Posts filed under ‘Nature’
Snow Day called before snow is even on the ground??
Last night I watched How I Met Your Mother and the News. The whole time, there were school closings being sprawled across the bottom of the screen due to the “possible snow storm” hitting the Triangle in the morning. At that moment, there was no snow on the ground and it was still about 40 degrees outside.
There was the possibility that we could get 1-4″ of snow and that is enough to shut the city down. Before there was even a snowflake on the ground, schools were closed. I understand that it is different here than it is in Detroit. Raleigh is not equipped with all the abundance of tools needed for snow removal like Detroit so it is always better to be safe and call off school. And for the maybe one time a year of snowfall we get here, how can you blame the city for not having that equipment? Not really cost efficient to have it for one day a year.
However, I remember when I was young waiting in anticipation in the morning right before school. Hoping…praying… that by 6am there would be enough snow on the ground to close school so we could have a snow day. There was no early announcements of school closings in Michigan like there are in Raleigh. Schools in Michigan wait until the morning of to make the call if they are going to close or have a delayed start. For this miracle to happen (a true miracle to the kids in Michigan as snow days are few and far between), there would have to be at least a foot of snow on the ground with more on the way. It would have to be falling at the rate that snowplows, etc. could not keep up and the roads were completely buried.
It kind of looses some of the excitement if you know the night before about a snow day. In Michigan, you would wake up early and sit in front of the TV crossing your fingers that your school’s name would pop up. Many times, no such luck. So when it did actually come up on the screen you would go from zero to 60, grab your gloves, and head outside to play with a big smile.
In the spirit of the “Snow Day,” Keego and I took some photographs outside. Happy Snow Day!!
keego checking out the snowfall from the balcony
Small Weddings Have Big Impact
A small, intimate wedding…Can it be done? Many start out with hopes in having an intimate wedding with a short guest list of only your very closest family and friends. But soon, after you write down all the names, the list takes more than a few pages of paper. Andrea and Jon proved that it can be done. I congratulate them for achieving the long sought ”small intimate wedding” and sticking to their goals from the start. With less than 20 people in attendance, you could really feel the closeness of the group and all eyes smiling happily on Andrea and Jon. I felt as it was an honor to be part of such a personal affair; to be invited to witness and document their marriage. Andrea and Jon where married outdoors at William B. Umstead State Park. The weather was a little on the chilly side, but the rain held off. The Pavilion was such a perfect location. Surrounded by nature and their very closest family and friends, Andrea and Jon were wed by Reverend Kayelily Middleton. The reception was at the Umstead Hotel. They had a private dinning room with all the guests around one large dinning table. Again, such a great feeling in the room. I was happy I was there to share in the day. Congratulations again to Andrea and Jon!
Are you friends or family of Andrea & Jon? Here is a link to their gallery to see all their wedding images. Enjoy!
Backyard or an Oasis??
We headed over to Kim’s for her Birthday. Happy Birthday Kim! The Greek Potluck was awesome – so much yummy food and such a great idea. Who could resist the fire pit or the tranquility of the pond. Now this is a backyard. It felt like being on a distant retreat to a far away oasis. Wish I was back by the fire now….
In Bloom; Celebrate
I was looking through some of the photographs I took in the spring of the flowers in our backyard. Both of these trees hold a special place in my heart. They both remind me of growing up.
The first one is a flower from a Dogwood Tree. When I was younger, my family planted a Dogwood in our front yard. The second one is a flower from a Pink Magnolia Tree. Growing up, the neighbor across the street had a huge Pink Magnolia Tree in her front yard. It was always such a sight when it was in bloom. Soft pink flowers all throughout the tree almost hiding her house.
How is it that each spring we are greeted by flowers popping up all around? All these little things we take for granted in the world around us.
Fall & Family Portraits
Fall is the perfect time for family portraits… Okay I may be biased as I LOVE fall! But regardless, the crisp cooler air, the changing leaves and the smell of warm apple cider in the distance…. Oh I miss cider mills! Here are some of my favorite shots from the Rosinski’s Family Portrait Session. It is a great honor when I get to photograph the same family throughout the years. It is great to see the little personalities emerging and becoming adults.
Camping at Freeman Park
We headed back to Carolina Beach, NC this weekend and camped at Freeman Park. The weather & water was nice. We had a great time. I especially enjoyed laying on the beach and looking up to the night sky filled with tons of stars from the tent. Justin and I saw quite a few shooting stars. Keego had fun too.
Houseboating on Lake Cumberland
It was that time of year again to head out to Jamestown, KY for another Houseboat trip. This is the 5th year that Justin and I have gone with a group of friends. For the past five years, we have rented a boat from State Dock. The scenery was extra interesting this year with the lake levels being so low. The water level was lowered by more than 40 feet earlier this year due to concerns of the Wolf Creek Dam’s safety. You could really notice the difference on the shoreline from past years. The weather was nice – hot and tons of sun. It was nice to see friends from Detroit and relax on the lake.
