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Thirsty Thursday: Different Light

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2009 Tolosa Estate Chardonnay 

I find it amazing how much light can change a scene in a short amount of time. Sure, you can process the images differently, adjusting curves here and there or combing multiple exposures into a single image to capture what you think you saw (or rather what you felt). But nothing seems to change the scene more than the fading light of a sunset.  These two images were shot during sunset on our Trinity Alps adventure. They are almost exactly 30 minutes apart from nearly the same location. The colors are so drastically different as are the moods. The first one reminds me of how grand the mountains are–towering and glowing above the shadowed valley as if saying that you should be up here. The second shot is more like a final hurrah with a touch of red before the shadows fall over everything–one last gift remembering what was (if only moments ago).

Thirsty Thursday: Trinity Sunrise

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2012 Silvestri Pinot Blanc

It's been a busy short week. Perhaps that's because we were backpacking over the weekend. No real technology or distractions other than a camera. The only thing on our minds were water, food, and where we were going to shoot or hike. We have the traditional hundreds of images to process–so you'll probably see some more in the future. For now, here's a shot of a sunrise.

Thirsty Thursday: Exploring Forest Park

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: Anchor Distilling Co. Junipero Gin & Tonic (I'm so hooked on this gin)

Thirsty Thursday here again! Time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. Regular WP Thirsty Thursday readers may remember my Portland urban wandering a few weeks ago. That was fun, but I'm more in my element when I'm out in the woods.

Fortunately, Portland has this amazing forested oasis right in the city. At the time, I was training for a crazy epic mountain bike / ultramarathon event (which I am no longer training for, but that's a whole other story), and I needed a nice easy 10-mile trail run while in Portland. Some friends gave me directions from the streetcar to a trailhead and off I went.   

I have to caveat these photos.  First, I was in a weird mental state when I went there, given that I'd spent the last day and a half in class and I'd just received a funky work email before I headed out to the trails. Distracted and in need of deep thinking for sure! Second, a light, PacNW rain was falling...my favorite conditions for running long and slow. And third, all I had with me was my iPhone, so all these photos are from my phone's camera. So while I should have been more focused on quality training time, I so needed this romp through a new-to-me trail through Forest Park in the drizzle and with a camera in hand. It was like all my favorite things all at once. If only I'd had Terry and the dog with me...that would have been the perfect afternoon. 

It was a great, albeit very unproductive run from a fitness perspective, but I enjoyed the trail and playing around making photos with the iPhone. Forest Park is a must every time I go to Portland from now on. 

Get out there and explore your own new trails this weekend! We will be! 

Thirsty Thursday: Sobranes Canyon

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2013 Chamisal Edna Valley Rosé Wine

The Sobranes Canyon Trail to the Rocky Ridge Trail is always one of our favorite short hikes. We typically go through the canyon first because we like to work for our view. Besides, I think it's better to see the ocean on the way down. It makes the hike a little more relaxing. My favorite part may be watching Massey ping-pong between me and Beth as we stop to take pictures of things. Mas does a pretty decent job of keeping us together (of course, that's until we reach the open spaces at the top). Or, it could be the variety of the terrain that the trail takes you through in a short distance. All in all, the view at the top is worth the hike. See you all out on the trails!

Thirsty Thursday: Portland Wandering

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: Tablas Creek 2011 Mourvedre 

Thirsty Thursday here again, time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans! And if you are thirsty and you like Rhone varietals, I highly recommend anything from Tablas Creek. Great winery outside Paso Robles. Now, back to the photos...

I had my final Portland State MBA residency weekend last weekend. Yay for a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel (I'll finish in December), but boo for no more required trips to Portland. I've had fun exploring the city and enjoying its quirkiness. Its an urban wilderness for me...a place I can wander and be in my own head without anyone bothering me, much like being out in an actual wilderness. 

I had a flight to catch at 10, but when I woke up and peeked outside, I wanted to go wander with camera in hand. It wasn't raining too much and the soft light was calling me. 

The view from my hotel room that coaxed me outside. 

I had about an hour, so I quickly grabbed the camera and headed out. I just wandered, slightly rushed with only an hour so I didn't have time to immerse myself in many scenes, but I found a few interesting sites. I only had the 40mm f/2.8 with me, and the fixed focal length forced me to work for the compositions I wanted. 

So, after finding food carts, a bubbler, Voodoo doughnuts, and people on bikes all in an hour (and not knowing that I'd find any of those things), I think I had a pretty successful Portland morning photo walk. Someday I'll get back to do a few more photo walkabouts in Portland. 

Thirsty Thursday: Vacation Days

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: Chamomile Tea

Another Thirsty Thursday here again...time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. Or in my case, brew something soothing and relax for a few minutes! Its been crazy busy lately, and Terry and I were talking about how it was time for a vacation. Funny, we actually had to define the vacation as a "sit and do nothing in a spot where no one will bother us" which is definitely atypical of the typical Welliver vacation. We've actually never done a vacation like that, but maybe we will some time! 

In the mean time, here are a couple of photos from our last vacation. Cinque Terre was beautiful. 

Hope you enjoy a few minutes of relaxation this weekend! 

Thirsty Thursday: Just Down the One

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2012 Ancient Peaks Blanco

Down the 1 just far enough to cross and then a look back. The cool fog rolling in, smothering the hills and across the concrete bridge. The Pacific coast is beautiful and Bixby Bridge is a must see. A few shots later and we're back on the road. More things to do...more places to see...

Thirsty Thursday: Mt. Shasta Attempt

Rambler: Beth (and a few photos from Terry)

Drink at Hand: Trader Joe's Pomegranate Limeade 

Thirsty Thursday here again...time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans! Apparently last year was our year to climb mountains. And it was also the year to fail at every summit attempt! Well, really we only planned to climb Shasta and Whitney last year, and we succeeded in climbing roughly half of both. Apparently that meteorologist on the climbing team wasn't so good at picking good weather weekends for summit bids. 

We tried to climb Shasta last Memorial Day. We started under beautiful blue skies, and by the time we got to Lake Helen to set up base camp, I was a sweaty mess with sunburned earlobes (missed the sunscreen there). 

We went about doing all the regular camp set-up stuff...boiling water, moving snow around, setting tent anchors, etc...all the while noticing that the clouds were building. 

This is how you get boiled water cool enough to drink in a hurry. 

Ice axes are handy for sinking tent anchors in the snow. 

Soon, it looked like this. Light snow. Thick clouds. And two people trying to keep entertained while we waited out the rest of the daylight. The plan was to go to bed as soon as it started to get dark, given our 3:30 am alpine start the next morning. 

Terry's alarmed mountaineering look. You know, the ones you always see of the serious climber looking seriously at the summit that he seriously can't see because of the serious weather going on. Seriously, those are snowflakes. 

Still kinda nice out. 

Nice so nice anymore. 

Eventually we crawled in the tent, woke up at 3:30 am like we said we would, couldn't see past the last row of tents due to clouds and snow, so we stayed in the tent. Without being able to see the route, it definitely wasn't safe to try to climb it. Not many people made it up that morning. But the inside of the tent was pretty nice. 

Later that morning we packed up and headed back down. Unfortunately we couldn't stay an extra day, but if we had, we likely would have summited the next day. But, the mountain will always be there. Its probably about time that we start thinking about another weekend to try Shasta again! 

Thirsty Thursday: Missing Lupines

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2011 Francis Ford Coppola Chardonnay Director’s Cut Russian River Valley

It's pretty much the same time of year and we're missing the lupines. Don't get me wrong, there's a few out there, but nothing like last year. I think even Massey misses them.

Thirsty Thursday: Ventana Wilderness

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: 2005 Bodegas Iberia 

Wow, Thirsty Thursday is here again, time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. Tonight's photos are from quite a while ago, but for some reason when I opened Aperture tonight to look for some photos to post, this set of photos opened. New Years Eve 2012. Beautiful day for a hike in the Ventana Wilderness...which ended in a trip to the pet ER for ripped pads on two of Massey's feet. But we had fun up until that point! 

The trails in the Ventana Wilderness are seemingly endless and so close for us. Hopefully we'll be exploring more of those trails again this spring and summer! Get out there and exploring your nearby wilderness this weekend! 

Thirsty Thursday: Thirstagrams!

Rambler: Terry

Drink in Hand: 2009 Cima Collina Pinot Noir

I'm not going to lie, it's been a busy week. Tonight seemed to be no different as I sit her next to Massey sipping Pinot goodness. I didn't feel like digging through the archives so I instead decided to draft this post from my iPhone and use shots from the camera roll. Most of these are from Instagram, so if you follow us on Instagram you'll see some shots again. TGTIF. can't wait for Sat!

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Thirsty Thursday: Bike Stalking in Italy

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: 2009 Puma Road Chardonnay 

Thirsty Thursday here again...time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. Apparently we here at Welliver Photography have bicycles on the brain, given Terry's Two Word Tuesday post this week. I actually have bikes on my brain pretty much every day now given where I work, which is a pretty sweet topic to have to talk about and think about all day. 

Its funny, when we were in Europe last summer, I wasn't working for a bicycle company. Far from it. It fact, I wasn't even regularly riding a bike last summer. I bet I only put 50 miles total in all of 2013, which is a far cry from the obscene pile of miles I pedaled just a few years before. But there was two things I was drawn to take photos of while we wandered the narrow, cobbled streets of Italy--bikes and doors. Sometimes at the same time. Terry made fun of me for the bike obsession (but he has a bunch of Euro door photos too). There's something so cool to me about these city bikes. Obviously designed for comfort and function, but at the same time stylish and classy. Practical. Timeless. Sexy. Beautiful. Most of them anyway. 

I will definitely be on my bike this weekend. Get out there and find some pedal time of your own this weekend! 

Thirsty Thursday: Garland Ranch

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2010 Paraiso Chardonnay

Thursday snuck up on me this week, but after a little archive digging, here's a few shots from some of our hikes at Garland Ranch near Carmel Valley Village. I really like the one of Massey and Beth walk down the trail under the moss (I've always found moss hard to shoot). It may not be Garland this weekend, but I'm sure we'll be hiking (or running...cue Massey ears) somewhere!

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!