About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Photo Hunt - Scary

Click to enlarge photo!
When I was a little girl, my parents took us to see Disney's "Fantasia." What a classic! However, for my little soul it was the scariest movie I'd ever seen! For a long time afterwards, I had nightmares about the part when Mickey tries to keep the water from overflowing. The music itself was frightening, rising to a crescendo of danger for the character and unprecedented fear for the viewer.
The other movie that had parts that scared me to death was "The Wizard of Oz." For example, when Dorothy, Toto, and their friends entered the enchanted forest and the trees started throwing apples at them was horrifying! But that fear did subside to glee when the Wicked Witch got wet and, as she disappeared, screamed, "I'm melting! I'm melting!" To this day, if anyone asked me to play the part of the Wicked Witch, I'd be delighted.
I took this photo in England in the fall of 2006 when we stopped to check the map for directions. While John was looking at the map, I happened to look out the window and spotted this tree. Just a quick snap...but when I uploaded it, I quite liked it. Then I went about using Photoshop to see what I could do with it. I stopped experimenting when I solarized it. To me, it gives the photo a really spooky look, as if the tree might come alive at any moment. Be careful - it might just reach through the computer and snatch you away into cyberspace!
Bwaahahahaha!!!
Happy Halloween, everyone!

30 comments:

Carver said...

Great shot for the theme. You did turn it into a scary shot, especially remembering the Wizard of oz. The flying monkeys were the ones that scared me the most.

Anonymous said...

Very cool looking photo. The flying monkeys scared me the most but those apple-throwing trees were right up there too. Have a good weekend!

Anonymous said...

Bwaahahahaha!!! it truly looks scary, you did a wonderful job here.
And I can relate to those scary parts in children's movies...I remember Mickey very well...Bwaahahahaha!!!
Boy, I need a stronger coffee for this week's theme!

Anonymous said...

You lucky thing - that's a great catch.
I loved thos films - saw them when they were new, The Sorcerer's Apprentice has been a favourite piece ever since. As far as Oz is concerned, my father had a job getting me out of the cinema halfway through the second showing. We had to catch the last bus home. Mother was away at the time, visiting her mother. Dad and I would go for late night walks in the countryside around us. Magic.

jams o donnell said...

THere's definitely something about bare-branched trees. Great shot for a scary theme! Happy weekend

Leslie said...

Ok, Fantasia didn't worry me but I rank The Wizard of OZ as one of the scariest movies I have ever seen.

If I think about it now I still get frightened, just like when I first saw it, aged five.

*shudder*

Photo Cache said...

This one takes the cake with the scary theme IMHO. Fabulous capture.

peppylady (Dora) said...

I didn't do photo hunt this week I posted about an Uncle who passed on.

Well talking about scary shows. I was terrified on the show "dark shadow" when I was younger.
Later in life I got the dvd and just laughed.

Coffee is on.

Anonymous said...

Wow! That is a terrific image for the theme :) Happy photo hunting!

Maggie May said...

AHHHHHHHHHHH!! Now I will have nightmares.
I can remember watching Fantasia too.
My oldest granddaughter wouldn't touch apples for a long time after watching Snow White.(Wicked witch who gets her to eat a poisoned apple)

Your tree looks very scary! Very dramatic.

Anonymous said...

Yes, that is a scary looking tree! Happy weekend!

Anonymous said...

Happy Hunting!!

YTSL said...

Very nice photo. Would love to see the un-photo-shopped version for comparison.

Napaboaniya.Elaine Ling said...

I'm starting to imagine bats flying out from those trees. Scary it is!

Katney said...

At Disneyland years ago, the scariest ride was not something with speedy rollercoasterlike swooshes from high places, but Snow White--a slow mine train ride through scenes from the movie. What was scary? That wicked witch and her apple!

Randi said...

Wow...great shot for a scary theme! Happy weekend.

Anonymous said...

You are very creative my friend...Happy weekend. TC

Lilli & Nevada said...

Oh wow that is one neat and scary photo.

Colin Campbell said...

I found the Wizard of Oz very scary when I was little.

And Bwaaaahaha to you too.

Anonymous said...

Superb... looks like a HDR effect. =D

The scary part of the trees. Loooks like there are lotsa trees out there

Anonymous said...

yikes! I don't want to get stuck in this place..creepy!

Anonymous said...

oh scary place... nice take on this week's theme.
happy weekend!

Hootin Anni said...

I love this!!! Of course you didn't expect I wouldn't now, did you? Perfect for scary.

Mine's posted too, if you can find time to stop by. Happy weekend.

CherryPie said...

Nice one for the theme. I have heard other people say how scary they thought fantasia was.

david mcmahon said...

Lucky it wasn't some speakeasy, er, spookeasy !!!

Carin said...

Scary tree indeed! Still it is a great picture, I like it.

Have a nice weekend.

Rebecca Mecomber said...

Great shot! I don't find trees very scary, though. ;) The background is!!

I hope you have time to come see my scary photos, and leave your link, too. http://newyorktraveler.net/photo-hunters-scary/

jmb said...

Excellent shot Leslie. Very Wuthering Heights. I was scared in Fantasia too. In fact lots of those Disney movies had scary parts in them. Happy weekend.

sally in norfolk said...

fantastuc photo and love jmb's discription of being very Wuthering Heights.

Anonymous said...

The wonders of Photoshop...It does look spooky...as if any minute monsters would appear while lightning flashes in the skies. :-)