Spotlight #11, Which Subaru Would You Buy Now, Reliving Adventures with Photo Shuffle

Hey there!

I hope the month of July is starting well for you! As a reminder, I’ll start publishing twice a month next month, so look for two editions. Here’s what is coming up:

• Adventurer Spotlight #11

• Which Subaru Would You Buy Now? (Poll)

• Reliving Your Adventures with Photo Shuffle Lock Screens

• Subie & YOU! Podcast Monthly Rewind

• Quick Hit Items in the Wrap-Up

Adventurer Spotlight #11 with @eggcellentvp & @kristin_guajardo

Welcome to the Adventurer Spotlight, an interview series with Adventurers from our newsletter about their life with their Subaru. Here, we find out more about the person behind the wheel and get inspired to embark on new adventures.

Before we get to this month’s feature, I’d like to thank Jim / @LittleRubySubie again for being in last month’s Spotlight. Now, let’s jump into our 11th edition!

Introduction

I’m Eric Guajardo, born in Racine, WI, which is right outside Milwaukee; Go Pack Go! Currently living in San Antonio, TX (4th time living here). What started out as a hobby is also my profession since 2014, working in various aspects of digital media as a camera operator, video editor, and photographer. This past February, I just completed 4 years as a Visual Production Specialist with T&T Consulting Services at Fort Sam Houston. IG: eggcellentvp ( EV+P )

My wife Kristin Guajardo, born in Wichita Falls, TX, was living just south of Fort Worth, TX, in Burleson when she met me and moved to San Antonio so we could spend the rest of our lives together. She has spent 15+ years as an Optician helping people choose the right eyewear to see their world in a better way. IG: kristin_guajardo

Which Subaru do you own? What do you like most about it?

We have two Foresters!

2021 Forester Sport

Exceptionally smooth ride, visual aesthetics from the Sport trim, AWD (one of the biggest draws to Subaru). Funny thing, we bought this one before the 2016.

2016 Forester Base Premium

Bought it this year because it only had 24k miles on it and looked brand new still. Sold my 2020 Camry Nightshade Edition for this Subaru. We love that this model is less techy and will be easier to maintain as repairs are needed as it ages.

Why did you choose a Subaru? How many have you owned?

There are a handful of reasons:

• Our first trip to Big Bend National Park was for our honeymoon, traveled in an Audi A4. We knew that wasn’t a great vehicle to explore the outdoors but it’s what we had. Maybe we should have taken the old Toyota Corolla :) After not being able to access certain roads, not having enough space, and running octane boosters to try and keep the engine going since supreme gas can not be found in the high mountain desert region of Texas...

• The AWD for the price and all the reasons above.

• Also for Buddy, our dog 😊 

These are the first two we’ve ever owned.

Have you made any modifications?

2021 - No mods, just had the hitch installed when we purchased it at the dealer.

2016 - Planning to mod this one. So far we have only tinted windows & installed BougeRV Roof Rack Cross Bars; nothing fancy but it will work for our future plans.

What would you like to add to your setup?

2021 - Planning to tint windows like the 2016, will keep the same sport rims, planning to purchase Nitto Nomad Grappler once stock tires wear out.

2016 - Roof rack, going to powder coat stock rims black, Nitto Nomad Grapplers, install hitch, light bar, roof basket. Maybe someday a lift also. 😄

Favorite road trip? Or favorite thing to do in your Subaru?

Big Bend National Park & Davis Mountains. We love the views from our Subie while out on the road.

Have a favorite picture of your car?

These two during our last trip driving from Big Bend National Park to the Davis Mountains.

Where would you like to travel to next with the Subie?

Back to Big Bend in the spring. We’ve always gone in the late fall, so it’s time to change it up. Time to do some primitive camping or backpacking.

What, if anything, would you do differently, or change, about your Subie?

If anything, I think about making one of them more of a street vehicle. Something like this Forester XT, “The Dad Van“, even though ours isn’t an XT. It can look cool but be slow. :)

A big thank you to Eric and Kristin for being in the Spotlight! They are the first couple that have been featured, and with two Foresters! Much appreciated!

🗳️ Which Subaru Would You Buy Now?

Subaru released its sales figures for June the other day, and the Outback was the top-selling model for the month, with 16,225 vehicles sold. The Crosstrek (13,802) and Forester (10,669) took silver and bronze, respectively. Here's the rest of the breakdown:

Even though I just bought my Crosstrek earlier this year, this got me thinking about which Subaru I would buy now if I were in the market. I'm not interested in the Solterra, Legacy, or Impreza, and while I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy the BRZ, I need a more practical vehicle. The Ascent is nice but bigger than I'm looking for, and even though my son is driving it, I still have the Forester XT that I can drive now and then. If a wagon version of the WRX was available, I'd be all over it, but it's not. So that narrows it down to the Outback and Crosstrek.

I really like the Outback Wilderness, and I like the Crosstrek Wilderness, even though it went overboard with the cladding, and I'd like to see it in person before passing final judgment. All that said, if I were buying again, I'd go with the Outback Wilderness.

But I’m curious, what about you? Please take the poll and let me know! I'll share the results in the next newsletter.

📸 Reliving Your Adventures With Photo Shuffle Lock Screens

Note: Sorry, my green bubble friends, this is for my iPhone people. There might be something similar for Android; I'm not sure. If there is, let me know, and I'll pass it along!

We're moving towards iOS 17, but before we get there, I want to share an excellent feature of iOS 16. One of the headline features in this version of iOS is multiple Lock Screens, each with customizable fonts, widgets, and wallpapers. And while there are several options for wallpapers, the one that has been so great for me is Photo Shuffle.

I can't tell you how many times it has resurfaced pictures of my kids, trips we've taken together, our pets, and the places we've been, many of which had been lost in the mess of the photo library. It has been selecting great photos, and the extra bit of magic is how the OS identifies the best part of the photo to display as the wallpaper. It's been a constant source of joy since it was released, and the always-on display of the iPhone 14 Pro only adds to it by making the images visible when they update throughout the day as I glance at my phone.

If you haven't tried Photo Shuffle, I highly recommend it, and here's how to set it up:

1. Tap and hold on the Lock Screen, or go to the Settings app > Wallpaper > +Add new wallpaper.

2. Tap Photo Shuffle at the top of the options.

3. There are four photo categories to choose from: People, Pets, Nature, and Cities. I have all four selected, but you can tap to disable any you don't want.

4. Set the Shuffle Frequency. Again, there are four options: On Tap, On Lock, Hourly, and Daily. I have mine set to Hourly.

5. Lastly, you can use featured photos or select them manually. I've been using featured photos.

Apple has a KB article that covers it and also includes the details on changing the clock style, adding widgets, and more. Check it out, it really is a fantastic way to surface memories from your adventures!

PS - If you like things like this, you'd like Apple Talk, my newsletter for people that love Apple devices. You can sign up for it for free right here. 

🎧 Subie & YOU! Podcast Monthly Rewind

Here's a recap of last month's guests on the show:

E127 - Robert Champion - Subie Events
Robert Champion Owner / Event Director at Subiefest, Wicked Big Meet, Boxerfest, & Big Northwest joins the podcast to talk about Subie Events, his Subaru journey, and his passion for the community. They have a great conversation about the team behind the annual events we all know and love and what all goes into each event.

E126 - MtnRoo - Vic
Vic, founder of @mtn_roo joined the show to talk about his Subaru journey, owning lots of Subarus, and the origin and progression of MtnRoo.

E125 - Scarlet Outback
Ky joined Rafael to talk about her Outback and adventures with her Subie. They got into conversations about different Subaru groups she is a part of and talked a bit about photography as well. She also talks about her furry travel buddy who is always up for an adventure as well.

E124 - PNW Pearl Outback
Kimberly joined the show to talk about her Outback and Subaru journey. Kimberly is getting out proving what can be done with a daily driven Outback on the Rallycross course! She also talks about traveling and getting out with Subie friends and her new Rallycross family.

Remember, you can subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app, or listen online here. My thanks to Rafael for his ongoing support of the newsletter!

🎁 The Wrap-Up

🚗 Meet the man who collects old Subarus in an underground car park in Japan. An incredible collection with some great photos. Highly recommended.

📅 Reminder: SubieFest California is coming up later this month (7/23) at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA. All the details can be found here.

👕 Pick up a shirt! A fine collection of Subie Adventures T-shirts and more is available if you'd like to grab one to support the page and newsletter. Thanks!

That’s all for now!

Tom Anderson
Subie Adventures