Shenandoah

Our trip to Shenandoah was a wet one this year. I love that park and skyline drive, so my expectations were very high. Unfortunately the weather was not ideal. (Picture us huddled in a lean-to at the top of hawksbill mountain with 30 incoming college freshmen on an orientation backpacking trip.). Some of our favorite hikes to summits that usually have spectacular views, gave us nothing but fog. Since we were up in the clouds, the rain didn't fall as much as it seemed to float in the air all around you. Even so, we managed to stay mostly dry. Little Tommy was the happiest camper of all. We did 7 different hikes, around 11 miles total. Even with the bad weather, there was a lot of beauty. Like the ferns at the base of stony man. Or when the clouds parted briefly for us at the top of blackrock. And of course, on our drive home it was sunny and beautiful, so we stopped at some of our favorite overlooks.

pretty things

Here are a few nice images to look at.  I made some sample flower arrangements for Becca.  I took their pics again, this time in Avalon.

 

Cascade Lake

We decided to check out this Hampstead MD attraction yesterday. It is a lake with water slides, diving platforms, and a splash pad. The kids had a fun afternoon with friends.

Engagement photos

This was a practice round for us. The sky was dooms-day dark on the evening that Becca and Jeff were there, so we didn't have good conditions to start with. But, they're good lookin people so I think the pics turned out good anyway. Hopefully our round 2 will be perfect.












With my assistants. Kids are really good for getting natural smiles.

ocean City

I loved having my new camera lens at the beach! We had a great time with family. I have too many pictures to share this time.



Because of a storm off the coast, the waves were huge, and at high tide mass chaos ensued when the waves soaked the crowded beach. Our chairs floated away in the tide pool. Most people scrambled, but not this guy.

It was the perfect pool for Libby to play in.

Nana and papa got to meet baby Thomas.


Becca and Jeff came too!

And mom-mom and I got to sit out on the balcony with the early risers.

Libby was willing to let me practice on her in the good light in the evening.

Then Jer took a turn behind the lens.

Our new lens

Our camera got new eyes yesterday. Bower 35mm 1.4f prime lens.

I hardly want to put it down!

I'm walking around practicing my manual focus skills. Thankfully with the Nikon d40 it still allows me to adjust aperture through the camera body, and I can use A,S, and P modes. The lack of autofocus may be a bit harder for Jer since his vision is blurry anyway. But it does give a focus confirmation dot.
I'm just taking random pics of pickles and flowers, but that will change very soon!










I've wondered if stopping to take pictures during experiences somehow detracts from the experience itself. Sometimes I'm sure it does. But for me, most of the time it adds to the experience because taking pictures is fun! That's why my kids always want to do it:-) It's fun to try to compose an image that captures what you see and how you feel. That saves one version of yourself or your baby or your surroundings.
It's fun to look at them later and remember. And remembering helps me to have gratitude.