intrusion confirms I’ve not really landed in a Twilight Zone episode.

One year later…

There will be a 3rd trip. I still don’t have the shot I really want. Maybe a Fisheye?

Want to see all this for yourself? Head west on 54/400 out of Wichita, through Pratt. Mullinville is 41 miles west of Pratt, 120 miles west of Wichita.

Oh, I know!! I know. This is not nearly as practical as the post for the Ameribag gift idea. These items are strictly pretty. And they have absolutely nothing to do with road trips, other than you can wear them on a road trip and look H.O.T. And I must defend the two items I’ve featured from Anthropologie as being travel related. Check out the items’ names. See?  Travel related.

A guy friend asked me what it was about Anthropologie that so appealed to women.  The only thing I could tell him was their stuff is cool.  It’s no different than shopping for cool photography equipment. Cool stuff is appealing. I realize that’s less profound than much of what I write, but alas, we are discussing shopping. I must add a LOL on all that BS.

In addition to their stuff being cool, I love the dream-scape layouts in the catalog.  THAT is probably the reason I associate all their merchandise with “cool”.  So whatever they’re doing, it’s worked its magic on me.

The Havana Sweater Coat

On The Road Boots

The Havana Sweater Coat is $198.  Here’s the link if you want to go straight to it, and not shop around.

The On-The-Road boots are $328. Here’s the link for those.

If you order anything and enjoy interesting, dreamy, sometimes whimsical fashion photography, be sure to sign up for a catalog.