“Time,” an otherwise forgettable Star Trek villain once said, “is the fire in which we burn.”
As we transition into 2010, I’m once again faced with one of those watershed moments. Not only are we collectively closing the chapter on a decade, but I’m closing the chapter on a PERSONAL decade. My birthday, as anyone with Facebook can tell you, was December 29. This year I hit the big 4-0.
What the heck happened to the past ten years? Did I make the most of my thirties? What is this alien girth lodged around my midsection? These pressing questions will have to wait until I’m no longer pecking out keys on a tiny netbook in Europe. As Plato once said, you can’t tackle philosophy without a full size keyboard. But one of the reasons we’re here on the Continent is that ticking clock…
Bruges is like something out of a storybook -- a pop-up book with lots of pretty pictures!
If you've ever seen the movie In Bruges you may recognize the tower. You wouldn't want to get pushed from the top...
View from our hotel in Bruges -- this city is beautiful! You can see the famous tower in the distance.
What can we say -- this place rocks!
Every visit to Europe should include some nice cathedrals. These views can't be captured on camera, but I did my best.
We lit a candle in honor of loved ones lost in 2009 (rest in peace Mike Nix)
Awesome cathedral in Bruges... We pay homage to generations who carpe diem'd before us...
My father likes to quote the legendary baseball pitcher Satchel Paige, whose professional career spanned forty years: “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?”
It’s actually a provocative question if you give it proper consideration.
So in the spirit of “40 is the new 30,” I’ll choose to be 30. 😉
And now, on to 2010.
Here are a few photos from our ongoing Christmas / birthday / New Year’s trip to Germany and Belgium.
The area received a heavy blanket of snow right before Christmas. It disrupted travel for thousands, but hey -- it sure was pretty.
Trappist beer! Belgium's best export?
The old man and the tree. (Wasn't that a Hemingway novel?)
My father loves it when I take extreme closeup photos from weird angles. (Not really.)
Typical German house. Lots of Porsches in local driveways. I am a recovering car addict. Camera equipment is a much cheaper addiction, but then again so is crack cocaine.
Hey, we found an RV! This sort of conversion camper van seems to be popular in Europe. Tight quarters, but highly maneuverable.
Bruges at night.
Typical mode of transit in Bruges.
Bridge over untroubled water.
Our five-year old niece took this photo in a local restaurant. Nice work, Kayli!
More photos will be posted on this page as we go.
I adore Germany–maybe because I am half German. Looks like it was a perfect Christmas for you and Kristy. Am looking forward to more photos. Enjoy.
Wow… sounds like your enjoying the EU…
Hey thought you would have the ASC added to your name by now.. what up with that…. Santa should have whispered in your ear that you need to join and get in on the good life… 🙂
X got me a new nikon D90 with the GPS added to it… and am having fun playing with it… as the viewfinder… the crew all have ’em and they are showing me some of the tricks of the multi live view stuff… besides it also can capture some video at the same time… and it came with a waterproof box to take it under the waves with… ohhhhh 😀
Its starting to snow now… and we are all set up for the takes where we need the snow set…
While it seems that everyone from Oregon is heading south… I was suprised to see as many or more RV’s up here from Calif… guess when the east comes to visit.. everyone heads North and out of way… 😀
I had to go rescue the dog… it got out and had to reallly realllllyyyy go… it jumped over a snow bank.. and poof.. no dog… could hear him whining and barking but no dog… as he was under the snow… somewhere… sooo as all good things dogs like…food… I took part of my hot meat samo… and set it out.. sure enough here come the tunnel ‘r … but, don’t know who was more suprised .. him or me… as he first ate the meat… and then looked up… Jumped up like he wanted to be caught… but… instead the grip caught him and put ’em in under her jacket to warm ’em up… man to be a dog… 🙂
Ahhh so after several beers… (both the dog and I)… he lost that sex’y grin… and got back to normal… 😀
… but, as soon as I opened the door to the trailer again.. zip.. he was out the door and looking for another snow drift… near the grip gal… nothing dumb about that dog….
By the way… enjoy the new naked pic TSA mach… I understand that all americans coming to the US now have to submit… ohhhhh… that should be a kodak moment…
So when you get back from terrorizing EU… let us know when you get back.. and we will see if we can make it to the game… oh ya we got 4 tickets given to us for the texas game…. but, have to sit on the texas side with my niece… oh well… go texas… (although they don’t make good beer A1…. lone start) the team should do well from what I am advised… but…. may not be able to make the game.. if we have to do more shooting up here… poooooo….
By the way… the pix are pretty good… Happy New Year!!!!
GMAs >>>ASC<<<<<<
GMAs, you dog! Alabama-Texas tickets and a Nikon D90!
My sister will be attending the Bama-Texas game. I REALLY wanted to go, but I couldn’t figure out a way to do both Europe and California.
True story: about 10 years ago, I was developing some Internet entertainment properties, and was working on a deal in Hollywood. I ended up at a meeting in Mike Medavoy’s office at Phoenix Pictures. After the meeting concluded, I casually mentioned that I was looking forward to watching Saturday’s Alabama-UCLA game in the Rose Bowl.,
“You got tickets?” Medavoy asked.
I shook my head. “No luck on tickets, but I’ll certainly catch the game on TV.”
“We’ll take care of it,” he replied.
The next day, a courier showed up at my doorstep with an envelope. Inside were two tickets… some of the BEST SEATS in the Rose Bowl. Thank you, Mr. Medavoy. (Unfortunately Alabama got hammered by UCLA that day… but hey, at least I had good seats. ;-))
With regard to your D90, I’m jealous! I’m keen to get one (or a D300S). BTW, you can lock exposure on the live view mode…. The video is 720P 24 FPS and has beautiful color depth. Just beware the rolling shutter… Time for you to start your video blog! 🙂
Happy New Year to you!
Sean (>>>>>>ASC-in-training<<<<<<<- - haha)
Chsgls, thanks much for taking the time to comment. I’m glad to know that someone likes to see some media from overseas. While it’s not “the norm” for an RV blog, travel of all types is interesting to me! Before I ever owned an RV, I was backpacking in the nether regions of Europe. Cheers to you and have a great 2010!
Sean… yep that is the way of the hollyweards… of course if you said you wanted to go to the USC/UCLA game.. well that would have been a different story…
Ahhh yes the D90… this one is the 90 S which I guess the rolling shutter problem is supposed to be fixed… Sony sent me some vid’s of how to set it up and use it… and indeed we have used the 24 FPS to do some placement shoots… and its direct editing from the chip… in the editors room/trailer… he liked it … and the 720 is supposed to be upgraded to 1080 soon.. Sony said to keep the paperwork for a trade in… I guess…
I have been told by the film boys over at Sony that the 300 is going away… and supposedly the 5000 is going to replace it… so you might want to look at one of them…
Of course the old Canon HDV XL H1 XLH1 3CCD HD Video Camera Camcorder is my old sandby… for getting some of the background shots lined up…
As to getting my video blog started.. well… don’t think so… as we do the real thing… in the industry 😀
Ya Well we got drafted into the live video trailer and will be working with the director for Ch 5… direct’n and manage’n the feeds from the live cameras… sooo got to get busy.. as its now new years here in LA and we have to catch the lem’o to get down to the trailer at O’dark thirty from here… (we got back into town about 2 hours ago by plane… but, have to leave right after the show..from burbank airport… and head back up … to do the shoot for the incoming snow fall… tough to be in two places at once… I have dog with me but… X is still up north… sooo Dog and I are batching it tonight…pizza and beer… but, you know I will have to make it up to the X when we get back up their… (missing out on the new years togeatherness.. etc..) which usually means I have to bring something that glitters (like diamonds or zucurom… 🙂 no not really …. I got her the new pin like the pindents we gave her for Christmas…it has the AS trailer in silver/gold/diamond… with two hearts… in diamonds… (don’t even want to look at the bill… ) so shhhhh don’t tell her I am getting it … 😀
Ya got to keep ’em happy… huh…
Well glad to hear your in training… once you get their.. and regestered you will find doors will open up .. but, reco-mend you keep up with the techno… as things are changing still…
Nice trip… we will be doing it in MAY… for a shoot over in Germany on a film…
Wishing you and yours a Very Happy New Year… from me and mine… (including dog… ) … hey you get a cat and we can let the two of ’em play.. 🙂
Be looking for more vids in 2010 when you get back…
Looks like you guys are having a BLAST!
Been thinking so much about you two these past few days…after all, Football is about all that is being discussed on the news! HA!
I am not a UT Fan…though I do live in Austin. I am only a transplant – from California. Though I feel like I have always lived here in my heart…just took me 33 years to get here! One of my best friend’s went to Cal…Stanford is where my doctors were that finally answered a lot of questions for me and gave me a diagnosis. It’s a tough call. I one time went to a game with my friend…and unknowing, showed up wearing a RED SHIRT! I was shamed…for YEARS! But when it comes to the pro side…we are diehard 49’er Fans! Parents had season tickets for a few decades…before finally giving them up after a few years here in Texas. Just too hard to get back for games. I spent many a Holiday at a Game! LOL!! Aunt and Uncle have had them since 1962, I think? Crazy!!!
My best friend and her family are A&M Supporters – but they know their football program sucks! LOL!! Still watch and support anyway. Watched with them on Thansgiving this year…and they lost to UT. But they did play a respectable game. Considering!
Anyway, as I said on Twitter – Roll Tide…but I gotta say Hook ‘Em, too – just for local support!
One of my boyfriends was a HUGE Alabama Fan. He did this “ALABAMA…Alabama” cheer for his fraternity…he was “known” for it. Though I often wonder if it was as more of a joke than anything (him, not the cheer!)? It was long and drawn out in the beginning…and then got faster? That sound familiar?
Anyway, I really don’t care if UT wins on Thursday – in fact, if it wasn’t good for Austin, I would rather they lose! But since you want Alabama to win…I will do my rooting for them!
Especially since I doubt you will be able to watch!
I bet you were a bit torn – Bama Championship…Europe with family for Christmas/Birthday/New Years! HA! I know you were…even if it was no contest.
OH, and BTW…HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I turned 40 on my last birthday too. It wasn’t that bad. Like you said, 40 is the new 30. Though I don’t really live by that…because I don’t want to live another 50 years in this body! Hell, many days I don’t want to live another day. But that is fleeting…I promise! My life is certainly nothing I would wish on my worst enemy…but I still want to live it, such as it is! LOL!!
Get home safely Sean and Kristy…you look like you are having the trip of a lifetime!
GMAs, you know I have a severe camera addiction. It’s downright cruel to start talking about digital SLRs around me. My hand starts quivering and reaching for the credit card…
Kristy has officially sanctioned a “40th birthday present” for me, and has encouraged me to look at the DSLRs that shoot video. I am thinking either a Nikon D90, D300S, or Canon 7D. (The 7D offers four frame rates and 1080P!) Of these cams I think the D90 is the best deal. The 7D is the most robust from a video standpoint, with its varied frame rates and resolution. Problem is that I have Nikon glass and am not sure it will play nice with a Canon. :-/
I think rolling shutter is still a pretty big issue with all of these cameras, but in a year or two the manufacturers will have it figured out. When they first started offering video on SLRs it was an afterthought, but video’s going to become a crucial selling point. I love the low-light performance and shallow depth of field that’s possible.
I am not selling my Sony EX1 anytime soon, and will keep using it as our primary camera. But the DSLRs are so much smaller and more portable, not to mention more stealthy. You can covertly shoot video with these cameras and that’s a big plus when you do the kind of travel stuff we do. Really, my “dream travel camera” would offer max quality (1080p, 30p, 24p, 60p) with a big sensor in the smallest most lightweight package.
It sounds like you have a lot happening right now! Good call on the gift for the X — you can’t go wrong with diamonds!
By the way, we love Burbank Airport. When we fly to LA we usually try to go into Bob Hope. Smaller place that’s much less of a zoo than LAX.
Happy New Year to you!
Thanks Brenda, I don’t know the “Alabama ALABAMA” cheer, but I’m sure there are some that I have missed.
Of course I am quite thrilled that Alabama won the national championship — this has been a long time coming! But last night’s game was pretty weird — hated to see Texas’s QB get hurt. Anyway, Alabama played a long tough season, won every game along the way, and they are deserving.
I had many friends and family members attending the game. They reported that the Texas fans were a classy group. It was exciting to see those two storied programs squaring off for the title.
So ROLL TIDE and Hook ‘Em! Hopefully we’ll get a rematch in this game next year. 😀
Yeah…it was a heartbreak to see Colt go down like that. To end his amazing college career like that…working your entire life to be in that situation and taken out in the first drive – well, I felt for him!
He got engaged though…and hopefully that is what will be lasting in his life! (appropriate for your blog, right?) 😀
And if his injury heals as expected – I am pretty sure he will have another shot at playing. So this won’t be a anything but a footnote for him. If all goes according to plan, I would assume! LOL!!
I was pleased with the outcome though because I do think that Alabma deserved it. There was a lot of letdown here in town. Things were planning on staying open all night, or opening at midnight to sell things. I often wonder what happens to that stuff. Just like the Super Bowl stuff – things are made for BOTH teams! LOL!!
As far as I know, yes the Texas Fans are in fact a classy bunch…until the play the Red River Shootout. Then I hear it can get kinda ugly! It used to be a huge rivalry against A&M until they played them a couple of days after Bonfire collapsed and they did a wonderful tribute to A&M. It became a friendly rivalry. My friend’s granddaughter was out there working on it and was fine…but it was still hair raising, as you can imagine! That call at 4am for so many families. Just heartbreaking that a tradition turned to tragedy.
Do you know about the A&M Bonfire?
I was telling my friend the other day. People are becoming MORE impassioned with their sports teams these days. At least that is my feeling. And I think it’s because SO MANY of our Traditions are falling by the wayside.
One of the few long standing traditions we still have is our love of sports. And there really is something for everyone…especially if you have lost so much of what we used to have to be passionate about!
I wish I could give you a better description of the cheer…but then I guess he could have made it up anyway. He went to Chico State in California…but was passionate about Alabama. After spending a year with the guy…I haven’t a clue why though! HA!
Congrats to your team! I know you are proud.
Yeah, I think Colt will be fine. And that is funny about your California Bama fan! I guess these days you can pick your team regardless of region, and that’s actually quite nice. I think there’s an Alabama football fan club in Pennsylvania. They don’t really have a connection to the University…they just like watching Alabama football! That’s cool with me. 🙂
I must admit that everyone here is still excited about the national championship! And yes, retailers are selling commemorative merchandise as fast as they can toss it onto store shelves.
At times I’ve considered the passion for sports (and especially football) here and wondered whether it’s overblown. But in reality, sports is big news around the world. You want to see passion, try talking soccer (football) in England or Italy! In other countries people have been known to riot over sporting events, so I don’t think we’ve gone too far just yet. I’ve gotten tons of enjoyment from watching athletics, and experienced very little downside (except psychological grief when my team loses, ha ha).
Yes, I remember the A&M bonfire tragedy — so sad!