I went out for a camping trip last week for just shy of three days with my family. We like to go out and enjoy the mountains every few months if we can get together and line up our schedules. It is always a challenge to think of new ways to photograph the same place and I hope I achieved a few new images this time. I am still following the editing style I used in my most recent DC trip post and am hoping to liken back to how film images can look.

On a side note, I know I have been MIA here on the blog and that’s mainly due to several weeks of disabling pain in my wrists and hands. I am on the mend finally and look forward to future blog posts.

Enjoy!

The first craft I did in my down time was a handmade book with three signatures, decorative papers, graph paper, and a sewn binding. I thought it turned out fairly well. This image isn’t the best, but the lighting in the cabin is always fairly dim due to our main light source being the skylights.

How do you make something ordinary look interesting? Try a different angle! Or editing style. Or depth of field. I was trying to show mayapple and ferns here in these following images. The ferns were just getting to the end of unraveling their new leaves.

My other project was a miniature house that my sister bought at Hobby Lobby. I painted it red and white, added a decoupaged blue roof and a glittering gold chimney. It is patriotic and was just made in time for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. Red, white, and blue always strikes me as an attractive color combination.

You can usually count on me to include some creek water photos. I like how cropping in on the water makes it look so abstract and painterly.

We were just in time to see the irises bloom and the first day lily bloom! They are so beautiful and healthy out there in the forest soil. Most irises in central Virginia have sprung open by now, but you can usually count on the mountains being a couple weeks behind due to the cooler temperatures.

These wild columbine leaves caught my attention on the one walk I was able to do. I was restricted in my adventures due to pain in my ankles and knees as wells as the pain in my wrists and hands, but I always like to check on this patch of columbine.

It was really great to get out into the cool weather of the mountains for a bit and enjoy the clean air. My allergies cleared up while out there, which was a huge relief. My dad and my sister had the opposite problem – oh my! One of my favorite things, besides the bountiful nature, is the lack of cell service and electricity. Being disconnected for a few days at a time is so refreshing! It challenges you to find more interest in your surroundings rather than choosing to occupy your time with Netflix or mobile games. It is great to enjoy the things we take for granted – trees, wildlife, and beautiful landscapes. Plus you don’t have to worry about phone calls!

Well, have a wonderful week and I hope you will return sometime soon. Thanks!