nightswimming deserves a quiet night

the photograph on the dashboard, taken years ago

turned around backwards so the windshield shows

every streetlight reveals the picture in reverse

still, it’s so much clearer

i forgot my shirt at the water’s edge

the moon is low tonight

nightswimming deserves a quiet night

i’m not sure all those people understand

it’s not like years ago

the fear of getting caught

of recklessness and water

they cannot see me naked

these things, they go away

replaced by everyday

nightswimming, remembering that night

september’s coming soon

i’m pining for the moon

and what if there were two

side by side in orbit

around the fairest sun?

that bright tight forever drum

could not describe nightswimming.

you, i thought i knew you

you, i cannot judge

you, i thought you knew me

this one laughing quietly underneath my breath

nightswimming.

the photograph reflects,

every streetlight a reminder

nightswimming deserves a quiet night

deserves a quiet night.

r.e.m.,  “nightswimming” lyrics

good weekend to you.

xo

A

hasselblad 500 cm, kodak ektar 100

i started in film, so i should say, i suppose, that i’m going back to my roots.

film makes you slow down.

there is no screen to look at.

no checking.

there is “do i really want this?”

my rolls have 12 shots on them.

12.

not 200.

not unlimited.

12.

when i click the shutter, it’s because i really really want to.

preserve.

this.

moment.

keep reaching.

xo

A

the best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside,

somewhere where they can be quiet,

alone with

the heavens, nature, and God.

because only then does one feel that all is as it should be

and that God wishes to see people happy,

amidst the simple beauty of nature.

as long as this exists,

and it certainly always will,

i know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow,

whatever the circumstances may be.

and i firmly believe that nature brings solace to all troubles.

~ anne frank

we had a great weekend,

and here are some of my 500 photographs that i took.

this incredible view is from the home of a dear friend of mine.

yep, that is the view.

it’s hard to spend a whole weekend here hanging out

at the pool.

yep, this is really hard stuff.

relaxing.

watching the wildlife.

scouting out bald eagles.

meeting new people, er, things.

stopping to smell the flowers.

thinking about separating the wheat from the chaff.

driving through the countryside.

feeling the wind whisper in your ears.

thinking about what came before.

and dreaming of reaching for new goals

that sometimes seem out of reach.

good week to you dear readers.

xo

A

stood a tree.

and while the Civil War raged in Virginia,

the tree stood on.

and now,

many, many years later,

two little girls

swing nearby,

right next to that gorgeous tree,

which sits on their property,

right outside Manassas Battlefield National Park.

the little girls

make wishes

upon

the seeds that grew

from the plants

trampled underneath

the soldiers’ footsteps.

the girls close their eyes

and

say thank you,

to those men,

those families,

that went before.

the girls run

in fields once fought upon.

life.

it goes on.

history.

where have you stepped today?

xo

A

virginia, where my husband and children and business are.

and pennsylvania, where i grew up, where my mom still lives in the same house,

where i have been traveling to regularly for the past two months to help my mom clear some things out of the house.

i left that house at 17 for college, and honestly haven’t either looked back or been back much since.

{suppose i should mention that i’m 41 or else that doesn’t seem like much}

so it is now, on 95 northbound and 95 southbound, that i volley in between my past and my present.

i assume there is a safe merger somewhere in maryland, but as of yet, i haven’t located it.

there is “me” wherever i look, but not any of it feels just right of late.  this is bound to happen i suppose as i unearth long since forgotten parts of me.

i could write more, but i won’t.  some things should remain where they are, in the past.

some things are meant to remain private.

if i remained silent though on everything going through my head, my blog would never be updated.

so while i try to balance all the pieces of me and all the demands of people needing me, i continue to do what i do.

take pictures.

and i will continue to share them.

for that is one thing i am sure of.

and truly, one thing that has been a constant my whole life, wherever i may be.

these images i took at St. Peter’s Village in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

this quarry carries memories of hot days, skipping school (sorry mom), my friends and i, my boyfriend, and carefree having fun.

yep, some would jump off there into the water (i never did mom, i swear).

this visit, i found a little purple house on the main street.  i fell in love.  so quaint.

the side door.  can i just move in now?

the walkway.

the petals, like scattered wishes upon the ground.

and here is French Creek, which runs adjacent to St. Peter’s.

great location for a celebration.

or just to spend some time alone.

roll the dice.  heads or tails.  aces lucky.

i also took these images at St. Peter’s, but when post-processing, they spoke to me more as black-and-whites.

stark contrasts.  metals, materials, details, and age.

these film images i took at Hopewell Furnace National Park.

and if you’ve made it this far, please enjoy this.

my new favorite singer.  brandi carlile.  a seattle girl.

good stuff.

until we meet again,

xo

A

First, breakfast in bed.  Incredible.  And delicious.

And then?

A whole DAY of NO plans.  No sports.  No birthday parties.  No playdates.  Nothing.  Nada.  No how.

What to do?

What to do?

After a little research, we decided to take the kids to a Flying Circus ~ of the old airplane variety.

It was a drive of a little over an hour, but Virginia is beautiful (it’s for Lovers, have you heard?), and a drive in the country with some lazy fun afterwards sounded just great.

We arrived though and were dismayed to find the sign:

“Air Show Canceled Due to High Winds.”

Change of plans and FAST was necessary.

The whines were starting (“Are we there yet?” “I’m hungry.” “My bottom hurts.”).

Good times.

Thanks to my handy-dandy iPhone though, I was quickly able to locate all kinds of fun within a 1/2 hour radius.  But only one thing caught my eye:

WooHoo!  It’s Mother’s Day!!

The rest of the day we had fun.  Or at least I did.  Which is most important on MOTHER’S DAY!

My crew.

K-Lo came.  She cracks me up.

B skipped stones into the lake pond.

Love his little hand on dad’s back for support.

There was a large chess board.

Unfortunately, two former members of the Oakton Chess Club battled it out on where to put the king.

I enjoyed this:

And these little people:

This one is a little like me in some ways:

I had a grand time.  And it only took about 70 shots to get a picture of my kids and I looking at least 1/2 way decent.

A little history about the Old House Vineyards.

On Mother’s Day 1998, the Kearney Family found the 75 acres and abandoned farm house at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  They restored the 1800′s farmhouse and the formerly overgrown alfalfa fields are now a vineyards, producing six different grape varietals.

I loved this place.  Lots of character.  Beautiful setting.

And the Wicked Bottom red is really quite good.

May all your wishes come true today.

xo

A

Nothing hits me more than watching the sunrise.  Day after day, it comes.  It’s always a new day, an opportunity for a new start, a do-over, a “try again” day.  A beginning.  And He did this for us.

I am humbled in the presence of the sunrise.

The morning was gorgeous.  The blooms were a-plenty.  I have been to see the Cherry Blossoms many many times over the past many years, and this years were some of the fluffiest, pinkest, fully-attached blossoms I have seen during the bloom season. 

But it was when I saw this grove that my heart went all a-flutter.  I knew that this was it, my black and white image.  I know, who thinks “cherry blossoms” and thinks “black and white”?  Right?  Me.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the all the colors and shades of pink, but this, this is how I see.  And this made my day.

Here are a couple more of my faves ~

I call this one “flight.”  Bird v. plane.

I hope you all had a great weekend.  I look forward to sharing more from my weekend ~ two shoots and some actual pics of my kiddos.

till then,

A

My family of six has been in our house together since Saturday.  Tomorrow is Thursday.  Yes, we go out to play and for walks, but it’s not quite the same.  Our road is impassible unless you have 4-wheel drive.  We don’t.

The kids are now out of school until next week.  Funny, I think they’re even tired of it now.  It’s too deep to really do much with it.  Yes, we have igloos.  And a toboggan run.  And then we have the rest of the 20 hours in a day.

Here are some pictures for you. Keep in mind, these were taken after the FIRST snow dump.  Another 10 inches arrived today.  No photos of that.

This is a photo of our backyard oak, after a snowfall a couple weeks ago when I thought that 3 inches was our BIG snow for the year.  HA!

On the major plus side, we never lost our electricity.  Extremely thankful for that.

Thank you for hanging in here with me while life is on hold.

xo

A