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Thirsty Thursday: Just Do It

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: Ancient Peaks 2012 Rosé

Hey hey hey! Thirsty Thursday here again. Time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. Its been a tough week for Welliver Photography, but in the spirit of Thirsty Thursday's mantra of "get out there and do something" I found it fitting that I remind myself of the importance of getting out there. 

I often find myself floating through life thinking, hey, that _____ would be cool, I should do that some day. That blank, as Terry can attest, gets filled with all kinds of random, and often completely crazy ideas...doing an Ironman (I sink), thru-hiking the PCT, becoming a winemaker, trekking to Everest, running the Western States 100, learning to build custom bicycle frames, etc. And even the less crazy, doable ideas that fill that blank, like finishing the stupid Leadville mtb race, summiting Shasta, Hood, and Rainier in the same week, spending 20 nights in the backcountry in a year, going to Iceland, or even committing to racing a full season of cyclocross get brushed aside as something I'll eventually get to doing. Eventually. Those mountains aren't going anywhere. That race will always be there. Next year. Sometime. Eventually. 

And yes, those mountains will always be there. Yes, those races will always exist. Yet every once in awhile that Bubble of Eventually I'm floating in bumps into the harsh reality, reminding me that while those challenges will always be there, I may not always have ability to do all those things I say I want to do. So just do them. Stop with the eventually. 

So tonight I'm sharing a couple photos from one of those days when Terry and I did the completely crazy. After a day of skiing in the Swiss Alps (yeah, epic) we decided to hike to the top of a mountain and watch the sunset. It will be one of those sunsets I'll never forget, not just because it was incredibly beautiful...I mean, we were in the Swiss freakin' Alps...but because we were there, together, enjoying what were doing. Plus there's the story of the absolutely crazy post-sunset 7-mile hike down in the dark on a mountain that was getting groomed by snowcats. We glissaded down icy slopes in total darkness. A sweet old cow scared the shit out us. We barely caught the last train back to our hotel. It was awesome....because we just did it. 

Just a friendly reminder to get out there and do all those things you want to do! 

Thirsty Thursday: Patriarch Grove

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2011 Ventana Chardonnay

The Patriarch Grove is a beautiful bristlecone pine grove at roughly 11,000 feet in the Inyo National Forest. Some of the trees are still alive but many are just skeletons. They still command greatness, towering over the landscape. They are a mix of beauty and eeriness. I find it amazing that these trees once survived (and some still do) at this altitude. If you haven't been and can stand the lack of oxygen, I definitely recommend visiting. You can pretty much drive directly to them and there's a small picnic area near. Enjoy the weekend!

To my sweetest friend...

It's been quite a while...a shade over 10 years. I don't think we'll ever need to start again, but the song felt right. Love you!

 

"Come To Me"
by the Goo Goo Dolls

I'll be kind, if you'll be faithful
You be sweet and I'll be grateful
Cover me with kisses dear
Lighten up the atmosphere
Keep me warm inside our bed
I got dreams of you all through my head
Fortune teller said I'd be free
And that's the day you came to me
Came to me

Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo, Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo

Come to me my sweetest friend
Can you feel my heart again
I'll take you back where you belong
And this will be our favorite song
Come to me with secrets bare
I'll love you more so don't be scared
When we're old and near the end
We'll go home and start again

Ooo Ooo Oooo, Ooo Ooo Oooo

I caught you burnin' photographs
Like that could save you from your past
History is like gravity
It holds you down away from me
You and me, we've both got sins
I don't care about where you've been
Don't be sad and don't explain
This is where we start again
Start again

Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo, Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo

Come to me my sweetest friend
Can you feel my heart again
I'll take you back where you belong
And this will be our favorite song
Come to me with secrets bare
I'll love you more so don't be scared
When we're old and near the end
We'll go home and start again
Start again

Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo, Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo

Today's the day I'll make you mine
So get me to the church on time
Take my hand in this empty room
You're my girl, and I'm your groom

Come to me my sweetest friend
This is where we start again, again

Come to me my sweetest friend
Can you feel my heart again
Take you back where you belong
This will be our favorite song
Come to me with secrets bare
I'll love you more so don't be scared
When we're old and near the end
We'll go home and start again (yeah)
Start again (yeah)

Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo, Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo

my sweetest friend...

Thirsty Thursday: Vernazza Views

Rambler: Massey....I mean Terry
Drink in Hand: Ancient Peaks 2012 Blanco or 2011 Cabernet Franc (or both?) 

Perhaps I've had too much to drink. In my defense, it's a Thursday (or holiday right)?! I realized tonight that I need to go through my Italia photographs. They've been neglected for far too long. I'm not sure why I haven't edited them. Perhaps it's because I'm intimidated by the mountain of photographs that I have. Here's a few that I just finished tonight of the Cinque Terre village Vernazza. This was one of my favorites of all the villages. I'm not really sure why, but this one and Corniglia were my favorites!

Thirsty Thursday: Mono Lake Views

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2005 Chesebro Syrah 

We haven't been to Mono Lake for quite awhile. In fact, I think it's been over a year. These shots are from September 2011. I think these particular shots are peaceful with a bit of eeriness in them. All of them were taken with my old Canon 40D. We definitely need to get back there and get some shots without a such a flat sky. I don't think we'll be getting out there this weekend, but hopefully we'll get some time to take a few shots of something. Here's to a much needed Friday and a long two day weekend. Cheers!

Thirsty Thursday: Alabama Hills Sunrise

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: Ventana Monterey Red Table Wine (last year's) 

So, it never fails. When we want to go summit a mountain (like say Mt Whitney), the weather fails us. It either snows before we get there (meaning that the trail is impassable) or it snows while we're there (meaning that the trail is impassable). Either way, we end up hiking to the base camp of the mountain and then turning around and head back down. Likewise, when we want some weather (aka, some drama) for a sunrise, it's crystal clear. Such is our lot in life these days. Oh, well I suppose. Better luck next year. Here's a few of those crystal clear mornings from the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, CA.

You need a really big screen for this one!

Thirsty Thursday: It's Fall

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: Mango Juice

October in Monterey feels somewhat like summer. That being said, the days are getting noticeably shorter and it feels a bit cooler than it used to. We still have pretty warm days, but the last couple of evening (late afternoon) runs required a long sleeve. Trader Joe's has started to stock all the pumpkin related goodness as well. 

The shots for today's post are from a couple of years ago when we were in Yosemite. I love the fall feel to the photos. The fallen leaves and relaxing sound of water over rocks. If you're not doing something outside this weekend, then you should be getting out there. . . soon it will winter and all will be different. 

Visual Nicaragua

As a few of our readers know, I am plowing my way through an online MBA program at Portland State University. One of the cool aspects of this program is a series of study abroad experiences in which students sign up for a compressed 2-week course that takes place in a variety of foreign countries. The content and course descriptions are a little different for each experience, which allows a student the opportunity to pick an experience in a part of the world or with a subject matter focus in which they are interested. I was lucky enough to do two study abroad experiences this summer--one in Germany where I learned about product innovation, lean management, and green management; and one Nicaragua where I learned about micro-enterprise with a focus on micro-finance and renewable technologies. 

For the Nicaragua trip a crazy opportunity to create a couple of video documentaries fell into my lap. I couldn't pass up a chance to be embedded in a culture with the primary job of collecting photos and video footage of our experience. I've posted a few of my favorite photos in previous blog posts. So today I figured I'd share one of the videos I created. The purpose of this video is for use in a student info session for the study abroad program to attract future Portland State MBA'ers to the Nicaragua trip. This was my first time recording video footage and editing/putting together a video. I learned a ton...and want to do more! 

Note: This is a 9-minute video.

I created another video that will serve as part of an Indiegogo campaign in the coming months, so I'll wait until the campaign starts to share that video. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, so even just a little support in critical areas really makes a difference.  

For now I'm settled back into the day-to-day grind of the real world, but I would love to tell more stories for people who need to have their stories told. It was an incredible learning and growing experience.