My travelcompanion Lexi (pic heavy) - update 2 june - Castle Haarzuilen

Diana wrote:Oh I love tank tops with shorts!

Thanks. Lexi says hi and wonders if you like them with skirts too.

Woow that Tour de France pictures are so great, just saw them now. And all these pictures with bridges and valleys, beautiful.

Since you are a cycling in beautiful places, maybe you could install Lexi on your bicycle's handlebar with a small gopro-ish camera directly behind her, so it looks like she is cycling herself.

It's funny when a small model scale figure meets upscaled figured like the yellow cyclist or mickey mouse.

And maybe install a tiny motor or something in the head. Everytime someone sits next to or reacts to her, she should slowly turn her head towards them.

Great pictures in Germany. I like the MIG as well, and I don’t think it’s as bad as you may think.

I really love these photos, they have such a range of expression from beautifully and artfully composed to somewhat silly but still brimming with humor and affection. You have a talent for photography, which is its own hobby and passion, and your Lexi is lucky to have such a skillful chronicler of her travels!

Please tell us what kind of equipment you use. I'm assuming a decent DSLR with macro lens. If you say you're using a cell phone I might just have to throw my stuff in the trash!   

I also really like the outfits you've given her, wish I could still wear clothes like that! 

Ovy wrote:Woow that Tour de France pictures are so great, just saw them now. And all these pictures with bridges and valleys, beautiful.

Since you are a cycling in beautiful places, maybe you could install Lexi on your bicycle's handlebar with a small gopro-ish camera directly behind her, so it looks like she is cycling herself.

It's funny when a small model scale figure meets upscaled figured like the yellow cyclist or mickey mouse.

And maybe install a tiny motor or something in the head. Everytime someone sits next to or reacts to her, she should slowly turn her head towards them.

Thanks! I don't see myself installing her on the handlebars of my racingbike. I'd need to put some contraption on it and tie her down. And putting a motor in her head seems very difficult to me. I don't want to ruin her pretty head!

Stryker2011 wrote:Great pictures in Germany. I like the MIG as well, and I don’t think it’s as bad as you may think.

Thanks. It's not really bad, but the composition of it is not quite right. The flags and the cars are a distraction. Nothing I could do about it though. Further the space was limited. The only good view which had a spot for Lexi to sit, was where I was standing. And from that spot, Lexi is very small compared to the MIG. I would have liked that she appeared bigger. But as I mentioned before, photographing her in front of big structures or objects has its challenges.

tankgirlfuzzy wrote:I really love these photos, they have such a range of expression from beautifully and artfully composed to somewhat silly but still brimming with humor and affection. You have a talent for photography, which is its own hobby and passion, and your Lexi is lucky to have such a skillful chronicler of her travels!

Please tell us what kind of equipment you use. I'm assuming a decent DSLR with macro lens. If you say you're using a cell phone I might just have to throw my stuff in the trash!   

I also really like the outfits you've given her, wish I could still wear clothes like that! 

Thank you! I've noticed a lot of the people here like to make realistic dioramas for their figures. I think of Lexi like a little pixie who goes around in our world. It's wonderful if I can take pictures of her where she appears to be bigger (or even a regular person), but often it's also fun to just show her in her actual size.

I regularly get her new outfits. So you'll get to see her in more different outfits.

I'm not using a cellphone, but not a DSLR either. I'm using a compactcamera. Currently a Sony iXUS 240. Getting good pictures is mostly about composition, although a better camera is an advantage. With a phone you can't really control much. And usually the lens of a phone isn't so good. Even a cheap camera like mine gives better (and easier) control over what you do, but it still has limitations. When photographing the MIG it refused to focus on Lexi. With a better camera you can always choose your point of focus. And it will have a better lens and even more control.

The next pictures show those challenges and limitations of a compactcamera. They were taken in the summer of 2017, again in France. At a dam at the Dordogne river, the Barrage de Bort-Les-Orgues. There's also a nice story with these pictures, because it's the first time I've been spotted taking pictures of Lexi, and I also had a conversation with the woman who saw me. When I started my photoshoot there was no-one nearby (even though I sometimes take pictures in places where there are some people in the vicinity, I always look for a spot where there are none nearby, although over time I've experienced that most people don't notice and if they they do rarely comment, so I'm getting a bit more comfortable with being seen).

When I was taking my pictures, I hadn't noticed a woman coming closer and also taking pictures of the dam. I only noticed her when I was about to relocate Lexi. I assumed she had already seen her, but when I picked up Lexi she started laughing, and she struck a modelling pose herself, as if to say that I was using Lexi as a model. Then she started talking about her brother who had a little dinosaur with which he did the same. The conversation was short, mostly one-sided (her talking and me nodding or sayin "oui"), and before I could find the words to say more, she already turned around, walked away and proceeded with taking her own pictures. I didn't get a negative vibe from her.

Then there is a picture of the trainstation in the town I was staying in (Riom-es-montagnes), which had a tourist train. And it also shows a new outfit.

And then some scenic views from nearby that town.

More fun travel pics! I particularly like the one with the trains!

Thank you! There's still more from that trip.

There was a castle nearby, unfortunetaly it was in restoration. But the view from there was nice. Then we went to the Col de la Serre and the Pas de Payrol, where Lexi wanted to take her picture with the colsign. Since the Pas de Peyrol was cramped with cars, we didn't stop there, but a little below the col there was a nice view, and there were still paintings on the road from the Tour de France the year before.

From there we continued to the Col de Neronne, where again she wanted proof that she climbed the col. These pictures were taken along the route of a cycling event that I participated a few days later and there were already signs of it, so she wanted her picture taken with one of them too.

From the col de Neronne the view in the valley and the lower lands to the east was truly amazing.

Lexi really does get around, doesn't she? I'm sure she appreciates all the beautiful places you take her, and the frequent stops to sit down. Too bad about that castle being obscured by the scaffolding. That would have been a glorious shot.

GubernatorFan wrote:Lexi really does get around, doesn't she? I'm sure she appreciates all the beautiful places you take her, and the frequent stops to sit down. Too bad about that castle being obscured by the scaffolding. That would have been a glorious shot.

Indeed she does. But as I mentioned before, I started taking her with me on holiday in 2014, so I've got a lot of old pics to post.

In the summer of 2018 she was in the Alps again. This time sometimes riding in a good position in my car. She climbed another colsign and enjoyed the view there. There was also  a small bikerace going on.

On the way home we stayed a few days near Metz, where she spotted a monument along a road. Surprisingly it was a german monument. The dates on it made it clear that is was for soldiers who had fallen during the Prussian-French war of 1870-71. There was also a small warcemetary on the other side of the road.

Then there's a picture of a typical french road: a long straight on rolling hills. And to end this post some pictures of an aquaduct in Ars-sur-Moselle. It looks roman, but is from the 12th century.

Those fake Romans! And if you're going to put her on your windshield, you should improvise a seat belt.

The light is quite nice in most of your travel photo! Good weather follows Lexi, it would seem!

I enjoyed seeing the Tour reminders on the pavement! Bardet, Barguil, Sagan... and Tony must be Tony Martin!

Perhaps Lexi needs a bicycle of her own!

GubernatorFan wrote:Those fake Romans! And if you're going to put her on your windshield, you should improvise a seat belt.

I probably should, because unbelted she can only ride it on the straights. Otherwise she's thrown around in the car (and that's not becasue of my driving style, but because there is so little friction that she easily slides off).

davidd wrote:The light is quite nice in most of your travel photo! Good weather follows Lexi, it would seem!

I enjoyed seeing the Tour reminders on the pavement! Bardet, Barguil, Sagan... and Tony must be Tony Martin!

Perhaps Lexi needs a bicycle of her own!

Thanks! Well, it's not much fun standing in the rain taking pictures. So I usually avoid that.

By now Lexi has her own transportation. Not a bicycle though. I'm going to skip a few trips to show it, before returning to the older trips.

She got a motorbike and a car (the motorbike is from Action Man, the car is from Barbie). I found both for €4 (each). The car is a bit to small. The actual scale of most Barbie cars is about 1:8. But if she's seated in it, it looks OK. Good thing about these is that they're easy to find for low prices (at least here in the Netherlands). I got both from marktplaats.nl, which is a trading site.

Some awesome shots. The story of the lady at the dam was funny. Glorious scenery, and like the Guv said — bummer about the castle being obscured by scaffolding. I like her motorcycle (looks like a BMW).

She looks great on the motorbike. The car shows its toy origins, but you're right, that's pretty much what you can expect from Barbie vehicles. If you can find one for a reasonable price (this was still doable a few years ago), the tan and red mini coopers (also convertibles) are slightly more realistic, although still a little undersized. I've used them here and there -- in the useful items thread and maybe Barbie De-Barbiefied (I forget).

Stryker2011 wrote:Some awesome shots. The story of the lady at the dam was funny. Glorious scenery, and like the Guv said — bummer about the castle being obscured by scaffolding. I like her motorcycle (looks like a BMW).

Thanks!
Indeed the scaffolding at the castle was unfortunate.

GubernatorFan wrote:She looks great on the motorbike. The car shows its toy origins, but you're right, that's pretty much what you can expect from Barbie vehicles. If you can find one for a reasonable price (this was still doable a few years ago), the tan and red mini coopers (also convertibles) are slightly more realistic, although still a little undersized. I've used them here and there -- in the useful items thread and maybe Barbie De-Barbiefied (I forget).

Thanks.
I think I've seen your pictures. I think the Fiat 500 is a bit better too (it's a small car in real life anyway).

Back to 2018. On the way home Lexi was sitting on the dashboard, enjoying the view. Pics were near Brussels, Antwerp, the border and close to home when the sun was setting.

The fireworks are from the next trip (again to France) in september 2018. I don't know what they were for. From our cabin we had a nice view at the lake. There were a lot of stairs to get to the lake though.

Another bunch of nice photos. But take that second shot and make it (digitally or by recreation) against a starry sky (or even a fireworks show) and you've got her hanging out on a spaceship, enjoying the view.

Thank you.

In september 2019 she visited an excavation in Germany. It's an enormous open mine. For these excavation (there are several in the area around Aachen) they moved highways and towns. There are still some remains of them to be found.
The excavated brown coal is transported to several (big) powerplants in the vicinity. All this travelling makes here hungry, so sometimes she takes time for lunch.

I was at that excavation mine not too long ago...I think in mid 2019. Cool to see your Lexi there.
PS: Even a 1/1 human would look tiny there

More adventures with Lexi! She has her own vehicles now, so she can head off without you tagging along!


I really like the outfit she is wearing in the forest and lake pictures.

That mine excavation is amazing!

Thanks Valiarde and Davidd.

Indeed it the excavation is enormous. The machines are gigantic too, but in the pictures they seem smaller than Lexi.

davidd wrote:More adventures with Lexi! She has her own vehicles now, so she can head off without you tagging along!

And she did that a lot last year, there's still a lot to come

Some more pics with her wearing that outfit. This time in the polders of the Netherlands and a windmill in the Eiffel region in Germany.

Perhaps Lexi can return to the Netherlands in winter... and take her ice skates!

More fun and colorful travel photos! Lexi is a most entertaining travel companion and guide!

The outfit is quite nice. I could use it for something I have in mind myself... More spectacular photos, as always. Just a little creeped-out about them moving highways and roads "just" to expand a mine... I hope you are careful with Lexi. Has she ever tumbled to the point of you having to make a difficult rescue?

davidd wrote:Perhaps Lexi can return to the Netherlands in winter... and take her ice skates!

More fun and colorful travel photos! Lexi is a most entertaining travel companion and guide!

Yes, she is very entertaining.
She is mostly in the Netherlands. There have been very few occasions with ice. Recently I have been looking for iceskates, but couldn't find any.

GubernatorFan wrote:The outfit is quite nice. I could use it for something I have in mind myself... More spectacular photos, as always. Just a little creeped-out about them moving highways and roads "just" to expand a mine... I hope you are careful with Lexi. Has she ever tumbled to the point of you having to make a difficult rescue?

What she is wearing is usually a combination of loose parts. The green top I bought separately, just like the shorts and the black boots, all on Ebay. I don't think they're available anymore.

The plaid skirt is from a schoolgirl-outfit, I think from Verycool. It came with a jacket, blouse, stockings, shoes and bag. She's wearing the outfit in post 32, but with a lingerieset instead of the stockings and blouse.

The black Adidas shoes came with the striped dress that she's been wearing in post 22. It came with a shopping bag and a black top. I've only used the shopping bag and top a few times. The shoes and dress often. Recently I found a site (with amazing pics) where someones figure was wearing the complete outfit: http://www.metropolitan-art.net/eun.html (in the second gallery). It's worth checking out this site, because they have amazing pictures there.

I always take care that I put Lexi in positions so that if she falls, I can easily retrieve her. So although sometimes it seems she is sitting on ledges with a deep fall, there's always solid ground at most a few meters away. Once she lost one of her shoes, that was in the shoot in post 22. She was wearing white pumps, but lost one of them, which is why she is not wearing shoes in that shoot. I only found that out when I was on the next location, but was able to go back and retrieve the shoe.

Now some pictures of her in her lingerie (might be NSFW). Usually I find the spots when I am on a cycling trip, and then later return (by car) with Lexi to make pictures. When I passed a town Sexey-sur-Forges, I had to make a picture of sexy Lexi on the sign. Unfortunately the sign was rather high, it was windy and she didn't sit very stable, so I was only able to take a few pictures and most didn't turn out well. In the car she rode a while on the dashboard and we saw a chicken crossing the highway (might be a bit bad to see, but the artwork in the center represents a chicken).

LOL... did you plan this ahead of time? Sexy lingerie Lexi on the Sexey sign? Or was it a lucky coincidence? Anyway, not showing anything particularly explicit, so ok.

Ha ha! I love it that after you spotted the road sign, you went home to get Lexi! That is a sign of a dedicated professional! (Or an obsessed lunatic! But as I have done the same sort of thing in the past, I prefer dedicated professional!)

some very nice shots... quite a bit to take in and digest

I love the changing outfits too!

More cool photos: from the fireworks to the dashboard shots. The shot of her on the railing looks like she’s sitting on a slide. And the shading her eyes from the sun is a cool pic, too. Awesome scenery as usual.

GubernatorFan wrote:LOL... did you plan this ahead of time? Sexy lingerie Lexi on the Sexey sign? Or was it a lucky coincidence? Anyway, not showing anything particularly explicit, so ok.

Sort of both. When I passed the sign on my biking tour, I thought that it'd be great to return there later and take a pic of Lexi there. Luckily she had packed her lingerie, so she was able to pose in it.

davidd wrote:Ha ha! I love it that after you spotted the road sign, you went home to get Lexi! That is a sign of a dedicated professional! (Or an obsessed lunatic! But as I have done the same sort of thing in the past, I prefer dedicated professional!)

Well, it's what I usually do on my holidays. One or two days of cycling.Then one day of no cycling and often taking some pics of Lexi. Repeat a few times.

Illusion wrote:some very nice shots... quite a bit to take in and digest

I love the changing outfits too!

Thanks! Lexi is usually dressed for the occasion. So if it's warmer, she's showing more skin. If it's colder she's more covered up.

Even though I'm now posting last year's pics, there's still a lot to come, because last summer I took a enormous amount of pictures. There will be some stories too, and she will meet some more figures (as in: not mine).

Stryker2011 wrote:More cool photos: from the fireworks to the dashboard shots. The shot of her on the railing looks like she’s sitting on a slide. And the shading her eyes from the sun is a cool pic, too. Awesome scenery as usual.

Thanks! I never looked at the railing pics that way, but you're right.

After Sexey-sur-Forges (which is near Nancy), we went to the Alps. There she enjoyed the view on the slopes of the col de Marocaz, which is quite steep. (That was actually a bit of a surpise to me, it was my first col of that vacation, and intended to be to get into climbing again. I didn't really know it. It was a 7 or 8 km climb, and I was surprised that most kilometersigns gave percentages over 10%. Which is kinda steep to climb). The view into the valley was wonderful. So I returned a few days later with Lexi. Although unfortunetaly the view was to the south, so against the sun. But still the pictures turned out nice.











The next pictures were taken on the slopes of the Mont de Cats (which figured in the Tour the France a few times in recent years). From the eastern slopes there is a wonderful view over the lake. We went over the top to enjoy the view over the valley (from various viewpoints until almost below).

In that last photo, it looks like if Lexi had slipped off the railing, she would have bounced down the hillside!