Life and Times of Masterton
Muahaha, I have already found internet, and it's FREE! Juli and I are staying at the best hostel I've ever been at... Bug Backpackers in Nelson. Everything is new and clean and well laid-out and the beds are so comfy and the taps are separated into hot and cold and there is a freezer for my ice pack and and and... FREE INTERNET (this is very rare in hostels here). Juli has gone to buy some hiking shoes, so I'm using this time to whip up another post. :) This is kind of an all-inclusive Masterton entry, about some of the wonderful people I met and the shorter walks I went on in local parks, as well as one out of town trip.
I'd also like to share the results of a new photography goal I set while I was there, which was to successfully photograph the stars, or more specifically, star trails. star trails are the "paths" left by stars, as perceived from the earth... proof that we are spinning! As we spin, the stars appear to move and circle in the sky. I did this by tethering my camera to my laptop on the deck and doing seven to twelve 60 second exposures, then layering them on top of each other to get the movement effect.
The stars closest to the pole appear to "move" the least, thus the apparent epicentre in the photo.
I am really pleased with the results of this and hope I can try more in the future! It does take some patience and experimentation, but it is so worth it. The night sky is so clear here, thanks to the near-imperceptible amounts of pollution (both chemical and light) when you are in a small town.
Here's another shot I liked -- the Milky Way.
As part of my goal to RELAX on this trip, I went for my first massage in about three years. It was at a home-based spa called The Villa and I got along great with Colleen, who invited me to a BBQ when she found out I was new in town and didn't know anyone yet. As usual, I forgot to take pictures of the goings-on at the BBQ, but rather ended up photographing her animals -- I adored her cat Lexie and dog Casper, both of whom were sixteen years old and looking fantastic!
Colleen with Lexie.
Casper! When I first saw him, I exclaimed "It's Don Cherry's dog!", which was lost on Colleen, haha (and anyone else who hasn't seen Hockey Night in Canada).
Colleen's son.
She had lots of fruit trees in her back yard. Here we have some pears.
An amazingly loaded plum tree.
Grapefruits.
Grape vines.
Richard comes up to Masterton 1-2 days a week for work, and one week Arleigh was away, so he brought their dog Sesame up for me to petsit for the day. I love dogs, so I was happy to spend the day with her! She was a joy to be around and we went for a nice walk in the local park at Henley Lake.
One of things is not like the others... one of these things is just not the same!
Even parks paths are windy here, just for fun!
Sesame giving me a curious look when I was making funny noises to get her attention for the camera.
I framed this one and gave it to Richard and Arleigh. :)
Interesting flowering tree.
There is another great park in town called Queen Elizabeth Park, with lots of big trees, rose gardens, and an aviary.
Fluffy chicken! <3
Fluffy dove!
Fluffy cockatoo! She talked, complete with an accent! "Hell-OHH. How are yew?" :D
Christmas Day was spent at a co-worker of Richard's, who was a fantastic cook! It was so generous of Catherine and her family to welcome me into their home on this special day.
We had lamb for dinner along with many amazing sides, plus a choice of at least five desserts!
My out of town trip was to Palmerston North (1.5 hours) on the 30th to see erincalenear. :) This is her with her son Alex, who she was pregnant with when I first met her on my 2009 trip!
We made pizza for dinner and were going to town for dessert, but I passed out on their couch because I had had a long day prior to arriving. I'm such a party animal! :p The next day we went for a nice walk and did some thrift store shopping where I picked out some books (*gasp* I have time to READ again while I'm on holiday!). Then we went for lunch and I headed back to Masterton, stopping to see the local wind farm and to do a short hike near Woodsville.
This shot is inspired by maggies-lens, who recently found a similar sign and said, "OK, OK, you don't have to be rude about it!"
I couldn't stay too long in Palmerston because it was the 31st and I had to get back to Masterton for a New Years get-together! These shots are from the garden at the house I was at.
We had lasagna for dinner and some seriously delicious strawberry cheesecake with fruit salad! There were lots of interesting people in attendance, and before dinner, we played a riveting match of croquet, which I finished first at! I've played a few times in the past, but I was pretty impressed with how well I did! We were in teams, however, and my partner didn't have quite as good luck, so we didn't actually win the match. :p
It was my neighbour David who invited me to come to the get-together at his friend's place. Earlier in my Masterton visit, it was his birthday and Richard was in town, so we all went for dinner, along with David's girlfriend, Maggie. I did some portraits of them together as his birthday pressie. :)
Phew, I'm glad this post is out of the way because it was kind of all over the place, hey? That's what happens when you're a lazy blogger who doesn't keep her blog up to date as things happen! :p
I'd also like to share the results of a new photography goal I set while I was there, which was to successfully photograph the stars, or more specifically, star trails. star trails are the "paths" left by stars, as perceived from the earth... proof that we are spinning! As we spin, the stars appear to move and circle in the sky. I did this by tethering my camera to my laptop on the deck and doing seven to twelve 60 second exposures, then layering them on top of each other to get the movement effect.
The stars closest to the pole appear to "move" the least, thus the apparent epicentre in the photo.
I am really pleased with the results of this and hope I can try more in the future! It does take some patience and experimentation, but it is so worth it. The night sky is so clear here, thanks to the near-imperceptible amounts of pollution (both chemical and light) when you are in a small town.
Here's another shot I liked -- the Milky Way.
As part of my goal to RELAX on this trip, I went for my first massage in about three years. It was at a home-based spa called The Villa and I got along great with Colleen, who invited me to a BBQ when she found out I was new in town and didn't know anyone yet. As usual, I forgot to take pictures of the goings-on at the BBQ, but rather ended up photographing her animals -- I adored her cat Lexie and dog Casper, both of whom were sixteen years old and looking fantastic!
Colleen with Lexie.
Casper! When I first saw him, I exclaimed "It's Don Cherry's dog!", which was lost on Colleen, haha (and anyone else who hasn't seen Hockey Night in Canada).
Colleen's son.
She had lots of fruit trees in her back yard. Here we have some pears.
An amazingly loaded plum tree.
Grapefruits.
Grape vines.
Richard comes up to Masterton 1-2 days a week for work, and one week Arleigh was away, so he brought their dog Sesame up for me to petsit for the day. I love dogs, so I was happy to spend the day with her! She was a joy to be around and we went for a nice walk in the local park at Henley Lake.
One of things is not like the others... one of these things is just not the same!
Even parks paths are windy here, just for fun!
Sesame giving me a curious look when I was making funny noises to get her attention for the camera.
I framed this one and gave it to Richard and Arleigh. :)
Interesting flowering tree.
There is another great park in town called Queen Elizabeth Park, with lots of big trees, rose gardens, and an aviary.
Fluffy chicken! <3
Fluffy dove!
Fluffy cockatoo! She talked, complete with an accent! "Hell-OHH. How are yew?" :D
Christmas Day was spent at a co-worker of Richard's, who was a fantastic cook! It was so generous of Catherine and her family to welcome me into their home on this special day.
We had lamb for dinner along with many amazing sides, plus a choice of at least five desserts!
My out of town trip was to Palmerston North (1.5 hours) on the 30th to see erincalenear. :) This is her with her son Alex, who she was pregnant with when I first met her on my 2009 trip!
We made pizza for dinner and were going to town for dessert, but I passed out on their couch because I had had a long day prior to arriving. I'm such a party animal! :p The next day we went for a nice walk and did some thrift store shopping where I picked out some books (*gasp* I have time to READ again while I'm on holiday!). Then we went for lunch and I headed back to Masterton, stopping to see the local wind farm and to do a short hike near Woodsville.
This shot is inspired by maggies-lens, who recently found a similar sign and said, "OK, OK, you don't have to be rude about it!"
I couldn't stay too long in Palmerston because it was the 31st and I had to get back to Masterton for a New Years get-together! These shots are from the garden at the house I was at.
We had lasagna for dinner and some seriously delicious strawberry cheesecake with fruit salad! There were lots of interesting people in attendance, and before dinner, we played a riveting match of croquet, which I finished first at! I've played a few times in the past, but I was pretty impressed with how well I did! We were in teams, however, and my partner didn't have quite as good luck, so we didn't actually win the match. :p
It was my neighbour David who invited me to come to the get-together at his friend's place. Earlier in my Masterton visit, it was his birthday and Richard was in town, so we all went for dinner, along with David's girlfriend, Maggie. I did some portraits of them together as his birthday pressie. :)
Phew, I'm glad this post is out of the way because it was kind of all over the place, hey? That's what happens when you're a lazy blogger who doesn't keep her blog up to date as things happen! :p