Unique Valentines Gifts from Photographer Central

Fall is just around the corner and it’s my favorite time of year! The cooler weather, beautiful colors and lots of wildlife enjoying the changes. Below are 5 Fantastic Fall Tours You’ll Want On Your Travel Itinerary this year!
5 Fantastic Fall Tours:
Greenland Fall Colors + Northern Lights – Explore and photograph fantastic landscapes of pristine beauty, exotic, arctic wildlife and northern lights. This fall tour demonstrates the beauty Greenland during a time of the year when warm fall colors contrast with the cool blues of icebergs and glaciers. October is also one of the best times of the year to see the magnificent Northern Lights. This 8-day/9-night adventure starts at $7,600 and is a splendid introduction to Greenland.
Great Wall of China Beautiful Colors – In autumn, beautiful colors adorn Beijing and the forests surrounding nearby sections of the Great Wall of China. Smoke trees, maple, persimmon, and dozens of other species turn vibrant shades of red, yellow, and orange, usually between mid-October and mid-November. Explore Beijing and its most popular attractions on this week-long China tour. Visit the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and Temple of Heaven. Hike along the renowned Great Wall, and try your hand at cooking Chinese cuisine. This tour starts at $1,635.
Blue Ridge Mountains Bike Tour – The quality of cycling routes in Brevard, North Carolina may very well be amongst the best in the country. Extreme elevations and more than 100 species of deciduous trees give the Blue Ridge Mountains one of the longest and most vibrant leaf seasons. This fall tour is the perfect opportunity to log some late season miles and witness the changing of the seasons through the beauty of the fall colors. The terrain offers amazing routes for cycling and will include valleys, winding mountainous roads, long elevated climbs and amazing descents. This 6-day/5-night tour starts at $2,195.
Fall Trout Fishing in Montana – In Montana, dominant golden hues begin peaking in early October, with colorful trees including maples, larch and aspen. There also is no better time tofish Montana for large trout than October. The Big Hole Lodge, one of the great fly fishing destinations in North America, offers unmatched wild trophy trout fishing. This Orvis Endorsed lodge is nestled in a magnificent wilderness setting in the Pioneer Mountains of Montana with a beautiful trout stream at its doorstep. This 6/day/5-night tour starts at $3,675.
Tuscany Harvest Season by Bike – Autumn is a wonderful time to visit Italy. Crowds are thinning, prices and temperatures are dropping, harvest season is underway, and the food is fantastic. Fall colors can be found in vineyards, foothills, and mountains in mid-October and into November. This bicycle tour savors the best of the incredibly rich and varied cultural wealth and natural beauty of Tuscany. It is an evocative time to travel to Italy, with hillsides cloaked in ready-to-pick grapes and a fragrance of fermenting wine permeating the air.

I’m so excited that McFarland, USA is finally out on Blu-ray & Digital! I know you’ve heard me raving about the movie before, but it really is such a great movie I have to share it with you again!
Inspired by the 1987 true story, McFarland, USA follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner), a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school. Coach White and the McFarland students have a lot to learn about each other but when White starts to realize the boys’ exceptional running ability, things begin to change. Soon something beyond their physical gifts becomes apparent—the power of family relationships, their unwavering commitment to one another and their incredible work ethic. With grit and determination, the unlikely band of runners eventually overcomes the odds to forge not only a championship cross-country team but an enduring legacy as well. Along the way, Coach White realizes that his family finally found a place to call home and both he and his team achieve their own kind of American dream.
Read more about my thoughts on the movie as well as interview with Producer Niki Caro.
The McFarland USA Blu-ray has this amazingly inspiring story along with several bonus features including
McFarland Reflections from Kevin Costner, Coach Jim White & members of the 1987 Cross-Country team. “Juntos” Music Video
Inspiring McFarland – See the strength and perseverance that brought a community together.
Deleted & Extended Scenes
I love that I can now watch this anytime I’m in the need of inspiration. My boys love watching the movie as well and I hope that they can be so dedicated and inspired in the things they do.
Here you will find a delicious Tamale Recipe…why not try it out while watching McFarland USA and create a themed “Movie Night”.
Be sure to check out my interviews with The 7 Runners in McFarland, Kevin Costner & The Real Inspiration Behind The Movie
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Disclosure: The Nature’s Harvest® bread information, gift pack, and additional giveaway have been provided by Nature’s Harvest® bread so that I could try the product and share my thoughts and information about Nature’s Harvest® bread. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Nature’s Harvest® bread.
With Disney & Pixar’s “Finding Dory” Swimming into theaters today, I thought I’d share the fun I’ve been having working with Nature’s Harvest®! I’ve been working all week on two fun “Finding Dory” inspired sandwiches both you and your children will have fun making and eating!
Swim into some fun with everyone’s favorite, forgetful blue fish, Dory! As Dory and her friends begin the journey to find her family, you and your family can start a journey of your own – towards nutritious whole grains! Coming to a bread aisle near you, select packages of specially-marked Nature’s Harvest® bread will feature the lovable characters from Disney• Pixar’s “Finding Dory”. Wait..theirs a bonus – Now through July, fans can purchase any four Nature’s Harvest® Breads and receive a free, limited edition Dory TY® Sparkle Eye Beanie Boo™. Visit www.wholegrainsplash.com for more info!
You can feel good about serving their families Nature’s Harvest® bread because it’s not baked with artificial flavors, colors or high fructose corn syrup. Nature’s Harvest® bread is available at major retailers nationwide and comes in delicious varieties including:
I created two sandwiches one with the Stone Ground 100% Whole Wheat Bread & One With the Honey Wheat Made With Whole Grain Bread!
Honey Wheat Clam BLT Grilled Cheese
Ingredients:
Honey Wheat Made with Whole Grain bread
Lettuce
Tomato
Bacon
Muenster Cheese Slices
Clam Shaped Cookie Cutter
Instructions:
Cook bacon to liking ( I like mine crisp, easier to cut)
Butter your bread
Place lettuce, tomato, 3 bacon slices & 2 slices of cheese (one on each slice of bread)
Cook in pan until golden
Let cool a min before using your cookie cutter to cut out shape.
Enjoy!
Whole Wheat Whale Of A Club Sandwich
Ingredients:
Stone Ground 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Turkey lunch meat
Ham lunch meat
Cheddar Cheese Slices
Muenster Cheese Slices
Whale Shaped Cookie Cutter
Instructions:
For this one you will want to cut things individually then piece it together. Add toothpick to hold together
Add toothpick to hold together
Enjoy!
Disney•Pixar’s “Finding Dory” welcomes back to the big screen everyone’s favorite forgetful blue tang Dory (voice of Ellen DeGeneres), who’s living happily in the reef with Nemo (voice of Hayden Rolence) and Marlin (voice of Albert Brooks). When Dory suddenly remembers that she has a family out there who may be looking for her, the trio takes off on a life-changing adventure across the ocean to California’s prestigious Marine Life Institute, a rehabilitation center and aquarium. In an effort to find her mom (voice of Diane Keaton) and dad (voice of Eugene Levy), Dory enlists the help of three of the MLI’s most intriguing residents: Hank (voice of Ed O’Neill), a cantankerous octopus who frequently gives employees the slip; Bailey (voice of Ty Burrell), a beluga whale who is convinced his biological sonar skills are on the fritz; and Destiny (voice of Kaitlin Olson), a nearsighted whale shark. Deftly navigating the complex inner workings of the MLI, Dory and her friends discover the magic within their flaws, friendships and family.
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Summers here and the time is right for hosting parties or just hanging out on the back porch. Margaritas are always a hit at summertime parties, & I love this fresh peach version because it’s light, & fruity. Once you start making this peach cobbler margarita you just might get addicted too!
Ingredients:
1 peach
4 oz peach margarita mix
4 oz tequila
2 oz peach vodka
2 oz hazelnut liqueur
1 cup Ice
garnish brown sugar and crushed graham crackers
Instructions:
Blend ingredients in blender until smooth
rim glass with water or lime
garnish with brown sugar and crushed graham crackers
pore in drink mixture
top with sliced peach