Tag Archives: Photography

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Good Friends and Votes for Women!

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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.

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Thank you, LMA, for this wonderful gift, which brought a huge smile to my face and warmth to my heart.

I feel truly blessed.

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Until Tomorrow

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It was lovely to visit many of your blogs this evening, which kept me from doing much work on the photos from my recent trip to Florida.

There’s always tomorrow, right?  G’Night Ya’ll!

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Myakka River

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A wonderful weekend in Florida with friends was well worth the craziness of life upon my return.  The Myakka River, designated as a Florida Wild and Scenic River, flows through 58 square miles of wetlands, prairies, hammocks, and pinelands in the Myakka River State Park.

And while I cannot wait to share stories and photos, I’m firmly convinced it is time for a zoom lens!

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I look forward to checking out your latest posts!

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Infinity … at Keswick Hall

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Isn’t it incredible how sometimes all we need is 24 hours away from life’s routines and life’s chaos?

We drove through a snow storm to get to Keswick Hall and while there, soaked up the many comforts that we found.  Next time, we’ll make sure to enjoy the heated infinity pool.

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The steam rising off the water added a misty quality to the images,

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whether in color or in monochrome.

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Beautiful scenery in a historic building, incredible food and drink, and a wonderful friendship = 24 hours of fabulous!

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How incredibly lucky am I?

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Keswick Hall

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The destination was Keswick Hall, a 100 year old resort just outside of Charlottesville, VA.  The purpose was a long planned reunion with a dear friend from college.  Jan has been a big part of my life through the years, and was instrumental in my recovery from the motorcycle accident.

The drive to get there?  Near whiteout conditions (cell phone image)

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I left early in the morning, hoping to beat the snow but instead spent almost 5 hours driving through it (the drive would normally take 2 1/2).  It was certainly not the deepest or the worst, but driving through any snowstorm is challenging.

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You know me though.  I am nothing if not up for an adventure, and oh, how glad I am that we didn’t reschedule this 24 hour getaway to Keswick Hall.

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“Built in 1912 as a gorgeous Italianate-style estate, the property was converted to a country club in 1948, and restored in the early 1990s as part of the world-class hotel that now graces a most beautiful piece of Virginia countryside”.

Keswick, at least for us, is one of those once in a lifetime type places to visit.

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An historic home, beautifully renovated, Keswick is a place where “guests feel as though they are visiting a grand country estate rather than a hotel”.

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Our plan was to take a tour of 4 of the 30 wineries in the Charlottesville area, but once we arrived in safety, we decided to nestle in.

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What an incredible place in which to ride out a snowstorm!

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In the next post, I’ll share some indoor images of Keswick Hall.

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Cheers to a fabulous reunion!

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Frozen in Time

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Actually I wish I was frozen in time!  As it is, time is rushing right past me!

It’s been 7 whole days since I have posted!  Those of you have followed me for the past 2 1/2 years know what a record that is.  I’ve enjoyed the few moments I’ve had to photograph winter, while most of my time has been devoted to the campaign.  Thankfully, I’ve found a few moments to get by many of your blogs.  You’ve been doing some great work!

Stay tuned!

Later this weekend, if you have time to stop back by, you’ll be learning about a fabulous 24 hour getaway with a dear friend.

Stay warm my friends!!

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Snowshadows

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So many things draw our eyes during and after a snowfall.  It was the shadows on the snow that turned my head this day.

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The brilliant sun after a snowfall casts the most wonderful shadows on the snow.

And aren’t those snow sparkles fun?

They bring a smile to my face even on a zero degree morning. The sun sure helps, too!

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Stay warm my friends.

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Uptown Charlotte

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My visit to Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina, was all too brief, yet a vigorous walk the evening that I arrived and another the next morning gave me an introduction to this city of just under 800,000.  I dropped my bag in my room, grabbed my camera, and headed towards the door of the hotel.

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It was early in February, and while the northeast was getting hammered with snow, Virginia and North Carolina were experiencing a clear 50 degree weekend.

Il Grando Disco (The Grand Disc) is a coin-shaped piece of art that sits at Bank of America Plaza on Tryon Street. The piece is a large, bronze wheel with dark edges and designs etched throughout. Created specifically for the space by Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, Il Grande Disco was installed on October 2, 1974 (http://charlotte.about.com)

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Across the intersection is a far more traditional installation.

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My friend Tim pointed out that for a brief moment, the sounds of the traffic were drowned out by this fountain.

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In the previous post I shared two images of the fence that surrounds the First Presbyterian Church. Built in 1857, the church is a one-story, Gothic Revival style stuccoed brick building.  The evening light was waning by the time I got there, so I’ve processed these two images differently, although they were taken just moments apart.

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The power line remains in this photo, because it is a more accurate portrayal of the street scene.

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The next morning, with my visit drawing to an end, I took a walk in search of coffee and breakfast.

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The morning sun cast a bright light on this fountain and also of the homeless man still sleeping.

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The Mariachi crepe at Hazelnuts Creperie, was filled with egg, black beans, bacon, tomato, mozzarella, onion, avocado & jalapeño cream.  Oh my gosh YUM!

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The only other time I’d been to Charlotte, other than for runs to the airport, was to see my beloved Hokies play football, and I didn’t see much more than the stadium.  I’ll definitely return for more explorations soon!

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Oh How The Mood Changes

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A quick trip to Charlotte, NC offered me a chance to have a mini 12 hour vacation.  The day was beautiful for driving (I very much regretted not riding the bike) and I met friends in Uptown.

How wonderful it was to walk and wander, to point and shoot, to breathe and relax.

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As an aside: I wondered why the residents of Charlotte call it Uptown and learned that this is a common question, one that Brad Panovich, Chief Meteorologist a WCNC-NBC TV answered in this blog post.

While I have many photos to work through and share, I loved the contrast between these two. Without a tripod, I took one with, and one without, flash.  The mood changed dramatically in comparison, and the second begged to be converted to monochrome.

The first evokes a lovely evening stroll …

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while the second encourages you to turn around and head home.

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Oh the joy of photography!

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Ahhhhh ….

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I’m three weeks into the campaign and tomorrow is the official Campaign Kick Off.  Since a relaxing ride on the bike at the end of the day was not to be, a lovely non-fat latte was the next best thing.

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How do they make those designs, anyway?