Threes
Postcard From The Danube
We encountered numerous lovely scenes sailing on the Danube River. This was just one castle we passed, although it was certainly one of the most spectacular.
Postcard From Linz, Austria
The journey continues with a photograph from Linz, Austria. We stayed in Linz until late in the evening, and I was able to capture this scene just after dinner. The building on the left is the Lentos Fine Art Museum, and on the right (blue in this photo – it changes) is the Ars Electronica Center, a museum of technology.
I’ve got a few more postcards to share while I catch up on my processing, so stay tuned!
Postcard From Passau, Germany
One of the notable features of Passau is the many narrow alleyways, with cobblestones painted to direct visitors to artists’ studios. Many of the shops were closed at the time of our visit due to the artists being on holiday, but the alleys themselves were interesting to explore.
Random: Jive Turkey
I was looking through my news feed earlier and saw a headline titled “New fast-casual turkey leg restaurant called Jive Turkey Hut opening in north Charlotte.” Out loud I asked “why does Charlotte (or anyone) need a restaurant that serves turkey legs? To which Kathy answered “because there are more of them than there are of you.” 😉
According to the article, they are known for their “stuffed, smothered and sauced turkey legs including a shrimp alfredo turkey leg and a crawfish macaroni and cheese turkey leg.” A location in Houston typically has lines wrapped around the building.
I realize I live a sheltered life and that we don’t frequent many restaurants, but I can’t imagine.
Postcard From Vilshofen, Germany
I’m several days behind in postcards, but have posted some (way too many!) unedited photos to an Adobe gallery. We start for home at 0 Dark 30 tomorrow, so I’ll be processing photos once we’re home and sitting at a large screen.
Postcard From Regensburg, Germany
We made a lunch stop in Regensburg, Germany enroute to our ship. This was a nice view of the Danube through a portal. Weather is chilly but sunny so far.
Postcard From Prague
Kathy and I are currently in Prague, getting ready for a river cruise upon the Danube River starting tomorrow. This morning was the first and only opportunity I had to get out early to photograph this view of the Prague Castle and Saint Vitus Cathedral. I was rewarded with some nice morning light and a rising sun behind me illuminating the castle and the castle grounds.
I’m finding that the process to move photos from my camera to my phone is pretty cumbersome, so I may not be posting a lot over the next few days. But I will catch up with photos when I get home!
Inspiration and Motivation
I recently cancelled the subscription to my last photography publication. Once upon a time I subscribed to all the usual physical magazines – Pop Photo, Outdoor Photographer, Shutterbug, etc. That I happened to hang on to Lenswork has no significance other than I had not bothered to cancel it previously. Realistically I could never figure out how to cancel it, until one day I happened to be on Paypal and found that I could cancel my recurring payment through Paypal. It just so happened that it was the day before the day they were planning to send the renewal payment!
At one time I found the articles in all these various magazines to be informative and inspirational. For an aspiring photographic rookie who had never processed film in a darkroom, went to school to be a banker then spent 40 years behind a desk, these publications were a source of information that helped me build the inventory of vision and inspiration that I have today. The “old school” magazines (are they even in business?) slowly became a collection of advertising disguised as articles, with even more and more actual ads and very little inspirational content. Lenswork is a fine publication, and of course doesn’t have any advertising, but listening to Brooks’ ramblings and looking at endless sepia toned photographs just wasn’t doing it for me. It was past time to move on.
So where so we get inspiration these days? Once upon a time I was an avid listener to several excellent podcasts, where I learned about the history of photography, the creative side of photography and the craft and vision of photography. Sadly those podcasts have gone dormant or their owners have gone a different direction, and they have been replaced by endless camera reviews and videos about the latest software or newest Photoshop trick. And let’s not get started on all the non-photography shows with people shouting about all the things we should be scared of or peeved off about.
I’m sure there are still quality shows out there, but – ironically – I haven’t been motivated to look for them. I follow a lot of photographer’s blogs, and have a very closely curated list of photographers – and nearly only photographers – that I follow on Instagram. I’d much rather read a book than watch videos so I don’t spend a lot of time on YouTube, but I’d be interested in suggestions of quality sources of inspiration and motivation. I don’t even mind paying for content if it is worth it – this isn’t about the money although there is a limit to my generosity. I don’t really want to deal with another so-called social media platform, but I’m open to suggestion. Let me know in the comments if there are any recommendations.
We’re off on another adventure shortly and I may have a few postcards to toss out along the way, so stay tuned!
Making Time For Bourbon
After our Labor Day weekend time in Ohio, we were planning to head back to North Carolina. But a few weeks before our visit we heard about a new product being introduced by Maker’s Mark, their Cellar Aged Bourbon.
Prior to this new product, every Maker’s Mark product, from Maker’s Mark itself to Maker’s Mark 46, Private Select and Wood Finishing Series, has started with original Maker’s Mark bourbon, distilled from one mash bill then blended from (usually) 4-6 year old barrels to achieve a specific flavor profile. The new Cellar Aged product is a blend of 11-12 year old barrels, blended to a different flavor profile and bottled at cask strength. Hmmm….
We love to try all sorts of different bourbon and rye whiskeys, but we’ve really become fans of Maker’s Mark. We love to visit the distillery – the grounds are beautiful, the people are friendly and they make good stuff! Kentucky seems to be on the way to or from just about anywhere, and we never want to pass up an opportunity to try and buy an interesting bourbon. So we tried to figure out how we might get there and pick some up.
I contacted the distillery to find out when Cellar Aged would be available for purchase. Well, they told me, they would eventually have some in the gift shop, BUT the official introduction would not be until later in the month. HOWEVER, if I wanted to be sure and get a bottle, I could book a special introductory, sneak-preview VIP tour, and the price of the ticket would include a bottle. Conveniently, the first such tour was scheduled for Thursday September 8, which fit our schedule perfectly. Fate!
Our tour started with a welcome cocktail – at 9:15 in the morning! – and a talk about the story behind the development of Cellar Aged. Then it was on to a tour of the distillery. While we have done a number of tours at Maker’s Mark, for this tour we had an opportunity to watch them test a sample of wheat from a truck, then unload the truck into the storage bin. We got to go literally “behind the scenes” in the still house and tasted some of the raw distillate – known as low wine, straight off the still. A real eye opener as it was still before 10:00!
We visited the quaint Print Shop where all the labels are printed and cut, and this was the first time we had actually seen the shop in operation. Very cool. Then we visited the bottling line, where the bottles are filled and every one is dipped by hand with the signature red wax seal. We had seen the line before, both in operation and not, and this time it was operating at full tilt. They dip a lot of bottles, and those workers are really fast! And yes, they spell each other off on a regular basis, which limits the fatigue level. Regardless it must be hard work!
The best part of any tour, other than the actual tasting, is a visit to a rick house. There is nothing like the smell you get, standing in the midst of hundreds of barrels, with thousands of gallons of bourbon, aging peacefully in the Kentucky countryside. This tour was no exception, as we visited one of the original buildings on the site as well as the Limestone Cellar that was specifically created for the aging of specialty products like 46, Private Select and now Cellar Aged.
Once inside the 50 degree Limestone Cellar, we were presented with a taste of unblended bourbon from one of the 12 year old barrels, alongside a taste of the final Cellar Aged product. I have to say that we were not disappointed. Since we haven’t opened our own bottles yet, I can’t get into a detailed description, but suffice it to say that we will enjoy it – a little at a time – over the course of the coming months or possibly years. It isn’t something to make cocktails with – unless you just want to! – it deserves to be sipped and savored however you like to enjoy bourbon.
