PHOTO-A-DAY CHALLENGE
The Last Week in Our Home in the Vineyard
Week 188 of the photographic documentary of my daily life
I am honest. There was a tear in the corner of my eye when we drove down the driveway for the last time leaving this wonderful home in the vineyard behind us.
It had been a dream. The unit was basic but so luxurious for us two, who had lived in a trailer before and after again. And the location. I mean just look at the picture above. Taken from our doorstep the last morning we stayed. No words needed.
But, as nomads, all good things come to an end, and it was time for us to say goodbye and move on. A new adventure awaits.
It was Thursday evening when I walked outside our doors because I saw the sky was on fire. Yes, the sun might set early behind the mountains but will color the sky for an hour afterward.
On Friday, fewer clouds but still a hue of orange on the horizon turned away from the setting sun.
Saturday was a rather cloudy day and I captured another scenic view from behind our unit.
Only about half an hour after the above photo was taken, the sky burst with color, and I walked back down for another picture.
On Sunday, I walked down to the garden where I got two tomatoes from the plants of our landlords, who told us we could help ourselves with their fresh produce.
I hadn't taken a picture yet and got these skies looking toward Queenstown.
Monday was a busy day at work and I took no other pictures than those in the sky. The first one I took while climbing out of the plane and holding onto a bar atop while waiting for the tandem pair to position themselves in the door.
You can see a nice backdrop of the Southern Alps, Lake Wanaka to the left and Lake Hawea to the right.
And then we jumped. I was the outside camera flyer and took close-up and far shots of the tandem with the surrounding landscape views.
I love doing the job of an outside camera flyer so much. I don’t need to interact with the passenger if I don’t feel like it but I can let my creative side out and go wild taking pictures and filming.
While I was running between the flat and our car on Tuesday, packing our things and cleaning, I caught our landlord picking a few grapes from the vineyard and commented on their ripeness.
Two minutes later, he had cut three bundles and handed them to me. He even explained how different they taste depending on which line they grow, but these are the best. Often grapes they make wine from don’t taste the best but these were delicious. And ripe just in time for our departure.
After packing all our belongings and cleaning the unit, we locked the doors, said our deepest appreciation to our landlord and got into the car. Two weeks of holiday for us.
Heading toward the West Coast, we soon reached Haast and drove North. With no accommodation booked but continuous rain, we soon dropped our plan of camping and decided to stay in a room instead.
We stopped at Bruce Bay to get a glimpse of the beach and the coastline, which is rather rough on the West Coast. Lots of driftwood gets washed down the rivers, into the Tasman Sea and then back up the beach. It was also still raining when I stepped out for the photo, just as a seagull flew by.
We usually sleep in a tent because we enjoy camping. It’s not that we can’t afford to stay in hostels or B&Bs but we rather stretch our money and spend it on other things. However, we don’t have to camp in the rain. And so we didn’t.
Reaching the town of Fox Glacier at 7 pm, we called about ten hotels, which were either surprisingly fully booked or offered a room for a price we weren’t willing to pay, and finally booked through Agoda a place for the night.
The next morning, it was still raining, but since the prediction was the same for the upcoming three days, we decided to stick with the plan and hike around Lake Matheson.
Where the snow-covered peaks of Mount Cook and Mt. Tasman were supposed to reflect in the water, nothing but raindrops were bouncing off. However, we enjoyed a lovely walk through the temperate rainforest, got some exercise in and appreciated being there regardless.
“There is a way that nature speaks, that the land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.” — Linda Hogan
This has been my weekly photo essay. Anyone can join. Once. Or weekly. It doesn’t matter. We welcome everyone! Dennett started this photography challenge in 2020 and many have participated ever since. These are the latest contributors and their essays:
Dennett with “An Overflowing Week”
Erika with “Regal Mr. Bisou, A Very Pretty Drink, Selecting Paint Colors, “Did I Really Wear One Slipper to the Doctor’s Office?,” Paperwhites, the First Camelia, Bread like A Biscuit, and Uma Tries Caviar”
Susan with “Was That a Cat? That Was a Cat. Wasn’t it? It Was, Wasn’t it? And to Change Things up a Bit — a Tortoise!”
Kim with “Highlights From the 2nd and 3rd Weeks of February”
Krasi Shapkarova with “Signs of Spring, a UNESCO Heritage Site, and Bulgaria’s National Day”
Penny Grubb with “The Week A Man Fell Through The Roof…”
Julia A. Keirns with “Rainy Days and Day Trips”
These are my previous weekly photo essays:
Join my email list here if you would like to read more photo essays.
Shutterstock | Instagram | YouTube | Mailchimp | Amazon | Redbubble
