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Thirsty Thursday: Past Waterfalls

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2010 Ancient Peaks Petite Sirah

Perusing through the archives a bit tonight and I stumbled across a couple of decent waterfall shots from an Oregon hike in the fall of 2012 that I never posted.  As I recall, the best part about this hike (besides the waterfalls) was when my Uncle and I finally reached these falls and stopped to rest. I went to take a couple of shots while he decided to rest his eyes. We had the Mas with us and, in addition to securing the ever dangerous perimeter, she noticed that my Uncle was laying on the ground and not moving. Being the astute pup she is, she felt it was her duty to ensure that he was still alive....so, she trotted over and proceeded to lick his face a few times....just to make sure he was okay. So much for my Uncle resting his eyes. #diligentdog #goodgirl #safetyfirst

For good measure, I'm throwing in another waterfall from the same hike but near Punchbowl Falls (previous posted on a Two Word Tuesday) and a shot of Massey leading my Uncle to the next waterfall.

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: Analog

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2009 Paraiso Zinfandel Irie

It's been a long week since last Thursday. In fact, the days have blended together and I find myself wondering how it can be another Thursday already. Last weekend I had hoped to go through some of my Germany / Italy pictures, but it's amazing how fast plans change. These are the shots that I was able to edit throughout blur of last week. Unlike most of my edits (which are almost completely done in Apple Aperture), I discovered that my Nik Software Aperture plugins were automatically updated by Google. I'm still not thrilled that Google felt that it could update software on my computer without my knowledge (not even a notification). However, I have fallen in love with Nik Analog Efex Pro. I'm actually quite surprised that I enjoy these type of finishes so much. Many moons ago when I started to get serious about photography, I found myself waiting for the digital era. I didn't want a film camera. I didn't want a Holga. I suppose I was just naïve. I just wanted a DSLR. I didn't want to deal with developing film. I wanted sharp and crisp images with vivid colors. I wasn't a big fan of black and white photography. I didn't like the imperfect artifacts of film. But that's something's changed lately. I simply love it. There's something about the imperfections and the textures that I love. In fact, some of the images weren't perfect to start with. . . a bit blurry or maybe a poor composition. All of these images were taken with my Canon 5DMKII and processed through the Nik Analog Efex Pro plugin for Aperture. This set is a mixture of images from both Germany and Italy. I hope you enjoy them and all their imperfections. They seem a bit more real to me.

Thirsty Thursday: San Francisco Wanderings

Drink in Hand: 2010 Ventana Rubystone
Rambler: Terry

Besides being unemployed this week, Beth and I headed up to San Francisco to attend the 2013 Atlassian Summit. The Summit was awesome! Look up #summit13 on Twitter and see what you can find. The first day, Beth signed up for Atlassian training and I had part of the day free...so I wandered the streets from our hotel to the Summit. For some reason I fancy street photography. I think it's because I'm always surprised what I capture and I'm always inspired.

By the way, the Atlassian Summit rocked again this year! 

Thirsty Thursday: Faces of El Jocote

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: 2010 Marilyn Remark GSP

Hello Welliver Photography fans...Thirsty Thursday here again! TIme to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. I've been spending my weekends lately plowing through what seems like an endless pile of photos and video clips from my trip to Nicaragua. I'm normally not that comfortable taking photos of people, but somehow it was easy in Nicaragua. Part of that may have been then awesome telephoto lens I used (thanks Borrow Lenses!) that allowed me to be unobtrusive, but a big part of it was the overwhelming, genuine kindness of the people we met.  

All of these photos came from the tiny village of El Jocote. If you Google Map it you won't find it. There's no electricity (we were there to install solar panels), no cars, and the only running water is a pipe to each house from a solar-powered well near a creek. We did homestays for three nights in this village. Amazing how people can be so happy  and content with so little. Great perspective. 

IMG_7357.jpg

I guess I need to get out and take more people photos! I had a great time and was really surprised at how easy it was once I got comfortable with the role of "people photographer". So this weekend, between video editing, I'll be taking some people photos!  

Thirsty Thursday: USAFA Class of 2013

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2010 Le Orme Barbera D'Asti Superiore​

Yesterday we attended the USAF Academy Class of 2013 graduation. 11 years ago, we were in those shoes. I barely remember the day. Both Beth and I were trying to remember what we did after graduation and we still can't. The day (actually the several days) was just a blur . . . a good blur. From pinning on butter bars to attending awards ceremonies, to checking out of the Academy, it all just blurs together now. I remember receiving my diploma, saluting, and shaking a hand or two. I remember throwing my hat, but that's about it. After four years (or five for me - prep school), it was over. What a fantastic experience. 

​This year, we were back to watch a friend, Lauryn, pin on her butter bars. Watching her and the thousand or so newly minted second lieutenants graduate was simply awesome (and yes, it gave us both chills). Congrats Lauryn, well earned and well deserved. 

Congrats to the Class of 2013 . . . go do great things!​

Thirsty Thursday: Swiss Mountains

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: Liquid Crack (aka, 2007 Scheid Chardonnay)

Just a little post tonight from the Switzerland trip. I've been working on the images for what seems like forever, but I'm close to calling the project complete (about 20 or so photos left to edit). But enough shop talk, on to the pictures. The story isn't exciting or thrilling but the snow covered mountains are gorgeous. The trip to the top is a long train ride on the Junfraujoch line through a mountain. The views on the ride are also fantastic and of course the views at the top are simply awesome. Hopefully, these shots give you a glimpse of what it was actually like to be up there on the "Top of Europe." If you've read some of our previous posts, you know that we have been doing a bit of backpacking lately. Thus, I have to comment on one of the shots and say, that we are not to the point that the skier with the backpack on...we're not ready for that...we're semi-fair-weather backpackers. And besides, the Mas would need to learn how to ski...and I'm not sure if she's ready for that. Enjoy the shots and enjoy your weekend.

Thirsty Thursday: Ahhh, Lucerne

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2011 Ancient Peaks Sauvignon Blanc

Just a few images tonight from our Switzerland trip. Unfortunately, we were only in Lucerne for a night. All that really needs to be said about Lucerne is, "Ahhh, Lucerne." There's something about the atmosphere of the city that just puts you in a relaxed mood. Perhaps it is the architecture of the place or maybe it's the chocolate shops filled with yummy Swiss goodies. I tend to think it's related to the relaxed cafes near the water and the people. Life seemed slower here than elsewhere. I suppose it could be that places you visit seem more relaxed than the places you've lived, but I hope that's not true of Lucerne. I wish we could have spent more time here, sitting next to the river, people watching, chatting, and sipping cappuccino goodness.