“Marriages have stages. They have incarnations, almost,” Mercy explains. “You can be in a good marriage and you can be in a bad marriage, and they can both be the same one but just at different times.”
from French Braid, by Anne Tyler, 2022
Excerpt from: French Braid
spanishwoods 
True on the marriage quate. Beautiful photo. I like the juxtaposition between the blossoms and the ivy. Perfect!
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I discounted this photo when I first took a look at it because it felt rather chaotic, with everything in focus. I couldn’t get a good feeling about this composition so I just filed it in my “photos” folder on my desktop. But when I read this quote (which I really love), I thought of this photo immediately. So I thank you for the compliment on it Tim, especially since you take such stunning shots that I really admire.
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It’s excellent. Funny how “all in focus” can be disturbing to photographers.
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yes. I just spent a very long time making the backgrounds blurry of some selected photos (with the help of my nephew and my sister in law) because the compositions were so jarring. It softened them considerably. I don’t have the right equipment to compensate for depth of field within the shot. And, I normally don’t need to be so persnickety, but in this particular case, retouching these images was crucial and it seriously took any ounce of joy out of the process. I’m not a fan of photoshop.
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Have you looked at Affinity Photo? It’s more intuitive and easier to use than PS. On1 makes editing easy, also. Affinity Photo is a great value. No subscription. On1 is a bit higher priced and you can get either perpetual licenses or subscriptions.
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No I haven’t Timothy. Everyone in my industry uses the Adobe Suite and it’s taxing (to me). So I will look into this software….. thank you 🙂
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Serif is having a 50% off everything sale. Affinity photo is $27: https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/?utm_source=serifemail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Spring_sale_22&utm_content=Email_1&mc=SPRING22
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Thank you Timothy 🙂
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You’re welcome.
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My marriages had stages, all three ended. 😬
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Marriage is complicated, and that’s putting it mildly.
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Oh,how true this is!
Gorgeous image too, Sylvia.
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thank you Dale 🙂
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We’ve been lucky, Silvia. The good times far outnumber the bad times. Like the photo. –Curt
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🙂 and thank you.
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Love the quote – Maybe there’s beauty in both places and … photos? 😉
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yes 🙂
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An exuberant photo… the contrast between plants almost looks photoshopped, but I know it isn’t. Yes, true about marriages… many seasons over the years. 🙂
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No it isn’t. That’s interesting that you think it looks photoshopped, I thought it lacked a central focus and had “rejected” it after I looked at it on the computer. But it came to mind when I ran across this quote. In any case, this book is a really lovely read. If you enjoy Anne Tyler, it’s really classic.
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Wonderful photo, quote and book!🙂
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Anne Tyler is one of my favorite authors. This book doesn’t disappoint. 🙂
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Wise words. And, I miss the pink dogwoods!
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the dogwoods are in their full beauty here right now 🙂
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