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Thirsty Thursday: A Sunday Hike

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: Trader Joe's Pomegranate Limeade

Thirsty Thursday here again...time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. I got busy doing MBA homework and didn't even get to a glass of wine tonight, but I did make time for a little photo editing. Maybe because I love scrolling through Instagram feeds, I was inspired to go square today. Enjoy a few photos from our recent hike up Gaviota Peak near Solvang. 

It was definitely a warm hike, but the cool ocean breeze at the top was worth it, along with the views. For our central California friends it looks to be a much needed wet weekend, but hopefully you find time to get out there and enjoy some outside time! 

Thirsty Thursday: Random Weekend

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2012 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas

Okay, a quick note about this wine. It's a Rhône. The color is awesome. A good nose with a smooth taste with a hint of spice at the end. Very nice for the price. Here's an excerpt from the Tablas website:

"The Tablas Creek Vineyard Patelin de Tablas is a blend of four red Rhône varietals: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Counoise. The wine incorporates fruit from several of the top Rhône vineyards in Paso Robles, each vineyard selected for its quality. Like many red wines from the Rhône Valley, it is based on the dark fruit, mineral and spice of Syrah, with the brightness and fresh acidity of Grenache, the structure and meatiness of Mourvèdre and a small addition of Counoise for complexity."

This is a bit of a random post, but last weekend itself was a bit random. We randomly decided on Friday to head to Solvang, CA. Of course, being the planners that we are, we booked a hotel room the night before in Lompoc, CA. It was the only place available that would let Massey stay the night. If only the other hotels could meet Massey, they'd understand. Anyways, we didn't have much of a plan other than exploring Solvang (which is a cute little town), hiking or running somewhere, and drinking some wine. Of course, we had our cameras, but I think we were both just wanting to chill a bit with out it. Solvang was definitely cool and we had some decent tastings and an awesome meal. Check out our recent Instagram activity for pictures of that.

On Sunday, we decided to summit a tall hill. The peak we climbed to the top was Gaviota Peak. It's somewhere just off the 101 between Solvang and Santa Barbara, CA, but closer to the later. I think Strava thought the hike was somewhere between 6.8 and 7.1 miles (depends on your GPS device. . . I had an iPhone and Beth had her Garmin). It was a descent hike. Not my favorite, but he view was cool from the top. I know that Massey had a good time. She's such a good travel dog. So here's a few pics from that hike.

On Monday, we headed back home but stopped at Tablas Creek Vineyard outside of Paso Robles. We are now members there as their wine is fantastic. A couple of our other wine memberships are now in jeopardy of being cut (yes, they will be cut soon). Unfortunately, we can't be members everywhere. I'm sure we'll be posting more pics from our future Tablas Creek adventures. For now, here's a couple.

Thirsty Thursday: Tübingen

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: English breakfast tea with some local honey

I suppose I should be drinking beer if I'm posting pictures from Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Unfortunately, I'm all beer'd out right now...too much beer the last few days. Anyways, these shots are from last summer. Beth was stuck in business classes all day, I was stuck wandering around Tübingen. Tough life for me but I made due. Perhaps a beer tomorrow or maybe some wine :-)

Thirsty Thursday: Lucca

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2010 Pierce GSM

Lucca from outside the city wall...who would have guessed that it housed such a fabulous city. Even walking on the wall, you can't really appreciate it. It's not until you wander down the streets and find some stairs that lead you to the top of one of the many towers--then, you'll appreciate it. Its narrow streets, its red-roofed buildings, all protected by a brick wall and some trees. Such a cool place. I'd like to go back some day.

Approaching Lucca

The wall

Walking on the wall

Lucca from above

Thirsty Thursday: Vacation

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: 2010 Cambiata Tannat

Thirsty Thursday here again...time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. This week I decided to play with a few photos I took while my parents were visiting for Christmas. They were already on vacation, but I went ahead and took a few days off as well and we went to the Eastern Sierra. The area is one of my favorite places anywhere, so I was excited to share it with my parents. We went to all the usual places, but I found a few photos that weren't the iconic Eastern Sierra shots, just places we happened to find ourselves throughout the day. I started playing around with one of these photos in Nik Analog and liked it...so I decided to process a few more the same way, giving this set a vintage "family vacation" feel. 

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I had fun picking the images to do in this set, but I also realized that I could have done more with the camera. I was focused on capturing images of the landscape and I missed out on some cool moments that made the trip our family trip, like the yummy Chinese food or the random stuff we found while driving around. That's really my goal for the coming year...more capturing of moments! Pretty landscapes are nice, but there's something fun about making images that go together to tell a story, whatever that story may be. 

Get out there and make moments...and don't forget to capture them! 

Thirsty Thursday: Warm Afternoon

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2008 Santa Margherita Riserva Chianti Classico

It's late in the afternoon and this is my second trip to Ft Ord in the same day. The first one was for a long run in the morning. The second was just me, Massey, and a camera with a 180mm late in the day. It's been such a long time since I've used that lens. I struggled for a bit and most of my images were blurry but I did get a few shots (look for some of the really good ones in upcoming Massey Monday's). Anyways, I was happy with the few shots I was able to get looking into the sun. I think I like the warmth of these shots. . . the lazy summer feeling in January if that makes any sense. With such nice weather here, get out and enjoy it!

Thirsty Thursday: There be waterfalls here

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2010 Ancient Peaks Merlot

Just a few shots of Pearsony Falls near Prospect, OR from our 2013 Oregon Thanksgiving trip. I really have nothing to say tonight other than I'm hoping to get lost this weekend. No work this weekend. . . all play!