We hiked Mt. Rogers last year with our kids. Mt. Rogers is the highest peak in the state of Virginia (5729 ft), and the entire hike is in the open like this, with nearly 360 degree views of the Appalachians. This is possibly my favorite hike that I’ve ever done. Unfortunately my theme does not do landscape photos justice – click the images for a larger view.
For Photography 101: Landscape.
I was captivated by the textures and the rustic architecture at this old mill off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Floyd county, Virginia.
I was totally into this Photography 101: Architecture assignment.
I can’t resist greenery growing from the fissures of stones. Rocks seem an unlikely place for plants to take root. Granite is unyielding. It says: keep out, you cannot penetrate me.
And yet. There are little flowers that do. Every time I see green growing from stone, I am reminded of the persistence of life. And I am glad.
For Photography 101: A Pop of Color.
Our family has two go-to hikes in Blacksburg: the Cascades and, my personal favorite, Dragon’s Tooth. Even though my stomach lurches when I watch our kids crawl around on a jagged rock that juts over the edge of a mountain, the crag is impressive and I can’t keep away from it.
Plus, it reminds me of funny conversations about animals farting in the woods.
Trying to post a photo each weekday in November. I think I’ve succeeded so far. I’ve lost count. What day is it? Who’s the president? What’s my name? Here’s my entry for Photography 101: Landmark.
We are a family of hikers. The four of us pile into the car and drive off into the hills to hang out with each other and explore nature.
When we don’t have time for a full blown hike in the mountains, our kids and I like to connect with each other and with nature in walks through our neighborhood. We pull our Flower Fairies books off the shelves and go out into the world, equipped with poetry.
The photograph shows our daughter on a chilly autumn day bidding farewell to summer with “The Song of the Marigold Fairy.”
I thought I’d take this Photo101: Connect challenge all the way: this is my first post ever that was shot, written, edited, and published entirely from my phone.
One of the biggest challenges of transitioning from stay-at-home mom to full-time-working-mom has been carving out time for errands, time for exercise, and the element I yearn for most: time for creativity. Which, for me, means quiet time. Alone.
I decided to experiment this week by scheduling a work day on Saturday and taking a flex day today. I had a hair appointment at 9 AM – grooming! a first step in starting to figure out this work-life balance thing – and made a long list of errands I’m rarely able to get to anymore during the week: bank, post office, library, kids’ school.
When I saw that the day’s photography challenge was Solitude, I grabbed my camera and added “photos” to my list.
I was inspired by my photo-genius coworker, Jen Hooks, who blogs at lightcandy: she is not pulling photos from her archives for the Photography 101 course many of us are taking. She is aiming to get behind her lens every day and shoot new work. And with a day off, I wanted to do the same.
The first thing I thought of on this cold, misty November day, when I had the day all to myself, was the cemetery. Is that weird? It called to me with its emptiness, and its silence. Though my days have no noise, my mind feels loud. I feel like I’m rushing all the time – rushing to get the kids’ lunch boxes packed, rushing to throw the dishes in the dishwasher, rushing to get the kids to sports, rushing to take my shower, rushing to “get to work” (down in my basement office).
There’s no rush at the cemetery. It is quiet. It is peaceful. It is slow-paced.
It was exactly the stillness, and the solitude, I needed.
I shot these photos for Photography 101: Solitude, and for Jen Hooks’ Minimalist challenge.
Butterfly Mind 