Mountains, Lakes and Valleys

Carol Freshley August 2, 2016

There are lots of photo opportunities beyond waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge region. There are two mountains that show up, Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams, although certainly Mt. Hood is the better known and every photographer wants at least one good photograph to add to their collection. There are two lakes(Trillium and Clear) that are recommended for getting photographs of Mt. Hood as part of the composition (hopefully reflections). Plus, there are lots of wineries, orchards, a couple of lavender fields and an alpaca farm to keep any healthy photographer on vacation very happy. Enjoy the variety!

Love the black sign.  Yes, the USDA recommends washing before eating any U-Pick fruit (and paying for it)! — Love the black sign. Yes, the USDA recommends washing before eating any U-Pick fruit (and paying for it)!

The alpaca were shorn in May.  There is a full service yarn shop on the farm where my fiber addiction was satisfied with the purchase of lots of yarn. A couple of skeins came from several alpacas at the farm! — The alpaca were shorn in May. There is a full service yarn shop on the farm where my fiber addiction was satisfied with the purchase of lots of yarn. A couple of skeins came from several alpacas at the farm!

We picked wild blackberries and raspberries.  Store berries will never quite be acceptable from now on.  The blueberries were huge and sweet. I have never had such good cherries.  Santa Rosa plums are my new favorite. Peaches were eas… — We picked wild blackberries and raspberries. Store berries will never quite be acceptable from now on. The blueberries were huge and sweet. I have never had such good cherries. Santa Rosa plums are my new favorite. Peaches were easy to peel and even easier to eat. The pears were scheduled be harvested over the next several weeks.

Oh my, the smell!  Oh my, the bees! — Oh my, the smell! Oh my, the bees!

These older bridges are narrow.  It costs a buck to cross.  Very scary driving Mellie across! — These older bridges are narrow. It costs a buck to cross. Very scary driving Mellie across!

Every time we drove down I-84 we mentioned this prominent protruding rock.  But, it was not a photo one can get from the road.  Ann took a hike. . . now we have it.  Thanks Ann. — Every time we drove down I-84 we mentioned this prominent protruding rock. But, it was not a photo one can get from the road. Ann took a hike. . . now we have it. Thanks Ann.

Mt. Hood from Japanese Gardens in Portland

Trillium Lake where Ann was 'outed' as a real photographer when she radioed that she would be late getting back to the car because she was 'stopping to take pictures'!!!  We all raised high fives and gave a hoot hoot!  You rock Ann. — Trillium Lake where Ann was 'outed' as a real photographer when she radioed that she would be late getting back to the car because she was 'stopping to take pictures'!!! We all raised high fives and gave a hoot hoot! You rock Ann.

Mt. Adams from the small town of Hood River

Fruit stands are such fun.  You can pick your own, get fresh cider and packaged fruit and take tons of photos of flowers, goats and old gas pumps! — Fruit stands are such fun. You can pick your own, get fresh cider and packaged fruit and take tons of photos of flowers, goats and old gas pumps!

On a path along Clear Lake.  Rain was eminent.  There were to be no photos of Mt. Hood (not visible) and too much wind for reflections of any kind.  We did not hang around there long. — On a path along Clear Lake. Rain was eminent. There were to be no photos of Mt. Hood (not visible) and too much wind for reflections of any kind. We did not hang around there long.

I was driving too fast for Tom to get the top of Mt. Hood!  LOL — I was driving too fast for Tom to get the top of Mt. Hood! LOL

David offers up something to think about.  He sent me two photos.  They were the same in every regard except where he chose to focus.  Here we see the flowers in sharp focus. — David offers up something to think about. He sent me two photos. They were the same in every regard except where he chose to focus. Here we see the flowers in sharp focus.

In this image David has focused on the mountain.  We often have discussions on focus, how much is needed, where should it be and how to get the point in focus that we want.  Good photos either way.  This trip certainly offered us lots… — In this image David has focused on the mountain. We often have discussions on focus, how much is needed, where should it be and how to get the point in focus that we want. Good photos either way. This trip certainly offered us lots of opportunities to play around with depth of field and mastering sharp (if desired) focus.

Yes!  Lefty was with us.  I am surprised he does not have a red stained mouth from all those cherries!  We know what Ann focused on! — Yes! Lefty was with us. I am surprised he does not have a red stained mouth from all those cherries! We know what Ann focused on!

Thanks so much to the friends who made this post possible. It is a blessing to have good friends 'show up' with enthusiasm, excitement and cameras! Certainly, shooting with them and with Cory in Redmond has added a richness to our travels that will be treasured for years to come. If my mother were alive she would go over this post again and again. She would call about mid-morning and chuckle that she was not done yet. She had the privilege of meeting everyone except David. She would remind me how lucky I was to have friends such as these. She would be right, of course! Thank you.

Last Day in Bay

Carol Freshley October 16, 2013

We met up with Kati in St. Helena and drove together looking for photo opportunities. We took side roads, shot along the road and returned to St. Helena for lunch, taking photos around town and looking like photo-tourists. Late in the afternoon we stopped at St. Supéry, a winery that Kati has visited before. It was that stop that made the day memorable for me.

"What can I do for you?"

"I would like to purchase three tastings."

He smiled. "There is only one of you. It is better to taste with friends."

"Oh, my friends are still outside taking pictures."

That is how I met Joe. He set out three glasses. By the time Kati and Tom came in, Joe and I were already good friends. Joe is beyond retirement age, wears a mischievous grin and enjoys his part time job more than anything he could do in retirement. It shows.

I asked him why we sometimes saw red rose bushes at the end of a row of vines.

"Well, there are folk tale reasons, some reasons that might be true and then, of course, you can make up your own. One is that they are pretty. Another is that they are very sensitive to aphids and serve as early warning sentries for growers of an impending problem. They are said to be useful to tractor drivers as they navigate narrow rows in the dark hours of the wee morning, letting them know that they have enough clearance to go down a new row."

So many more questions and answers were shared. Before leaving I asked if I could take his picture. "Sure" he said. As long as I would join him. Kati did the honors.

Joe made our day. By the time we left I was ready to return and apply for a job to work with him.

Between questions, answers and tasting, we took a few photos. These will bring back memories of the place more than anything else.

I remembered Cory's advice. "Don't overlook the small things." This one is for Cory.

Our hope of finding a road up a hill that would offer a great view of the valley was only partially met. There are few public roads up the hills and vegetation right up to the road made a clear panoramic view impossible. We spent a lot of time driving and little time photographing. The following will give you an idea from the one site that we found.

Entry driveways are quite photogenic.

This is the old family house on the Supéry Winery.

This was once a winery owned by a Christian monastery. It is now a branch of the Culinary Institute of America.

Vines are used to cover old buildings. This time of year they are colorful.

Only one shot of our stroll through St. Helena is offered. We may be able to creatively rescue some more photos later. The best time to shoot in St. Helena is very early morning before traffic and people start moving about. The story on this one is that it is of a car that Tom did not recognize!!! Do you know what it is? It is a rather classy car that impressed even Tom from an unlikely manufacturer.

Today we are leaving the Bay area and headed for Yosemite. We are told that we can drive through the park but we cannot stop anywhere along the way. Thank goodness Tom is now a seasoned photographer in the rare genre of car window photography. Our goal is to overnight somewhere near Mono Lake. We are indeed on the home stretch of this trip.

We are glad you are part of our journey. We hope you can get out and do some clicking on your camera.

Wine Country

Carol Freshley October 13, 2013

We spent the day with Kati taking in the wine country around Calistoga. We shared breakfast, a late lunch, a Classic Flight at Rombauer Winery, and just an awesome photogging day!

We stopped for a number of roadside shots before heading to the winery. The vines are in all shades of green, yellow and orange and some bright red.

Rombauer Winery has a great garden to roam around as you 'sip' your way through your flight. We took photos of flowers and statues before we started sipping, however.

The horse at the right end made me laugh. The expression says it all. Confused. "So why am I just standing here?"

Once Tom and Kati had their wine glasses they started photgraphing wine color, glasses, bubbles on the edge, shadows on the table . . . of course, there was ample experimentation, moving of glasses 'just so' and discussion about how to approach the best shot. Everyone looking thought they were shooting for a winery pamphlet or travel guide!! Tom said that Kati started it!! I could believe that. I just watched. Great fun!

Finally, as we checked into our hotel last night, I got the following from Kati, taken with her iPhone. She arranged a still life photo with grapes she had picked, her bottle of Ronbauer wine and whatever she had at hand. When Tom first saw it he thought it was a display at the winery. Ha! So, she really can do a travel guide . . . Thanks for the great day, Kati.

This morning we are in Concord, just outside San Francisco. Tom has a list of 20 to 25 places we should see while we are here. Hmmmm . . . we may just be here all week (assumes I can put up with California traffic).

We appreciate friends and family that are sharing our trip. Knowing you are going along with us makes it more special and we have enjoyed your comments.