2 weeks, 1,200 miles and a Delica...all inspired by Cananda!

[Mystery Machine]

Since being over in Canada and visiting you guys, having the trip of my life along with encounters & experiences that you just can't buy, my life has changed a lot. It's all becuase of the trip and the people I met.

One of the big things I got out of my time with you in BC is what a beautiful country you have and how you guys really don't take it for granted.

It got me thinking more & more at how we don't have the range or bredth of scenery over here that you have. The big skies, the mountain ranges, the islands, the vast expanses of land....places you can go where you can just lose yourself.

OK, so this is a small island with a lot of people crammed into it, but I learnt from you guys to make the most of what you have around you. Right on your doorstep, no matter how mundane.

Since returning from Canada I have discovered the joys of photography. I've always liked taking pics on my little point & shoot, but now I like to really capture the beauty of everything around me. To record the places I go, to capture the atmosphere and I have since bought myself a digital SLR. Learning how to use it has been fun in itself! Mastering apertures, shutter speeds, depth of field etc...but the rewards can be great when you get a shot that really manages to capture the moment.

In September I headed off with my girlfriend on our two week holiday. 14 days in Pembrokeshire in Wales. A place I've always loved but I am starting to see it with new eyes now that I have a camera.

Over the two weeks we managed to clock up over 1,200 miles travelling around the area. It's only a small area, but we like to visit as many places as possible, exploring every part of the place. Most days see us walking around 10+ miles - mostly along coast paths or inland scenic walks around any interesting landscapes we can find. It's amazing how many there are around you whereever you are if you look for them.

Here are some shots I took on my two weeks. They may not be the best shots (I am still very much learning to use my camera) but to me they capture the 'feel' of the places we visit. This isn't so much a record of our trip, but rather some images that hopefully capture the beauty of the place. Seeing them with new eyes since learning to really appreciate my surroundings.

Sorry to have gone on a bit - but this has been quite a life change for me and my eyes are now so much more open than they were before I visited your amazing country. For that I thank you all..... :)

[Mystery Machine]

I reckon there is as much beauty in dark skies as there is in bright blue ones:

[Kuan]

Welcome back Bruce. Love the one of the horses on the beach.

[delicat]

Bruce, you're alive!!!

Great to hear back from you, it had been way too long and left many of us wondering... Nice to see you making the best of your road trip, great pictures!

Shoot me a pm, got a few things to ask...

Welcome back!
David

[FalcoColumbarius]

Ah yes, Killer Wales. Brings back memories... Those are pretty pictures, to be sure and I agree with Kuan ~ the one with the horses is stunning.

Falco.

[Mystery Machine]

Thanks for the comments guys. I'm gradually getting the hang of this photography thing! Every day I am learning more & more.

David, I'll send you a PM in a moment.

Here are a few more shots that I took on my trip:

(Photobucket seems to have made the sky in this shot look like a series of coloured bands rather than a smooth graduation!!) Jed loves the beaches and this is one very rare moment when he was actually still for more than a nanosecond!


Everyone knows about Stonehenge, but this place (Pentre Ifan) is way cooler! Sure, it's nowhere near as big but there is a real amazing atmosphere there and you are not fenced off from the stones, you can stand under them, touch them...they are part of the scenery, not something just to be looked at from a distance. Very few people too so getting shots is much nicer and much easier.


I think there is beauty in everything. When I was in Vancouver with Mitch I was admiring the bright yellow piles of (sulphur??) across the water from the edge of Downtown/Stanley Park. He said they were an eye sore....but I saw differently. This is a power station right in the heart of Pembrokeshire. The locals hate it for 'ruining' the landscape. I love it! It's part of the landscape just like they are, and their cars and their houses. This shot wasn't planned - I just kinda spotted it as I was driving back to the cottage from a day out. It's more grainy than I would have liked, but had to up the ISO in order to cater for the shot being hand held in the almost pitch black. I need to get a tripod and start carrying it with me.


Tenby - a historical town built on the cliff edge and protected from the other sides by a medievil wall that surrounds it. It's a beautiful place, full of so much great architecture. I used a wide angle on purpose because I wanted to make it look like the buildings were leaning in towards the see, as if they were peering over the cliffs down at the lovely beach below.


Most of the time I don't look for a reason to take a shot, I just see something that I like and shoot. This was one of those times....

[konadog]

Fabulous shots Bruce! I love the one of Jed

[TardisDeli]

Hi Bruce, Very glad to see you back on this forum. You would be pleased to know your name is frequently mentioned at our Deli-Meats, ie has anyone heard from you etc. Also your postings are oft quoted to resolve The Debates about proper parts number or some repair method when one of us says "Bruce Mystery Machine posted that solution is such and such". You are The High Authority.

Now it is time for your return visit to Canada, get one of those cheap flights to Vancouver, stay with us awhile. Our TardisDeli guest room is always available to you (and friends). There are herds more L300 and L400 here since your last visit, and Calgary has become another Delica Haven, and there are others in interesting places such as Whitehorse (Yukon) and Manitoba etc, so you can couch surf around Canada. We'll set up some Deli-Meats in your honour, and you can share your Delica stories and photos in person.

Cheers, Christine and Jay.

[Mystery Machine]

Many thanks for the comments.....I am indeed hoping to come over again sometime. It's not as easy as it was for me back a few years ago but I am trying to find the money to put aside for the specific purpose of visiting your amazing country again.

Catch up with familiar faces and hopefully meet some new ones too? It seems so strange when looking at all the adventures and meets going on that when I came over it was for the first ever proper get-together!

The three weeks I was in BC was just amazing. That's the only way I can begin to describe it. The things I saw, the people I met, the experiences I got out of it in that short space of time....I will never forget the trip and I am dying to get over again. I'd love to move there but I somehow can't see that happening really. I do have other plans though which I am hoping to start putting into place over the next six months.

Anyway, seeing as this thread is about the trip around Wales I had in September, I'd better put up some more shots...

[FalcoColumbarius]

That is a pretty sunset... smiles.