OnBlueUnderCanvas

A few weeks ago I hopped on my bike and headed north on the 101. My (still fairly) new Canon PowerShot ELPH 100 HS (a Christmas gift from Mom and Dad) came along for the ride. Together we took some snapshots around Oceanside:

Things got a little sticky when my chain fell off. During the several attempts I made to put it back on, the grease gunked up my hands. A lot. My camera was in a perilous situation. I couldn’t touch it without ruining it. I imagined my camera — the dramatist that it is — telling me that, rather than watch me lose out on the amazing photo opportunities around us, it would shoot and die for me. I imagine replied, that’s a very sweet gesture, but I wasn’t about to commit pre-meditated camera murder.

The last time I was so careless with a point-and-shoot it received death by drowning because I jumped into a swamp and forgot that it was in my back jean pocket. Oops.

No, no, I wouldn’t knowingly operate my camera with bike-grease covered hands just to get one more photo of a beach with a palm tree. (Thus, end today’s photo roll.) I should look into greasing that chain. ☼

The Canon 7D was starting to collect dust. The poor thing hasn’t been to a real estate shoot since 2011. When there’s no work, the SLR gets no play. It’s a bit of a beast, and rather unwieldily to use for everyday snapshots.

But last week, since I didn’t have to walk more than a few steps out my front door to see this, the 7D had the pleasure of some fresh air, if only for a frame or two. ☼

And we’re off! 2012 came a-bustin’ through, sweeping me into the middle of January. It’s been nonstop! Kirk’s family (plus G-ma!) flew in on the 29th and celebrated New Year’s with us. They left on the 5th, the same day I – even though I forgot which airline I booked – took off for Wisconsin for a week to visit my family.

Now, I’m back in SD and things have quieted down. It’s time to say ‘adieu’ to 2011:

January. Awwh heck. We moved again! from snowy Michigan to sunny San Diego.

Our move doubled as cross-country road trip

with stops in Colorado to hit the slopes at Vail and A-Basin

road-side photo-ops,

and a night in Las Vegas to strike it rich.

February. We experienced plenty of gorgeous 70 degree days our first month in SoCal.

Between bike rides, surfing exploits and afternoons on the beach, we hatched a plan to start our own photography business. San Diego Home Photography was born.

By the end of the month we had landed our first shoot.

March. I made Kirk a double-layer cake from scratch for his 27th birthday.

We went hiking through Cleveland National Forest and I fell in love with my Vibram Fivefinger shoes. Thanks to them, now I run for fun. Seriously.

April/May. During the spring, a few more real estate shoots trickled in.

Kirk’s parents visited us from Michigan for a week. We took them to the San Diego Zoo.

At the end of April, Kirk and I made 10-day trip to Costa Rica to see Natalia and David,

to meet their daughter, Sofía,

and do a little surfing in Manuel Antonio.

June. Kirk’s younger sister Maureen flew out for a visit. We took her on a grand wildlife tour starting with the Point Loma tide pools,

Seal Beach,

and lastly the Safari Park.

Near the end of June, Kirk and I headed east for a few days of camping in the Anza-Borrego Desert.

July. We had two of our largest shoots this month. Incidentally, one of them proved the most dangerous as well. Thanks to a faulty outdoor propane fireplace, Kirk came milliseconds away from a human torching.

August/September. I made the big decision to write a book. To embark on this project, I took a hiatus from California and spent seven weeks back in Wisconsin.

I chatted away many afternoons with my Omi. We talked about her past, how she met my Opa, and their immigration to the United States.

In addition to writing, I squeezed in lots of activities with my family including Summerfest,

pool time,

and a night downtown Milwaukee.

October. My parents and I flew to Germany to celebrate the 50th anniversary of my great aunt and uncle.

The party served as an extended family reunion too. Here’s me and my second cousin Britta,

and my mom with her first cousins.

Besides the party, we sight-seed ourselves out. We toured Bremen,

gaped at the Cologne Cathedral,

cruised the Rhein,

explored Koblenz,

and drank lots of wine. (And my Mom and I went to Paris too! The posts are coming soon!)

November. Kirk and I tried our hands at the export business: shipping motorcycles to Costa Rica. Will it be profitable? We’re still waiting to find out…

December. The holidays. It’s a tradition in Kirk’s family to go out for dinner on Christmas Eve. We ate and enjoyed the sunset at Pacifica Del Mar, a seafood restaurant with an ocean view.

The Berrymans flew in to San Diego to spend the end of the holidays with us. Together we said goodbye to 2011 and welcomed in 2012. ☼

It’s a 1-hour drive from Koblenz, the little city with the flower show, to Bingen, where Gudrun would pick us up to take us back to the vineyard.

My parents and I, however, had no car. We didn’t rent one either. To travel the 60km, we took the scenic route: a 6-hour riverboat cruise down the Rhein.

Dad and I (and Mom, taking our photo) had the entire upper floor almost to ourselves. Only a few other people came aboard with us in Koblenz, the first stop of the trip.

Our boat, the Goethe, was an authentic paddle wheeler. I didn’t realize this until midway into our journey when I went downstairs in search of the bathroom and walked past the windows to one of the wheelhouses. “Well, I’ll be damned,” I said aloud.

We saw so many castles. Two dozen of them or more, perched high on bluffs overlooking thousand-year old towns.

We passed the famous Loreley, a rock that shoots almost 400 feet into the air. Between Switzerland and the North Sea, this is the narrowest point of the Rhein. Many boats have sunk here due to the strong rapids and rocks just beneath the surface.

About four hours in, the rain started. We scooted back inside and ordered lunch. How German is this?

And of course, dessert and coffee.

This apple strudel Mom ordered was absolutely delicious.

All of a sudden, it was time for us to disembark. “Next stop, Bingen,” came over the loudspeaker. We had just spent six hours on a boat.

How terribly slow six hours can trickle by when you’re zooming along in a car. But on a boat, paddling along at a snail’s pace, six hours can slip by just like that. ☼