When we left the breathtaking beauty of that unexpected golden hour in Cades Cove, it took me a while to mentally switch into convention mode. I arrived at the loading dock at the Teach Them Diligently homeschool convention with my brain reeling from the realization that I would be speaking to a class of students in just a few hours. I had a booth to set up. And more importantly, I had a presentation to review. The idyllic beauty and stillness of the mountains seemed like a distant dream.

We rushed inside and I left Julianna with a pile of boxes behind the booth while I scurried off to my classroom. It was just the beginning of the constant rush of the weekend. The next few days I kept busy teaching the Photo Class, talking with people at the Lenspiration booth and reconnecting with old and new friends from past TTD conventions. I have zero photos on my SD card from that leg of the trip. Apparently, the misty cityscapes or the dazzling beauty of a colorful Ferris wheel against the night sky were evidently not photographically tempting enough . . or else I just didn’t have time to take pictures of them.

A Sunday Evening Exception

On Sunday, after a restful morning at our hotel after the convention, we began a 4-day trek from lush Tennessee to rugged Maine for the next event on our calendar. We kept the first day’s drive relatively short, stopping to see friends in Roanoke, Virginia. On our way there, we savored a quiet drive surrounded by the beauty of the mountains. We indulged in a long lunch break at a picnic table tucked among trees with perfect, May temperatures and lighthearted birds flitting around us.

That evening, at our host’s lovely home in the Shenandoah Valley, we stepped out on the front porch to enjoy the spectacular view. There was no color in the sky, but that didn’t matter. Since photography is my work, I usually set it aside on Sundays to enjoy a day of rest.

However, as we sat and chatted in the peaceful beauty of the country surroundings, the sky started to get colorful and kept getting better and better. Finally, I looked at Julianna to see if this short interruption of our time together would be an acceptable exception, and her sweet smile was all the answer I needed. I jogged down to the van and snapped these photos before the perfect color faded away.

A the light faded in the west, I walked back up to the house to complete our quiet evening together with friends.

Walking the Streets of Lexington

We were up early Monday morning to hit the road again, this time driving to northern Virginia to spend time with extended family. We were on a somewhat tight schedule, with only about an hour to spend on exploring along the way. Our route would take us past Lexington, Virginia, and we had forgotten about the rich history in that little town until that very morning. How often would we come this way in the future? And how could we drive by without at least looking at the Virginia Military Institute grounds? We couldn’t resist the opportunity.

And that is how we found ourselves walking down the streets of Lexington in the spattering rain, relishing the beauty and charm of the quaint old town. We discovered “The Jackson House” and walked a handful of blocks to the Oak Grove Cemetery where Stonewall Jackson is buried. We didn’t have time for the museum at VMI, but we drove through the property to say we had been there.

I regret it a little now, but I only took my cell phone to take pictures on that little walk through town. My DSLR would have taken more print-worthy photo, but in this situation when we are making memories and enjoying time together, it is the cell phone that I gravitate towards. They are so much easier to share right away.

Camping Close to Beauty

Tuesday was a focused day of getting closer to our destination leaving little time for touristy detours. To get to our campsite in New York in time to visit and have dinner with friends in nearby Walton, our stops were only long enough to put gas in the car and stretch our legs. I tried not to think about my camera as we passed through iconic New England landscapes.

I consoled myself with the thought that I had purposefully picked a campsite for that night close to a waterfall! Yup, all I had to do in the morning was wake up, drive maybe half a mile to the trailhead, and bang, I could take some amazing photos before hitting the road!

And sure enough, God gave us nice cloud cover in the morning with no direct sunlight and no rain. The perfect waterfalling morning! And at the perfect waterfall too. There wasn’t much to not like about Russel Brook Falls in the Cherry Ridge Wild Forest. My only complaint was that I got up too late to have the time to really explore more than just one basic angle on the falls!

On Wednesday, we finished our long, four-day drive all the way up to Bradford, ME, where we would be photographing amazing places on the epic CAPTURE Maine Photography workshop! I can’t wait to blog about that next!