While on the way to meet my parents and son in Charlottesville for a Mothers Day lunch, I took a brief detour to King Family Vineyard.
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the vineyard offers near 360 views.
The visit was brief (just one little sip of wine),
but the detour was worth it (even if I did get fussed at for pulling over onto the grass to catch this reflection).
The best part of the day, though? Time with my parents and son!
Hope the day was lovely for you as well!
Life on the Bike and Other FabThings has been about much more than motorcycles, especially through this very cold, icy winter. Thankfully, photography and travel are a big part of this blog, too. Now that warmer temperatures are finally here, I can once again combine all three.
Photo Credit: Cherie Yost
Seven bikes with ten friends riding, set out yesterday morning for Burnt Chimney, Virginia, a small community in Franklin, VA, near Smith Mountain Lake. Led by Dave, we rode 150 miles on back roads and the Blue Ridge Parkway, where this view was our reward for the ride. You’ve heard me praise the beauty of this part of the world many times, and this photo is just a bit more evidence to support the claim.
The next stop was Sunken City Brewing Company, a small, fairly new craft brewery near Smith Mountain Lake.
We were all so happy to be out of the house, out of the routine, and enjoying time with friends and on the bike.
Next stop: Mangos Bar and Grill at Smith Mountain Lake.
We toasted a return to warm weather riding, live music, good pub food, and friendship.
I wished I’d gotten this guy’s name. He sure entertained the crowd, and gave me the opportunity to play with my camera.
(this is an advanced peek at my Monochromia post for Saturday … shhhhh)
What a great day on the bike!
We’ve built a Sunday ride into the weekend campaign schedule. Saturdays are for knocking doors, and I’ll be on the phone making calls for four hours on Sunday evenings.
Photo Credit: Cherie Yost
But Sunday daytime? It’s all about the ride!
My contribution to Monochromia today was inspired by Pauline.
The story, as I noted on my Monochromia post was this:
As we left our Old Town Alexandria restaurant that night, Pauline pointed across the street and said “Look Laurie! That would make a great picture; like film noir” (that’s not an exact quote, by the way).
And she was right! All that was missing was a guy or gal, leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette.
Well, a tripod was missing, too (obviously), but thanks Pauline, for being the inspiration behind this shot.
When you saw the title of this post, did you think about sun, tourists, and Disney World? While those things certainly are identified with Florida, that’s not the Florida that I experienced almost 2 months ago.
Those of you who know me will not be surprised to learn that just going over the Sunshine Skyway was exciting! I wish Donna could have stopped the car but for some reason she didn’t think the Florida troopers would appreciate that too much 🙂 I do love a bridge and I’d have loved to have been on the bike!
My welcoming committee!
My three day visit was jam packed! In fact, we rarely stopped exploring. A brief, early morning visit to the beach …
… was followed by a stop at the Sarasota Farmer’s Market.
Is this not the perfect view for lunch and a cold beer?
We spent time at the Myakka River State Park and it was during our time there that I KNEW I needed a zoom lens! Visitors to Myakka can enjoy “the land in its natural state, a piece of the REAL FLORIDA”.
The Birds! The Gators! The Trees!
“Myakka protects one of the state’s most diverse natural areas. The Myakka River, designated as a Florida Wild and Scenic River, flows through 58 square miles of wetlands, prairies, hammocks, and pinelands. Visitors can enjoy wildlife viewing from a boardwalk that stretches out over the Upper Myakka Lake, then take to the treetops with a stroll along the canopy walkway”
And then there’s the Canopy Walk!
76 feet high, the walkway offers an incredible view over the park. It was a bit hazy that day, but you’ll still be able to appreciate the vista.
The Airboat tour brought us up close and personal to the gators and other wildlife.
On our last evening, we took a long leisurely walk around the neighborhood, admiring the trees, flowers, and the sunset.
It was a wonderful 3 day getaway, one that ended far too quickly. I’m already looking forward to next year and time with my dear friends!
Friday afternoon. What a lovely site to see at the end of the work week.
Saturday’s Arbor Day Tree Planting was a success and the rain didn’t stop me from going to door to door.
And now, it’s Blog to Blog via WP!
This image is my contribution to Monochromia this week. As always, I encourage you to check out the work of the fabulous photographers who share their work on that fine blog devoted to B&W Photography.
Late yesterday, I finally edited the photos from a trip that I took almost 2 months ago. After planting some trees this morning and spending the day knocking doors and introducing myself to the people in the 12th District, I’ll be back to post the images.
Enjoy this day, my friends!
The past 13 weeks have found me taking 13 different trips, some for work, some for the campaign, and thankfully, several for fun.
With so much to process, both in my mind and in Lightroom, I was glad to find a few minutes to work on the photos from my first ever 5K event.
Many of you are runners, or have participated in a 5K before. I’m a pretty physically active gal, but you know me … if I have a few extra minutes, I can usually be found on the bike and / or with my camera. Together with my friends Amy, Lisa, Connie, and Sherry, I participated in a 5K in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I walked, ran, skipped and danced my way through the course, although to be honest, most of the running occurred when I was trying to catch the following images.
We started off early, in fact we walked to the race course in the dark.
The music kept us moving and the sights of the people kept my camera busy.
As you can tell, the Diva theme extended to a lot of pink, and many tutus! Even the gentleman holding this sign was wearing a tutu.
Boas and tiaras were given out as we neared the finish line.
We were offered water by the Diva Entourage,
but once across the finish line we were toasted with champagne.
Beer was also available.
As the 5K runners / walkers finished, the 1/2 marathoners were still on the course.
As each 1/2 marathoner crossed the finish line, she was met by the cheers of the crowd and the announcement of her name. I felt such pride for these women. For their preparation, their endurance, and their success. I was inspired.
Because indeed … you don’t have to go fast, you just have to go.
My contribution to Monochromia this week. My comments there about this image were:
The morning found me back on the road again, and I was rushing to keep on time. This scene made me stop the truck, run across the road, and wander around shooting in the dew soaked median for just a bit.
Yet another reason to love photography … the chance to stop, to breathe, and to capture the beauty that surrounds us.
If you have visited yet, Monochromia is a blog devoted to Black & White images, with contributions made from photographers the world over.
We’ve all said it, and many of you have as well.
WordPress Blogging has become so much more than we ever thought it would be. What started out as travel diary, forum for writing, sharing of photography, enlightenment about art, gardening, or crafting, or keeping up with family has become a community of international friends.
Over the last several days, 8 WP bloggers from 3 countries and 2 states, have met in various locations to continue in person, the relationships that have been forged through the world of blogging.
Laurie, Boomdee, Pauline, Alys, and Julia in Old Town Alexandria.
We marveled that while most of us had never met each other, we talked and laughed as if we’d known each other for years.
Which, of course, we had.
Laurie, Stacy, Boomdee, Alys, Lisa, Pauline, and Patty in Georgetown
What might have seemed unusual to friends and family (“you’re letting someone you’ve never met stay in your home?”), to us seemed natural. No doubts.
Our days have been full of laughter, many hugs, lots of delicious food and the sharing of stories.
Pauline, Shelley, Boomdee, Alys
We’re still in the middle of this amazing gathering of friends, but I wanted to share the joy, because of course, there are so many of you out there that I would love to meet!
Let’s get to planning. I promise it is worth the effort!
We’ve got another couple days here in Radford before I put Boomdee, Kelly, and Pauline on the train back to DC. Until the, we’ll fill every single moment with the joy of being together.
And now, while the others get a bit more rest, I’m off to work on the campaign for a couple hours.
The WordPress world, and the bloggers who live in that world, have been so good to me! In just a few short days, 5 in fact, according to the countdown widget, I’ll be meeting with women that I’ve come to know through blogging. Energized excitement is flowing from Canada to New Zealand to California all the way to Virginia and DC.
There are many others who blog on WP that I’ve come to know and love, and today I want to tell you about one of them – cat lovers, pay attention! Suffragette Kitty is written by Louisa May Alcatt “a reincatation of one of the world’s most notable women”. LMA is “a tortie with cattatude, who despite a 125-year cat nap, remains passionate about women’s rights”.
A visit to Suffragette Kitty offers a great education about many of history’s notable women. I’m always inspired and in fact, after reading one post, was moved to donate to Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House. What a fascinating family the Alcotts were!
Just the other day, the mail carrier delivered inspiration for my campaign from LMA and her publicist (Maureen, the writer of the blog). The Votes for Women items seen in these photos are a reminder that not only was there a time when women were not able to vote; they were also of course, not able to run for office.
LMA tells me that Marmee – Abigail May Alcott – lobbied for a woman’s right to vote from age 16 until her dying day at 77. While she never lived to see her dream come true, she paved the way for women today. LMA says “in my opinion, Marmee was an unsung Women’s Rights Activist”. I love this sachet and hope, that as LMA intended, that it brings me luck.
Thank you, LMA, for this wonderful gift, which brought a huge smile to my face and warmth to my heart.
I feel truly blessed.
Life on the Bike and other Fab Things 