Out-of-Focus is Easy from a Moving Car on a Road Trip

Business Road Trip from Paso Robles to Ventura County

Some of the best photo opportunities are from the windows of moving cars. There is usually a clear view ahead from the windshield or to the side from the side window. You can't capture many of these shots anywhere but from the middle of the freeway or road.

X in the Sky, © B. Radisavljevic

We started our trip in Paso Robles on Interstate 101 heading south. I didn't get my first blurry shot until we were at the south end of Atascadero. The sky had been putting on a show since we left. Here is the first out-of-focus shot.

Why out-of-focus? Because it's theme day for City Daily Photo Bloggers and the theme for November 1 is Out-of-Focus. See what others did for this theme here.

It is really easy to get an out-of-focus shot from a moving car. One doesn't have much time to even point and shoot, which is what I did with my three cameras I used on this trip. The sky was magnificent during the entire trip because of the way the clouds and sun and contrails were interacting. I saw that X in the sky for almost the entire trip to Newbury Park and it was still in the sky when we left to come home.

Santa Barbara County Out-of-Focus

The photo above was from the trip southbound. The photos below are from the return trip northbound. I was on the side of the car opposite the ocean but I wanted to capture the sunset as best I could over the ocean. It was difficult to aim the camera away from the rear view mirror which was hanging down from the top, and to also miss my husband and the edges of his window on the left.

What's amazing is not that these photos are blurry, but that so many I shot turned out well. Those I will share in other posts. These shots were taken between El Capitan State Beach and Buellton. The first is near El Capitan State Beach.

Sundown Near El Capitan State Beach from 101 North, © B. Radisavljevic

This next one is farther north near Refugio State Beach.

Coastine Near Refugio State Beach from 101, © B. Radisavljevic

This one was taken as we were getting near Gaviota Pass. You can see that it's almost dusk now.

Approaching Gaviota Pass, © B. Radisavljevic

Now we are approaching Buellton, of Pea Soup fame. We usually stop at Tom's Gas when we get there for the best prices around. It's also a clean rest stop. ( See photo of Tom's Gas in this post.)

An Oak Tree on the Way to Buellton, © B. Radisavljevic

The turn-off for Highway 246 which leads to Lompoc to the west and Solvang to the east is a bit north of this great blur -- the ultimate out-of-focus shot. Tom's Gas is just east of 101 in the Albertson's Center on Highway 246.

Out-of-Focus-Scene Just South of Buellton, © B. Radisavljevic

I rather like out-of-focus shots because they look a bit like impressionistic paintings.

When we finally got to Buellton the sun had almost set and I finally got the sky photos of the sunset I wanted. This is the only blurry one.

Out-of-Focus Sunset in Bueltton, CA, © B. Radisavljevic

Which out-of-focus shot do you like best?

January 26 is National Spouses Day

Spouses Change a Lot in Fifty Years

January 26 is National Spouses Day. It is a day for spouses to appreciate each other. After over fifty years of marriage, I appreciate my husband more as each year passes and we can still enjoy each other's company. We've both changed a lot physically and mentally since this photo was taken on our wedding day. Some of our joints have worn out and been replaced and we've both put on more pounds. Those are the things one would notice just looking at us.

Our Wedding Day, used by permission of Robert Wantz

When we got married, we had some big cultural differences we had to get around. I was born and raised in California.  My husband was born in Serbia with some very definite cultural ideas about what was man's work and what was woman's work. These were reinforced by his mother, who would not have dreamed of letting a man get up from the table to get something from the kitchen if there was a woman there who could get it for him. That has changed. We help each other out.  Whoever is out and about picks up what we need at a store or runs the errand that needs to be done. That used to be all my department.

Hubby shopping, © B. Radisavljevic

More and more frequently we take turns driving each other to the emergency room, medical appointments after surgeries, and helping each other when one is not so mobile.  We are learning to care for each other when medical issues make us less independent for a time. Whichever of us is most able does what needs to be done at any given time. We even need to remind each other of important things we need to do so that doctor appointments, etc., aren't forgotten. Yes, they are on the calendar, but sometimes we still forget.

Hubby at Twin Cities Emergency Room, © B. Radisavljevic

Internal Changes that Affected Our Relationship

What one can't see just by looking are the internal changes. We have done a lot of growing up. Adopting our children accelerated this process. My husband was a good father and loved to play with the children, as you can see in this photo.

Hubby Playing with our Kids,  © B. Radisavljevic

Later, when my son died in an accident at the age of fourteen, we had to support each other through our grief. This is my husband sharing his thoughts at our son's memorial service.

Hubby Speaking at our Son's Memorial Service,  © B. Radisavljevic

Gifts for Celebrating Marriage

 Custom Mr and Mrs 25th wedding anniversary shirts Genesis 2:24 Love Quote Wedding Blanket Personalized Christian Tiles - 1Corinthians 13:4-8 Funny fortune Cookie Marriage Joke Postcard White cream roses marriage renewal ceremony card The Couple that Prays Together Mug Build your marriage on The Rock. Coffee Mug

& 

What We Can Do Together Has Changed

Because of the physical changes in our bodies, we can no longer do some of our favorite things together. One of these activities is hiking. It's hard to do when Hubby can't walk very far or for very long anymore. Sometimes I can't either. Sometimes we will go to a beautiful place where he can sit, while I  walk. Often these are just rest stops while we travel on business. These photos were taken in Santa Barbara County on a day we had to go to Ventura.

Hubby at Summerland © B. Radisavljevic

Hubby at Lake Cachuma, © B. Radisavljevic

We used to enjoy traveling,  but now that's hard, too. We do still both enjoy conversation and spending an afternoon or evening reading our books and just being together. That being together, after all, is what it's all about to have a spouse. 

As you live together, you grow together and year after year the relationship deepens if you can keep forgiving as hurts and misunderstandings happen. They can't help but happen when two selfish people try to live together. They happen much less as spouses adjust to each other's strengths and weaknesses and learn to appreciate them. If spouses give up on each other too soon they may discover too late that everything wrong was not the fault of the spouse.

Marriage is for better and for worse, through sickness and health, through prosperity and poverty. If spouses help and support each other through each of these, forgiving if necessary instead of turning on each other to blame and accuse, they will grow into mature people who can take on what life throws at them together. At the end of the road of life, they will realize they were each other's greatest treasure. 

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Beach Shelter in Summerland, California

Barbara Radisavlejvic, Paso Robles, CA, USA

Once again it's theme day at City Daily Photo Blogs. This month the theme is "Shelter." I thought this would be the perfect time to show you this photo of the beach shelter someone built on the Summerland beach.

Summerland is one of my favorite beaches. It's located in Santa Barbara County. The beach can be accessed from Lookout Park. It's right off Interstate 101 if you are coming from the north. It makes a wonderful rest stop near Santa Barbara, since it has restrooms, a picnic area, a place to wash your dog, a playground, and benches in a grassy area. There's even a hiking trail. Best of all, it's free, and that includes the parking.

Poster: Be Creative Poster

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A Short Trip to Solvang

Sunday we took a short trip to have lunch with longtime friends who live in Westlake. We try to see each other every  year in June, and we meet right in the middle between our cities. So we go to Solvang. We were to meet at the Greenhouse Cafe at 1:30. It got its name because it used to be a greenhouse.

Things don't always happen the way one plans  them, and so it was on Sunday. We

made a pit stop at Smart and Final in San Luis Obispo and our gear shift got stuck. That meant we were also stuck -- until The Auto Club came to the rescue. Our friends waited in Santa Barbara until we knew whether we could continue on. We were very thankful one of the AAA men who answered our call figured out what was wrong, got it working, and told us it was probably safe to proceed, so we called our friends back and we all continued on our way.

As it turned out, we got to the cafe first and saved a table inside. It was warm out and I'm sun sensitive, so I preferred to eat inside instead of at an outside table. We had a grand time catching up with each other's lives and stayed at the table until the restaurant closed at 5 PM. Then we talked for another hour outside. I took these photos from the corner as we talked. I feel like I've gone back in time when I am here. Click on any photo to enlarge it.