Raising active, curious, outdoorsy kids
I can't exactly say I grew up outdoorsy. I grew up loving the outdoors in a house with good acreage. I had field guides and knew the names of all the trees and the underbrush on our property, and at night I lay in the long grass of the old horse pasture and connected the stars into constellations, but I wasn't the type to pack trail mix and head out to the mountains on the weekends. Most of the outdoorsy people I knew spent their time in a deer stand, or else they were outdoors all the time for work and so there was no point in spending any leisure time outside. I didn't figure out that I craved to be out on the trail until after college when I nearly went stir-crazy cooped up in a cubicle. From the trail to the rock wall to the race course, I've found my best moments are the ones I spend outside, and now my friend Emily and I want to share that with her children.
Even when it's hot you can still find ways to stay active
Ugh. Summer. Sure, there are lots of things to love like extra daylight and beach trips, but 100 degree heat and 100% humidity? Nope. I do not love those things, and I especially don't love running in those conditions. So what do you do when it feels like your skin is about to melt off your body and sizzle onto the pavement, but you want to keep your running fitness? Try other workouts! Here are my 5 favorites.
Because what's a photo shoot without some bloopers?
Ah yes, there's nothing like popping down to the local park and having a picnic and playing a bit of volleyball one day after work. I needed volleyball pics for the Wake County parks project, and my friends and co-workers had just finished up their recreational volleyball season with a respectable second place, so I grabbed a "Congratulations!" cookie cake, some others brought a bucket of fried chicken, and we had little fun at Lake Crabtree.
We came for the volleyball pics at the park. We stayed for the blooper reel. I took way too many photos, but all the outtakes are priceless. Enjoy!
10 Wake County parks. Lots of fun photos!
It's Friday, Fri-yay! Who's got a long weekend ahead for July 4th? I'm taking off Monday to do some exploring, and yes I'll have my camera with me!
I've talked a bit about the Wake County parks project, but here's the run-down:
10 parks in Wake County. New websites and brochures. Lots of photos by yours truly. Yep, you've got the picture, and here are a few of my favorites so far!
Rebranding and fun updates!
You may have noticed some changes around here.
Okay, you may have noticed SEVERAL changes around here.
Change is good!
And while I get all excited about tinkering and can't keep a secret or wait for a big reveal, we're getting closer to some stability around here.
My personal list of favorite running reasons so far
Apparently I've talked about a lot of reasons to love running over the years. And while some reasons are trivial and some are life-changing, there's always another reason to run.
Some solitude and reflection on the American Tobacco Trail
It was the summer solstice and I was waiting for a group of cyclists to come down the American Tobacco Trail. I was hoping for a few photos of cyclists on the trail and had tentative plans to meet a group somewhere along the Wake County section, but with no firm confirmation and the sky darkening with clouds I found a scenic bridge and settled down to wait.
Trying Stand-Up Paddleboarding at Lake Crabtree and Harris Lake
I have been having a blast taking photos of Wake County parks! Most recently I met up with a group of stand-up paddleboarders at Lake Crabtree. The week before at Harris Lake I'd met Laura Prudhomme, the organizer of the Meetup "What SUP Triangle?" through a meetup with Life Is A Hike. Laura and her husband Mark own Earth Creature which rents SUP gear and organizes events like the SUP meetup at Harris and the meetup at Crabtree. I found them through a mutual friend and after I took photos at the Harris Lake event Laura invited me to take photos at a Lake Crabtree event and try out paddling for myself.
