Photo happiness

The past month, and longer, I’ve not been myself, trapped in being unwell, with no energy left for anything I normally do. The fog is lifting, sun is breaking up the shadows and I am feeling much more like my usual mermaid self.

Some recent-ish photos that I love, and that make me feel happy, just because. Small slices of happiness are worth sharing! And the story of what’s been going on with me will be coming soon. It’s nice to feel I’m coming out the other side of it now.

 

Spiderwebs and glowing light. Nature’s art.

 

I adore old books!

This was actually set up for a photo shoot I was working on with Husband, he was doing an interview and thought he wanted the chair. I just loved this shot I took as I was setting up. No reason. It just spoke to me.

 

playing around, waiting for another photo shoot to start. I think I want to get this one framed.

Rich color and contrasts. Swoon.

A happy little flower, content with its face in the sun, and not afraid of the dark behind it. Yes.

yes please – sunshine and green and a proud little flower.

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Tales of a weekend getaway

Hubby and I needed a recharging weekend, he’s been very stressed at work, and I needed some relaxing, outdoor time.

I found Pilot Knob Inn, a charming B&B located about two hours away from home, out past Winston-Salem.

Before checking in, we went to Hanging Rock State Park, hiked up to the bouldering field and got to try our first attempt at outdoor bouldering. Now because we didn’t have any bouldering pads or anything, we stayed really low to the ground, so we wouldn’t get hurt if we fell. It was frustrating, because we very much wanted to climb higher and play on the rocks more, but we were suitably wary of broken bones or worse.

The bouldering field was incredible, I described it as a giant’s playground. Huge big rocks, climb a little path and find even more around the corner. We will definitely be going back!

Then we went to check in to our little log cabin!

Isn’t it darling? We completely fell in love with it. It was the honeymoon suite 🙂

Our front porch! We stood out here and watched an awesome thunderstorm.

There were four kittens who lived under our porch. They were happy to sit on the porch with us, but wouldn’t let us pet them. Their mom checked us out, and decided we were mostly harmless.

I love pink kitten feet

Kitten pile!!

Isn’t this peaceful and beautiful? I felt so relaxed staying here.

Our birdhouse at the cabin

Hubby and a pup who lived on the property, love at first sight for both.

A rare mermaid on a bridge sighting

Hubby on swinging bridge

Some of the  yummy fruit spread I had for breakfast today

Today, we drove up to Pilot Mountain.

Then went to a nearby vineyard

I didn’t know there were fast grapes and slow grapes

But even though they are slow grapes, they are hard workers

And they make lovely wines!

And that was our weekend! We came home feeling relaxed and that we had a chance to unwind, and really get away from everything, even though we were only gone for two days.

Hooray for mini getaways!

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let’s get macro in here

Flowers. Macro. Love!

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Lovely, delicious blooming

For Savannah, Brandi, Lira, Jess, and all the other lovely souls who are blooming into themselves and beginning to tap their great potential — including me!

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Spring springs

Spring begins to step out of her shell early here

but still reluctantly

Trees, dipped in cotton candy pink paint, have begun to pop up here and there

Buds and morning dew are artfully arranged on trees like christmas lights

Birds chatter happily to each other in the mornings

while geese fly about sounding bossy

But Spring is still timid, too timid to spring up all at once

and everytime she starts to warm up and allow herself to be seen and felt

Winter grumbles and complains and tries to squash her spirit

And Spring will play along for a while, letting Winter think he is winning

But Spring is not one to hide herself away forever

She is all about making a proper entrance, when she will be most appreciated and loved.

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Views from Hanging Rock

B and I went out hiking on Saturday, to Hanging Rock State Park, out by Winston-Salem.

Come enjoy the summit with us, won’t you?

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Photos from a quiet lunch

I have a confession. I am a work drone. I very, very rarely take a lunch. I bring my lunch almost every day, eat at my desk, usually working. The rare times I leave it is to go to the bank, or maybe pick up lunch and then go right back to my desk. And then I wonder why it feels like I don’t have time for me, time for my photography, time for writing.

So the other day, when I was heading out the door, I grabbed my camera, grabbed my journal and planned to *gasp* leave the office building and go enjoy some time doing things I love.

I work at Duke University and on the far side of campus is Duke Gardens.

I found this to be so calming

I loved this little girl. I am always a little uncomfortable taking pictures of children, because I worry that their parents will think I am some kind of camera freak who takes pictures of strangers’ children.

If you look closely, there is a bird behind the boat.

When the world wearies and ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden.

I returned to work calm and energized and feeling like I had had a mini vacation during the work day. I’m going to try to do something like this once a week.

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Sometimes, you just need to feel the rain

This morning, I was completely exhausted. Coffee didn’t help. I felt like I was moving at half-speed, at best. I figured by the time I got home, I would just fall over and go to bed for the night.

But a lot of water and some fresh-squeezed orange juice got me feeling like myself again, to the point where I wanted to run when I got home from work. But we were expecting thunder storms, the sky was darkening quickly and the muggy stickiness outside made it seem like a thunderstorm was indeed on the way. So, instead of a run in the neighborhood, I jumped on the treadmill and had a great workout.

I stepped outside, into the air that had cooled off just enough, with a light rain falling and smelling the clean smell of earth and rain. I began to stretch, to cool down, and the more I was out in the lightly falling rain, the more stress and anxiety and worries just seemed to wash away. I began to do sun salutations in the rain, getting my hands dirty and muddy, letting the rain wash me clean of everything except feeling alive and connected to the earth.

Sometimes, you just need to feel the rain on your face, feel the dirt on your hands and just breathe in the clean smell of grass and dirt and rain and evening, and just know that at that moment, everything is ok.

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Walk in a green wood

Walk in a green wood with me

Past a brook, tripping and racing through the trees, not caring where it is going, it trusts its path

Feel the earth grow and awaken beneath your feet

Birds watch from the trees, some singing with joy, others silent observers

Walk in a green wood

Where the scents are new and possibilities unfurl like the tender leaves reaching for their moment in the sun

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Come play in Ogunquit, ME

On Saturday, after we wandered around Portsmouth, NH, we headed up the road to Ogunquit, ME, maybe 20 minutes away. I love Ogunquit, it is one of my favorite spots. The ocean, the cliffs, the cute little town, the beach that goes on forever.

Brian had been on the outskirts of town, but he had never been down to the beach or walked along the Marginal Way.

Walk with me, won’t you?

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