The Roving Van Gelders

Campsite Photoshoot

Abigail — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:00:51 +0000

Our chosen form of R&R last weekend was a quick camping trip to Hickory Run State Park in Pennsylvania. It has been more than a year since we have went camping together. Oddly enough we each when while on our separate vacations. While we were lounging about I thought it might be fun to set up an impromptu photoshoot. Get some catalog and add style practice. I also have two very cooperative models.

Doesn’t everything coordinate well?!? Now some of that is not total coincidence and I am partial to orange but wow it looks like I planned this. I tried to focus on a different product in each shot. Josh helped by moving labels around.

The Marmot tent was easy, being the largest item in the shot. I placed the Travelocity Gnome in the center to make for easy focus.

Capturing the Pillow Pet and the ENO hammock were a bit tricky. While the ENO hammock has such a distinct look I still wanted the brand to show. The pillow pet got lost in the mix, next time I’ll consider putting Pippi on it. Doesn’t she just look precious?

Filed under: camping, Outdoor Fun, Photography

Wordless Wednesday

Abigail — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:38:16 +0000

Filed under: Photography, Pippi, Wordless Wednesday

Our New Tour

Abigail — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:20:17 +0000

Some of you have been waiting very patiently for us to reveal our new client/tour. I wish that there was some exciting reason for waiting but I had to get approval to put it out there. We are excited to be working with Rohde & Schwarz a German based test and measurements company. This is a huge departure from our usual assignments in the pubic forum.

The trailer is a double expandable, the usual, but it is set up as a classroom. Well a very chic and clean classroom. The use is for local Rohde & Schwarz reps, tech and engineers to be able to host seminars covering topics covering a variety of relevant topics, yep this stuff is way over my head.

We will be traveling the entire country with this one! So that means I will get to see many of you, maybe not this first run but defiantly this year. This is a great opportunity to learn a new style of tour.

Filed under: Rohde & Schwarz, Work Stuff

Coming this Week: May 20 – 26

Abigail — Sun, 20 May 2012 13:00:48 +0000

We spent the weekend in Allentown, PA; getting a little rest before a crazy week. Our stops will include Clifton, NJ; Fairfax, VA; Columbia, MD.

Courtesy of Google Maps

I really can’t complain because we will then be rolling to the Carolinas and we will have some time off to spend with friends.

This past week was a blur, we had four shows in four different cities with this new tour. I hinted at what this new tour was on Friday but I soon hope to give you a better preview.

Song of the week: Dallas by the Flatlanders

Rental Cars this week: A missive Lincoln Towncar, if I was taking a roadtrip this would be the ideal vehicle. Very large and very comfortable. We also were able to score a Chevy Equinox, a beast but nothing really special. It is solid however.

We did manage to find an interesting hotel, while a bit dated the Somerset Hills Hotels in Warren, NJ the rooms are comfortable and the in house restaurant fantastic.

Filed under: Coming this Week

Click, Click, Wow

Abigail — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:00:44 +0000

Having some new lens love this week! I’m now the proud owner of a lovely wide angle lens. Making our shots of the truck much more dynamic. This baby is great for the low light of exhibit interiors. So in a word this lens actually makes my job a bit easier, I don’t have to work as hard to get the shots I need. We have to take pictures at every event, of the exterior at a minimum but we also try to shoot inside. They are used in reporting but also for marketing.

Filed under: Photography, Work Stuff

Wordless Wednesday

Abigail — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:07:04 +0000

Filed under: Photography, Pippi, Wordless Wednesday

Sailing

Abigail — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:40:06 +0000

Arr! We took to the high seas last week and cast out for a day sail or two.

Yup, we went sailing! Ahhh! So relaxing and boy was the water nice. Actually got the Rocky Comfort out three times. I’m amazed at how easy it was to put up the sails. Last year it felt like I needed to think everything through much more. This year it was just second nature.

My new little friend even joined us, everyone this Travelocity Gnome. He was a gift from my mom and will be traveling with us for a while.

Isn’t he just the cutest!

Filed under: Sailing

Coming this Week: May 13 – 19

Abigail — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:00:39 +0000

Now we are really getting out there, into the full swing if this tour. I’m happy to share with you all that this will be a full national tour including stops in the west. Yes Annita we are heading west, finally. This week will include time in Indianapolis; New Providence, NJ and Bridgewater, NJ. The following week will see us to Allentown, PA and some stops around Baltimore and DC.

Filed under: Coming this Week

Rent a Ride

Abigail — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:06:15 +0000

There are some definite perks to our lifestyle, like earning enough hotel and travel points that we get a huge break on vacation costs. We also get a chance to stay at resorts that would otherwise be too pricey. One fun perk is tied into our transportation. While we do travel around in the truck, a rental car is often a must once we are set up for a show. I can tell you that we have rented just about everything under the sun. I am partial to a Chevy Impala, the trunk is huge!! Every so often we get something a bit different, like a BMW or a Smartcar. Well this week’s rental in very different, it’s a 2013 Ford Mustang convertible in bright red. While I would never want to drive this on a daily basis the Stang sure is fun.

***This is part of a series of posts called “Travel Tuesday“, each covering topics unique to our lifestyle***

Filed under: Life on the Road, Travel Life, Travel Tuesday

Coming This Week: May 6 – 12

Abigail — Sun, 06 May 2012 13:10:49 +0000

This week we will be in Schaumburg, IL and go back to our home base in Detroit for one show. It also looks like we will have time to take out our boat. Next week will see us in Indianapolis and making our way to New York state.

During the past week we had a chance to see a good number if Josh’s relatives. Many glasses of wine and beer were shared including a visit to Granite City Brewery, a favorite of mine.

We even had a chance to swing by Josh’s hometown.

Filed under: Coming this Week