Took a trip down Skyline Drive this afternoon. We saw prehistoric mountains, buzzards, and insects. We experienced storms that were there, then gone in a flash. We saw birds we’d never seen before. We stopped for a doe and her baby.
skyline drive
Category: life in photos
hue
Gray days always bring out the most beautiful hues in nature. The bad and the good balance out in the end. (My neighbor stole that dog from its negligent owner’s backyard.)
surprise!
After I heard that my friend Gillian was flying to England to surprise her mom for her birthday, I decided it’d be perfect to surprise my sister by showing up for her college graduation in Jacksonville, Florida.
I’d been homesick for awhile anyway, and with a new job that provides generous personal leave, everything fell into place. I boarded a plane from Charlottesville last Friday morning and arrived in Jacksonville (after a bout of nausea, serious sinus pressure, and a nearly missed connecting flight) before 11 am, just in time to catch Jenny before extended family arrived. Even though my dad had explicitly mentioned my name in connection to weekend events the day before, Jenny didn’t suspect a thing. In fact, she called me while I was in the grocery store parking lot 5 minutes from the house to talk to me about post-graduation plans.
We enjoyed post-graduation hors d’oeuvres courtesy of our mother,
spent some time relaxing and shopping on Saturday,
and hung out with my Florida friends (and the kitten) on Sunday afternoon.
It was a wonderful, albeit brief, trip home. I’m so glad I survived my first time flying alone to see loved ones and enjoy the Florida weather. Congratulations, Jennifer!
tiny kitten
My friend Andrea recently adopted a 4 week old kitten. She and her litter were born to a feral cat at a campground in central Florida. Since the manager was set on sending them off to the shelter before they were weaned, her brother scooped one up for her. Kitten drinks formula, sleeps often, and is still a bit uncoordinated. She’s adorable.
spring break: RVA
Daniel and I went on an awesome, two day Spring Break trip last Thursday and Friday. It’s amazing to me that we can visit several historically and culturally significant locations in less than two hours via car. When we lived in Tallahassee, it took almost 3 hours to get to Jacksonville with only small towns and forest in between.
We spent Thursday in Richmond. Our itinerary was as follows:
- Hollywood Cemetery – final resting place of two presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler (and president of the confederacy, Jefferson Davis). It has a great view of downtown Richmond.Â
- Stella’s Restaurant – really delicious Greek food in a contemporary atmosphere.
- Carytown – full of students, vintage and consignment shops, and other cool local businesses. I perused many racks of great vintage dresses.
- Virginia Museum of Fine Art – features an extensive collection of art nouveau and art deco stained glass and furniture (we love that stuff), as well as works of art from all eras from all over the world. There’s also a a terrifying statue of a woman that looks so realistic I refused to get too close. I bought a postcard of Georges de Feure’s stained glass window.
- Heritage Restaurant – We shared the charcuterie platter, then I ate some pork belly, Asian barbecue style.
Richmond is a well established city with a great sense of community and a small town feel. I’m excited to visit again – and it’s only a little over an hour away, so it makes for an easy day trip.
on the trail
Spring is here!
I went on a long, meandering (physically and conversationally) walk on the Saunders-Monticello Trail with my friends, Kristen and Amy, this afternoon. Parts of the trail were damaged due to Wednesday’s aggressive snowfall, so we courageously maneuvered through blocked pathways and locked gates to make it to the end.
It’s incredible that this mountain landscape is only an interstate exit way. As soon as the snow clears and flowers start to bloom, I’d like to take a tour of Monticello.
I’m looking forward to a long Charlottesville springtime.
To see photos of the trail from my visit in November, click here.Â
black & white
Black and White film is as close as you can get to encapsulating nostalgia. Photos from late summer in Florida and winter in Charlottesville.
snow day
We got at least 8 inches of snow yesterday in Charlottesville. The snow day would have been fun, I’m sure, if we hadn’t lost power for over 11 hours. According to The Daily Progress, 40,000 people lost power in the city and county alone.
I opted to photograph the meteorological events from inside my rapidly cooling house rather than risk opening the door and letting our lifeline of remaining heat out.
Daniel and I spent most of the day huddled inside our small library with three candles and our own body heat to keep us warm. I read, made a style collage from magazines, drank some lukewarm tea, and called my parents for entertainment while Daniel graded papers and revisited his wildlife books.
We were relieved when the power came back on at around 6:45, just after sunset. Since we don’t have family nearby, I’m not sure how we would have coped with the cold overnight.
The city quickly plowed roads and put down salt and I was able to go back to work today. I was too anxious to enjoy the snowfall yesterday, but I am greatly amused by the aftermath: snow-filled truck beds, white mountains in parking lots, slushy rivers trickling down sloped streets, and people rewarding themselves for surviving with large mochas and croissants.
week(s) in photos
- Photographing things to sell on ebay
- Attempting to capture steam on a cool day
- Skeleton key necklace for sale at Water Lily Thrift
- Cut and dyed my hair
- Tulips for Valentine’s Day
- Daffodil in bloom
- Testing my new watermark
- New wall art arrangement
wishing you a…
A mysterious plump bud sprouted out from the ground several weeks ago. Today it revealed a vibrant yellow daffodil (thanks for identifying it for me, Gillian)!
snow day
Every morning I open the bedroom curtain just a bit to let more light in to do my makeup. This morning, I looked out and exclaimed, Oh my gosh!, waking up Daniel on accident. A blanket of snow covered every horizontal surface, including my car. They predict another snowfall this evening. Tomorrow may be my lucky day for capturing snow in action!
by a different route
or, Why Walks are the Best
After taking Daniel to school on Monday afternoon, I looked about me on the drive home and realized suddenly that it was a beautiful day. We had about a week and a half of weird, dreary weather; it messed with my mood – everything felt stagnant. But Monday was cold and dry and crisp. The winter sun was at its brightest and the leaves and houses shone with its glaring light. I walked, this time, by a different route and felt refreshed. And at night, I looked up and saw Orion as clearly as if it were beaming out from a constellation chart.
Enjoy the winter light while it lasts.
pieces of home.
by the creek at golden hour
When our original plans of visiting a nearby park were dashed, we simply ventured over to another one. It wasn’t much for looks until the sun started pooling at that magic golden hour angle in the sky. Daniel found a beaten down pathway across the creek and we had a brief but satisfying outdoor adventure.
Leah Wise 