Northwoods Life | 1977 Airstream Argosy Before

As promised here are more photos of our new vintage 1977 Airstream Argosy! As much as we actually love the (inside) condition in which we purchased it, we do have a bit of a different vision for it so before we slowly start renovations (which we began to dig into this weekend!) I wanted to show some "before" photos.

Some insight into what our future plans are for the inner design include: removing the original (and boring) vinyl textured wallpaper, new floors, new countertops, fresh upholstery and update the cabinetry. I do have to admit I LOVE the yellow bathroom so that will be staying for sure as most vintage bathrooms are a sad beige color so we got very lucky with this one!

Why hello!

Another thing that we found out in our research was that after pulling up a bit of the flooring we came to find that we actually have an aluminum floor base which is AWESOME because the likeliness of floor rot to repair has significantly went down. Oddly enough the inside of our Argosy in it's currant state reflects so many elements of our home from the colors to the black and white floor. Like I mentioned though we do like it we just have such a different vision for it so we can't wait to get started on making some of these changes!

I just can't get over how much I love the yellow bathroom... don't you love it too!?

Follow our adventures in renovations and travel here on the blog or on my Instagram page!!!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Northwoods Life | We Bought An Airstream

Sorry for being MIA in the blogging world for awhile but with summer, beer festivals and wedding photography season taking hold life has been anything but dull here in the Northwoods!

Our big exciting news however is that over the weekend after years and years of lusting after various campers and having a bad case of wonderlust we bought an Airstream! Without further ado, introducing our vintage 1977 Airstream Argosy Minuet! 

After scouring the internet for countless hours/days/weeks/years we finally found the one that was perfect for our tastes and our budget. The Airstream we found was located in Indianapolis, Indiana which is about a 9hr drive from northern Wisconsin for us but we love road trips so we didn't mind! To our knowledge I believe we are the 4th owners by way of Texas to Indiana and now to Wisconsin (though I need to do a bit more research to be sure).

For those of you who don't know Airstream Argosies (or simply Argosy) were manufactured as a division of Airstream from 1974-1979 as a Class A motorhome using part aluminum, part galvanized steel, hence the painted look they typically have to prevent rusting. For a long time I wasn't a fan of the Argosy but it slowly grew on my, especially because of how creative one can get with the painting of the exterior. 

To say this has been a dream of ours is an understatement, in fact there was even a point in time we contemplated purchasing an Airstream to live in full time rather than a home... thats how much we have wanted this. I can't wait to share our renovations and travels with you in the future!!!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Travel | Hoover Dam

For the the second year in a row Matt & were fortunate enough to attend the annual WPPI convention in Las Vegas for professional wedding photographers (hey thats us!) Anywho, something we did last year that we loved and knew we would have to do again this year was rent a car to drive into the desert and explore the Southwest away from the city lights. Last year we only had our car for about 12hrs, we planned so that we could have our car for 2 days... yeah! 

Our first stop with our car was the historic Hoover Dam about 45 minutes south of Las Vegas on the border of the Nevada / Arizona state line hovering above the Colorado River. I feel like the Hoover Dam is always that cool historic place that has tons of documentaries on PBS about that seem to suck you in because they are so damn (dam get it ha!) interesting. In person it really is an amazing feat of engineering and an overwhelming sight to see.

For those of you who really aren't into documentaries, some quick history on the dam. Though it took many years of planning for this dam going back as far as 1922, offical construction began in 1931 sanctioned by Herbert Hoover during the Great Depression (though President Franklin D. Roosevelt over saw most of the project after being elected in 1932 defeating Hoover). Construction lasted just over 4 years when it finally was completed and dedicated by the president in 1936. (After the dedication President Roosevelt went to Vegas making him the first president to visit there!) The dam itself served/serves many purposes like jobs during an era that had very little, flood control, water and most of all power to a very large region of Nevada, Arizona and California. It also is a huge tourist attraction with nearly a million visitors each year. In 1985 it was designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Hoover Dam also incloses Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States. Another not as well known fact.... The original name was actually always was Hoover Dam (after President Hoover) but was changed to Boulder Dam (after the near by town of Boulder City) due to his lack of popularity however when the name didn't seem to stick in 1947 Congress voted to reinstate the Hoover Dam which it has been ever since. 

There is also a very distinct Art Deco feel to Hoover Dam which I did not expect from the ornate signs, elevators and statues making the dam not only functional but beautiful. The cost is very little to visit... free if you just drive over in fact. We payed a small $9 for parking and that was it. Sadly the sky began to downpour on us so we didn't get to stay as long as we would have liked but if you ever have a chance to visit this very unique site I highly recommend it! 

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Northwoods Life | Northern Lights

I have said it many of times we live in a pretty special little place in this great big world... Northern Wisconsin! From time to time we are lucky enough to get to see some awesome natural wonders and the Northern Lights aka Aurora Borealis happens to be one of them! 

Matt & I do our best to keep a look out (online) as to when they are predicted to make their appearances and on the very early morning of St.Patrick's Day they did just that!  While I was sound asleep Matt snuck out and arrived home near dawn to make coffee and show me some awesome shots he got. 

Throughout the day we kept tabs on the KP levels (the global geomagnetic storm index with a scale of 0 to 9) that helps predict when you might be able to see the Auroras... basically all day they were going strong into the evening so Matt went out again. The photos taken were from the early evening just before midnight on St.Patrick's Day 2015. Aren't they amazing!? 

Just one perk of living in Northern Wisconsin and near Upper Michigan, enjoy!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Travel | Las Vegas & WPPI 2015

For the the second year in a row Matt & were fortunate enough to attend the annual WPPI convention in Las Vegas for professional wedding photographers (hey thats us with Fornear Photo!) We took a bit different of an approach to taking in Sin City and photographing it than we did last year. 

Look at this view!! Last year we stayed at MGM Grand which was awesome, this year we stayed at the MGM Signature Suites an extension of MGM, which was equally as great plus a few steps closer to the convention area which was nice. We also got a balcony suite over looking The Strip complete with a kitchen (we love getting grocery delivery because it saves on eating out every meal hence our budget) and a whirlpool tub to boot! 

I can't recommend Vegas enough for an inexpensive vacation, especially direct flights from Midwest cities like Minneapolis (which we do), Milwaukee or even Chicago. Some people think that it won't be fun because they don't gamble but honestly you don't need to gamble to enjoy Vegas! There are SO many things to see from The Strip itself to the beautiful casinos or pools, plus it's a foodies paradise with tons of fantastic bars and restaurants to choose from. We aren't gamblers, last year we didn't even gamble a dime and this year we gambled about $50 which at least resulted in a few free cocktails so it wasn't a complete loss and we budgeted for it so no biggie. We also took a chance on what I thought might be a tourist trap (which it really wasn't) The High Roller. The High Roller is the largest observation wheel, aka Ferris wheel, in the world and it overlooks Las Vegas. We opted to get the Happy Hour pod and it was totally worth it! Considering prices of cocktails can be a bit steep on The Strip this pod has an open bar for the whole 30 minutes of the ride and it's built into the cost of the $30 ticket so between the drinks and the view it was an absolute win-win. 

Like last year we saw a show which as far as I am concerned is a MUST in Vegas. We saw the Cirque du Soleil show Mystère which was OK compared to Beatles Love. The performers were awesome but the show itself is a bit dated... a big old man baby crying "papa" throughout it... um creepy, no thank you! We also rented a car again which probably is our favorite thing to do so we can get out, explore and shoot (more to come on our adventures in other posts!)

(Ugghhhh.... Blurry cell phone pictures... sorry! Below are better taken by Photobooth Supply Co. though note our "awkward" faces in both lol!) 

Since we saw the sights of Vegas and photographed many of them last year we skipped that and not only focused more on WPPI by adding additional classes but also simply relaxing and enjoying ourselves and walk some of the casinos we missed. One of our biggest goals was to reach out and meet other wedding photographer husband and wife duos like us and guess what... we succeeded! I love that we have made friends with La Valle Fotografi out of Cleveland Ohio, New Edition Photography from Ogden Utah and Herrera Family Photography from San Diego California. It was so awesome getting time to chat and learn about each other's experiences plus the opening night party at Hakkasan & the Pool Party events at MGM were great!

We had a blast in Vegas and can't wait for the next time we go back, heck we might be even planning another quick weekend away there this fall, thats how much we love Vegas! Have any questions or looking for further tips? Let me know I love sharing our travel experiences!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography (unless otherwise noted): Fornear Photo

Northwoods Life | Travel

Just a quick update!! Life has been super crazy these days... been traveling like nuts for a combination of work, vacation and our photography business. It's certainly not a bad thing because I LOVE to travel but after after almost 2 weeks, 2 airplane rides, 1 rental car, a couple of time hops, a time change & 4 hotels it feels good to finally be home! 

There are so many awesome photos and stories from our adventures I can't wait to share in the coming weeks but in the mean time enjoy a shot of Auggie's little face... we missed this fur ball tons while we were gone and I think she missed us too!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photograph: Fornear Photo

Travel | Door County Wisconsin

Those of you from Wisconsin should be familiar with the popular tourist destination known as Door County! A favorite vacation spot of Wisconsinites, those from the Midwest and to some, Door County is known as the “Cap Cod of the Midwest”. Others might simply acknowledge it as the “thumb” of Wisconsin sticking out into Lake Michigan. Regardless, it’s always a great place to visit... especially in the Summer time!

If you have never been to Door County here is a brief run down… Door County is not only known for it’s beautiful, quint atmosphere and picturesque views of Lake Michigan but also it’s wine producers, cherry producers and overall slower pace of life highlighted by Peninsula State Park (which we biked and saw the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse) and also got to view the many talented artists who feature their work at local establishments. There certainly is not a lack of delicious places to dine either I might add!

We had the weekend off from wedding photography so I could sample lots of Sprecher products for the fine folks of the area, which I love to do! In our free time we took full advantage of our surrounds from biking, wine tastings and indulging in something very cherry (hello Cherry Brandy Old Fashioneds!) 

Probably the highlight of our weekend had to be the double feature we took in at the Skyway Drive-In Theater that runs every night from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It also happens to be the 2nd longest continuously running drive-in in Wisconsin. I haven't been to a drive-in since college and Matt since he was a kid so it was simply an awesome night of nostalgia!

Our favorite little winery in Door County is Harbor Ridge located just outside of Egg Harbor as they not only produce wonderful wine but also sell an assortment of craft beer and soda. Needless to say we had to make one last stop here before heading out of town!

Like the rest of the state the locals that make Door County tick are really amazing and friendly people who love welcoming guests into their small yet special corner of Wisconsin. Thinking of ideas for your next weekend getaway?? Look no farther than Door County, we absolutely had a blast!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Thirsty Thursday | Great Northern Beer Festival

So I thought a change of pace for the 4^th of July weekend with Thirsty Thursday could be fun featuring the Great Northern Beer Festival we attended! Also named one of the top 10 Beer Festivals in the country to attend via Flipkey by Trip Advisor... quite an honor too. Taking place the second Saturday of June in Eagle River Wisconsin at Hi-Pines Campground the festival celebrated it’s 10^th Anniversary.

We love this festival not only because it takes place in our home town or that because we are friends with the organizers or because I am normally pouring delicious Sprecher Brewery products… NO it’s just a damn good beer fest in the Northwoods! One of the reasons why it is such a great festival is because there is much care put into which breweries attend (mostly Wisconsin and Midwest based) and that they have a knowledgeable brewery representative present to help educate the fine drinkers of said beer fest brews.

Hey look I even make an appearance pouring my Sprecher!

If you happen to be in Eagle River next June please check out the Great Northern Beer Festival and be sure be responsible and book your campsite at Hi-Pines in advance since sites fill up fast. Maybe we will see you there next year… cheers!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo