Europe – Page 2 – Bill Anders' Rambling, Photos & Beating Feet

Steadfast

Well, we got the rain that we desperately need. It started early this morning and continues here at midnight.

Early on I was expecting showers and thunderstorms, but luckily we just got a steady, soaking rain.

Exactly what we need.

At first I was disappointed, hoping to get some good valley shots with the showers and thunderstorms. I needed another point of view.

Sitting with Goddess today at a local winery, looking at the countryside and reminiscing about living in Europe, the image I wanted popped into mind. So it was just a matter of making the trip to see if it would happen.

It did.

Pilot Rock, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, Oregon.

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Just a gentle reminder about the sale that I have going on.

It’s simple -> Enter “Summer14” when you check out and receive 15% off pre-shipping costs from now until July 7th, 2014.

I do appreciate your support.

Darkroom View

A place where I know that I’ll always feel at home.

Even though it’s half a world away.

I absolutely love the work that comes out of the room that provided this view.

Lots of nuggets here.

How many can you find?

Tradition

Well, it’s New Year’s Eve. By the time this is posted, it’s already 2014 in some parts of the world, evening in Europe.

Our German neighbors introduced us to their NYE traditions, and this is one of our favorites, watching Dinner for One.

Goddess and I hope you have a great year!

Sigh…

Today, thanks to social media, we were introduced to this video of our last home, Heidelberg, Germany.

In the middle of the most phenomenal city, chock full of history and character, was a US military community, established after World War II. That community was why we were there.

But Heidelberg, and the surrounding Germany communities and people, were what made it home for the Goddess and I.

Here is the video. Goddess and I cannot get through it with a dry eye. We miss the place and our friends, nay, our family, there that much.

If you don’t watch the video, that’s understandable. Especially if you don’t have that personal connection.

But trust me, when these are the views on your weekly Monday morning run, the place grows on you.

To have been lucky enough to live in a town full of history filled with the Hohenstaufen’s, Martin Luther and the Reformation, as well as Mark Twain and the 150 years since, was nothing but a blessing for us.

Visit if you can.

St John

A friend of mine shared an inspirational picture from one of our favorite spots in Europe, the Charles Bridge in Prague, the Czech Republic.

It’s a pic that would only be possible if you lived there and were able to approach the scene at all times, in all seasons.

We had less than 24 hours. And this is what I was able to get on a spring noon.

An absolutely gorgeous city, chock full of history.

One where I’d love the opportunity to shoot every day of a year.

Whelping Day #9

Today is the ninth anniversary of the day our old man was born.

This portrait was taken a year ago, on his eighth. It was a very hot summer day in Germany, but we were able to find some respite in the forest.

He looks the same, although with a few more grey hairs.

But don’t we all?

Today

We’ve found that the time difference here in the US is actually harder to work around than when we have lived in other countries overseas.

And since it will be way past bedtime for her when I get home from school tomorrow –

Happy Birthday Mom! 😀

These wine glasses were used a few years ago to toast my parents on their anniversary, as we floated down the Seine looking at the passing sites of Paris as the sun set.

It was a fantastic experience.

Let’s do it again!

Changing Gears

After the crush of the last couple of weeks getting the web page ready and making sure things like the Facebook page were ready to go, it was nice to launch the site.

But now it’s time to change gears.

Literally.

After the page launch late Sunday night and just a few hours of sleep, on Monday morning I started attending class at the United Bicycle Institute (UBI). Attending this school was the driving force behind the decision for Goddess and I to move to this town.

And it’s all good so far.

I’ll likely post more on the school starting next week, assuming I have time. This week is their basic course, focused on those bicycle riders who know very little about maintenance. I do have quite a leg up on this class, but I am still learning quite a bit. And having a great time doing it. Next week is when we jump into the professional mechanic-focused curriculum, which already promises to be faster paced and much more stressful, since that leads to certifications.

I’m giddy with excitement to get after it.

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As I prepped the web site for launch last week, I wanted to fill in some holes in the portfolio. There are still more to fill, but I need to keep focus on school.

So as I was perusing the archives, I ran across this one. I am not sure why I passed it by after that trip to Vienna, but I did.

Luckily we have it for now.

That’s the Café Central in Vienna, Austria.

And if anyone is curious, no that is not an HDR image (I don’t do those). Just a few focused curves to enhance contrasts and give it that pop.

Goddess and I were in town to celebrate an anniversary and explore the city in detail, after having only made a brief (one day) visit the year before.

If you ever get a chance to go – GO! Vienna is such an enchanting town, especially down the back alleys and side streets.

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From now until August 31st, 2013, use the code BAPLaunch when you check out at billandersphoto and save 25% on pre-shipping costs. Thank you for your support!

Launch

It has been quiet around these parts for the past week or so.

Usually I apologize for that, but this time I don’t think that I will, even though I do appreciate my loyal readers.

I really do.

So where was the focus? My new web site, of which this blog is a part. Some of you might have even noticed some changes here.

It’s all part of taking my photography a bit more seriously, including delving more into portraiture.

So please click on the image above (which takes you to http://billandersphoto.com), take a look around, kick the tires and leave a comment. Perhaps buy a print or three.

I even dropped the prices 25% to mark the occasion.

Just click on that coupon and a new window will open. Browse and pick to your heart’s content, then enter that code upon checkout. And you’ll be in like Flynn.

If you had browsed my galleries before and think you have seen it all, please look again, especially in the Travel section of my Portfolio. There are new photos in there. And quite a few images that I have reworked for one reason or another.

So you might find something different.

As always, thank you for taking the time to stop by my littler corner of the sphere.

Kornmarkt Madonna

I’ve been posting quite a few landscape pictures lately. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

But sometimes a pause, a chance to take a knee, is a good thing.

A view of the Madonna, situated in the middle of the Kornmarkt in Heidelberg, Germany.

A lot of history here.

A lot of memories here.

We do miss living there.

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For those of you who have enjoyed the images, you may not realize that I do offer my prints for sale.

Each image is a click-through, meaning if you click on it, it will take you to another site. For those I think enough of to offer as a print, which are not all of them, it will take you to my web site where you can purchase them and have them delivered directly to you. Without watermarks.

Since I have not done a very good job of making this known, I’m offering two coupons valid for the rest of July, 2013. You just have to browse over to my online gallery.

For purchases up to $300 (before shipping), the discount is 15%. Just use the code 13Summer when checking out.

For purchases above $300 (before shipping), the discount is 20%. Just use the code 13Summer20 when checking out.

Unfortunately, only one coupon is valid per order.

If you are considering prints (e.g., not canvas or framed images) I cannot recommend the metallic finish enough. Seriously. It adds a dimension to the images that cannot be matched in any other finish. Almost three-dimensional, especially when it comes to portraits and landscape. It is my go-to finish for any prints I order, especially for my family portraits.

While I mainly post landscape images here, I do have several other genres that I enjoy capturing: Travel, Architecture, Nature, Street and Autos. Each genre is available directly from my main page.

Thank you for your consideration. And for stopping by to read my rambles.