I get teased about the number of shoes I take on a trip. I love shoes. Especially shoes with a funky twist. They can be open toe, closed toe, heels, flats, platforms, bright colors or subdued tones. I will be wearing the trainers on the flight to Stockholm I’ve picked out for the long hours of wandering the streets and back alleys of the other distant cities. I wonder, could I get away with bedazzling my Salomon hiking boots for shaking a leg on the dance floor of the ship? If I can, my third option would be wide open. Anyone know if Eddie Bauer makes a little black dress that can double as a vest to hike the tundra in Iceland? If they don’t, they should.
A brand new Mavic Pro 2 drone outfitted with a Hasselblad camera is now part of our gear. We are going to try our hand at making mini-movies documenting our travels. Mr. T will do the heavy lifting of learning how to film, edit, process and upload the videos.
Little “Mav” has a soft, powder gray coat and is as cute and smart as a new puppy. He will dutifully “heal” when walking with us; will “fetch” great video or still photos from just above our heads or zoom up to 500 feet and then upon command can fly up to 3 miles away and return when called to land at our feet. I’m very excited about making little movies traversing the landscape like a bird. Imagine, flying 100 feet above black volcanic sand beaches peering down on the white foam lapping the shore. With a flick of Mr. T’s wrist, Mav will dive downward, stopping just above the surface of the water to zoom along the coast. Should be breathtaking.
Our bon voyage mini-movie is below. After you have clicked the arrow in the center of the image you can hit the “f” key to get a full screen, hit it again to make it small.
I don’t buy as many shoes now….I buy camera gear. All of it must be organized and packed into special airline approved backpacks. When making our way through the airports we will be carrying about 23 lbs. When hiking, the packs should weigh only 15 lbs. Mr. T had a great idea for us to “suit up” and carry the packs every other day when we take our 4 mile walk around Sun Lakes. So far, so good.
FujiLove, a digital photography magazine published an article I wrote to inspire others my age who, like myself, are technically challenged to take up photography. Here’s the link: Never too old to begin photography
We’ve included some images we took earlier in the year on our local travels — a photography workshop with cowboy models in Superior; floral studies from the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, underground at Kartchner Caverns, the grassy plains of Sonority in Arizona’s wine country, the amazing rock formations at Chiricahua, the back streets of Bisbee and Lowell, and the Saguaro National Park. To see some of Mr. T’s beautiful new art images click www.terryherbeck.com.
With all the rain we had this winter and the random foggy day, the wildflower and cactus blooms were sensational.
Two weeks ago we visited the Phoenix Zoo to try our hand at photographing wildlife. Mr. T figures with shots like the flamingo and the lion we don’t need to go on safari. I’m going back in the fall to feed the giraffe!
We love hearing from you while we are away…so keep the emails coming. Tell us about your summer adventures and how you are doing. Look at the trip map on the menu bar and if you have been to any of our travel destinations in the Baltic or Iceland and have suggestions of what to do or restaurants to try, please let us know…..here’s to a great summer….. we hope you enjoy every minute. Terry and Terry