1000 Acre Swamp - Penfield, NY

While I was back in the Rochester area a few weeks ago I decided to look for a place to wander around and enjoy the weather for a few hours since it was supposed to be beautiful.

I had lived in Rochester for 5 years and never knew that the 1000 Acre Swamp, protected by The Nature Conservancy, existed. It would have been a great place to go to just lose myself in nature for a bit and forget about the stress of college.

Anyway, when I got there I found that I was the only car in the parking lot. It made me a little nervous to be out there by myself and before I ventured down the path I quickly texted my husband to make sure he knew where I was, just in case. I put my camera gear on my back and started walking. Within seconds something came running towards me. At first I thought it was a dog, nope, it was a coyote. Once it saw that I was there it ran off. It still left me feeling even more unsafe than I was before. I tried to put it out of my mind but every crack of a twig or rustle of a leaf made my heart rate go up.

So, I didn't last long there but it really was beautiful. If someone had been with me I'm sure that I would have been able to explore more but no matter, it was still a great way to spend an hour.

              

              

              

I would have loved to spend some more time exploring this beautiful place. Maybe next time I go I'll bring someone along to share the experience with.

Assateague Island National Seashore - Maryland

My husband rode in the annual Seagull Century a few weeks ago. 100 miles of bicycling through beautiful Maryland. I was excited to accompany him not only to cheer him on but also because the event is so close to Assateague Island. How can you resist a beautiful beach and wild horses? So, after I saw him off at the start, I hopped back in the car and drove out to the beach to have a little time to myself while he was riding for 6 hours. It just so happened that one of their rest stops was Assateague Island anyway so I also got a chance to see him when he was about halfway done with the race which was exciting.

I'm always amazed at how much better I feel when I am at the beach. The second I smell that salty air and hear those waves crashing I forget about all the stresses of life. I could have spent days there just taking it all in.

              

              

              

              

              

              

              

              

Spending only a few short hours here was not enough for me. On the way back to see my husband reach the finish line I had already started planning a weekend trip for us in my head. Spring sounds like a good time to me!

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens - Vienna, Virginia

It was a perfect spring day today. So, what better way to spend it than by wandering around a botanical garden? However, I was not the only one with this brilliant idea. The 95 acres were filled with families, couples getting their engagement photos taken, people like me just snapping away and oh, there was also a wedding going on! Quite the busy place for a Sunday.

I really took advantage of my macro lens today (as you'll see below), and the grass stains and dirt on my jeans prove it. I spent two hours trying to take in every plant and flower that was there, and even a turtle or two. I do regret only spending about 5 minutes sitting and really enjoying Meadowlark Botanical Gardens without a camera up to my eye, but I know I'll be going back there. I haven't explored it all yet!

             

                          

             

                          

             

             

Thanks for stopping by!

National Mall and Memorial Parks: Cherry Blossom Festival - Washington, D.C.

We knew it was going to be cold and possibly rainy but we ventured out anyway. We boarded the metro in the morning with tons of other people to check them out. I mean, afterall, we've lived here for over 5 years and have never gone into Washington, D.C. for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

So, we braved the cold and armed ourselves with two umbrellas and jackets that had hoods. Although the cherry blossoms have not hit their peak they were still beautiful, despite the fact that they didn't have the sun to beat down on them to really make the pink pop.

We basically walked through a cloud of fog all day and it didn't rain but the mist from the clouds never let up. However, that foggy mist in the air gave everything an eerie glow. Two people walked past us at one point and said to each other "it really isn't pretty out here at all today". I begged to differ.

              

              

                           

              

Manassas National Battlefield Park - Manassas, Virginia

This weekend's destination was Manassas National Battlefield Park. It's only about a 15 minute drive from my house so it was the perfect place to spend a few hours exploring. The Civil War fascinates me and just this past year, my husband and I took a trip to Gettysburg and I loved it. You can feel the history in the air as you walk what used to be harsh, bloody battlegrounds. I ventured out by myself and quickly realized that I wasn't the only one taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather ( 74 degrees to be exact!). It seemed that every area in the park I went to I was met with dozens of people. I even had to wait for a parking spot to open up at one of the areas. I was discouraged early on because I really didn't want to be around a bunch of tourists. Not that there's anything wrong with tourists, I mean technically I was one as well. I just wanted some quiet time to myself. Be careful what you wish for.

I finally made my way to the unfinished railroad and as I drove down a secluded road that eventually turned into an isolated dirt road I began to hope I would run into others when I got there. No such luck. I was by myself, and after spending about 5 minutes taking photos of the clearing in the trees that would have been the site of a railroad if everyone working on it hadn't been slaughtered, I heard snapping twigs in the woods and decided it wasn't worth it and ran back to the car! After that, I decided that having people around me might not be such a bad thing after all.

              

                           

              

I'm not going to lie, I really hoped something mysterious would have happened while I was there. I absolutely believe those who have had encounters with the unexplained, whether it be on a battlefield or in a house, etc. While exploring Gettysburg, some interesting things happened to my camera in places where really horrible events occurred. However, nothing out of the ordinary happened this weekend. I'm still holding out hope for next time.

Nomahegan Park - Cranford, New Jersey

My husband and I traveled north to New Jersey this weekend for a short visit with his family. I decided to make a little trek out to Nomahegan Park on Saturday, which is basically a hop, skip and jump from my in-laws house. I currently have a pretty decent cold and I didn't want to be gone for too long or go too far away. So, I made my way out to this pretty simple park. A park where those from the neighborhood go for a bit of fresh air, a run or some fun on the playground.

I wandered around the pond, taking some photos of ducks when I almost turned around to leave because I thought there wasn't really anything to take pictures of. But that's the kind of situation where I want to try and really challenge myself, so I pressed on. I made my way off the trails to explore a little and as I dodged a carpet of geese droppings I was able to find some great little quiet spots. After about an hour I was going to turn around to make my way back to my car, then I saw them. About 15 deer grazing only 500 feet away from me. I went deeper into the woods and was able to get pretty close to them before they took the cautious route and walked away from me. So, I took a little more back with me than just pictures, a lesson...at first glance it might not seem worth it, but give it a chance...you may be surprised.

              

              

                           

              

              


The last photo is something I stumbled upon as I was making my way through the woods back to the trail. It's one tree trunk but 4 trees growing out of it. Quite an interesting site, and something I would have missed if I just gave up after only 5 minutes.

The beginning: Great Falls Park - McLean, Virginia

Today was my start at getting back to nature. I’ve just recently ended a 365 project and I really want to continue taking photos on a regular basis so I’ve decided to start another ongoing project. I’ve lived in Northern Virginia for a few years now and I’ve realized that I don’t know where to go to really lose yourself in the outdoors. So, last night I researched tons of Regional Parks and National Parks in the area and my goal is to visit these whenever I can on the weekends and post about them here. This not only allows me to get back with nature and take photos, but it helps relieve stress, gets me exercising and bottom line gets some fresh air into my lungs.

Today’s stop was Great Falls Park. It was a gorgeous morning, albeit a little chilly at around 27 degrees. I arrived a little after 9am and the park was practically empty. As I pulled in, the incredibly friendly ranger let me know where everything was and after checking my camera bag to make sure I had what I needed, I was off to explore.

               

                           

               

                           

               

I am amazed that this beautiful park is so close to my house. I think I'm going to like this project!