It is hard to believe the first quarter of the year has come and gone. March has truly been a Changing Seasons month as it seemed that every time I turned around there was a reminder that Spring was on the way.
Turn the volume up to hear the Spring Peepers sing. It is one of my favorite sounds!
On the very first day of March, I took a hike at Crowders Mountain State Park with my cousin and aunt. My cuz was down from Chicago visiting her Mom who lives not far from me so we were able to spend a nice day in the woods together. It was raining and foggy and a muddy mess which somehow added to the charm of the day. I’ve hiked up this mountain many times but never like this. When we got to the top instead of clear views into the valley which sometimes stretch all the way back to the city, it was more like being in an outdoor room with walls made of clouds. So strange.
There was also a whole lotta cleaning going on here this month. I go through a mood now and then where I feel the need to get rid of everything. I’m by no means minimalist but I do try to purge things we don’t need/use. I never understand how we accumulate SO MUCH STUFF.
I bought a new lens. It was a bit of an impulse and went directly against me telling myself that I would absolutely NOT make any photography purchases until I got really good with the kit/entry level camera I have. In spite of the broken promise, I’m really glad I did it. With an aperture that goes down to 1.8 I am absolutely loving it and I’ve been pleased with the images so far. The good news…that as camera accessories go, this was a relatively inexpensive one.
Hubby and I spent a lovely afternoon at the North Carolina Transportation Museum. It was an unexpected surprise for both of us. I had pretty low expectations going in as I figured it would be pretty small and have meek displays on exhibit. Boy was I wrong! I loved it there. They had so much history to offer and some really cool things to see. Not to mention the buildings…OMG I absolutely fell in love with the structures that housed all the planes, trains and automobiles. They were full of windows which let in so much light to showcase the beautiful old wood or ornate metal. I could’ve just spent the day being surrounded by the beauty of it all.
I had the opportunity to photograph some horses for a fundraiser ride this month. The day started out a bit disappointing as I was hoping to ride at this event, but when I couldn’t find a partner to ride with the organizer suggested I come take pictures instead. I had so much fun. Riders love having pictures made with their horses and many of them were happy to stop and talk with me. I heard stories of equine partnerships, tales from the trail and just generally got to be around people having fun with their friends and horses. I was surprised to learn that I could have just as much fun at a horse event with my camera, as I could with my horse….OK…maybe not just as much, BUT it was still a really good day. It was also GREAT practice learning to shoot these uncooperative subjects.
Woot Woot for the first camping season of 2019. It was three days of absolute bliss. You can see some of the photos from that gallery HERE. The shots in that post focus on the riding and horse part of the weekend, but we also brought our kayaks and were able to put them in the water for the first time since Fall. It felt great to be back out there. There was also a field trial going on at the park we camped at so we had the opportunity to watch the dogs in action.
It has been one heck of a month filled with lots of fun things and plenty of time outdoors. I’m now looking forward to all that April will bring.
Little Pieces Of Me 
Wow. You have had a busy month! I understand the internal tension around buying new camera equipment, but you have taken beautiful shots with your new lens, so it’s got to be considered money well spent. Thanks for being part of The Changing Seasons; it’s lovely to see the month through your lens(es). 🙂
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Thank you. Here is all that April will bring for both of us 🙂
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