In November I went to a conference overnight at Fort Caswell on the coast of NC. Luckily we were given some free time and I used mine to take pictures, get quick nap and go take more pictures. I was in a computer class and I looked out the window to see a sailboat going by. It was so hard to concentrate on what was being said because (I was sleepy) and I just wanted to gaze out at that pretty sailboat. When class was over I made a mad dash to my room to get my camera and try to catch the boat as it went by. I probably looked like a loon running across the conference center grounds - but at least I got there in time!

Autumn at the Farm

   Jeremy has been working at a small farm/equestrian center since the spring. I was really shocked that he stuck with it in the beginning, because I knew it would require some dirty (smelly) work and being close to horses. Though I knew he liked horses, I thought it might scare him to work so closely with them. But I was pleasantly surprised! He has really enjoyed it and has gotten pretty comfortable around the animals.
   His friend from school, Emily, recently came with him to see where Jeremy worked and take pictures with me. She is a talented photographer. I was hoping to get some pictures of fall leaves but there was not a whole lot of color change yet. So we walked around together and took pictures of the horses and other critters.
   As we tried to walk out to the pasture the turkeys started following us. Jeremy gave us sticks to swing at the turkeys- not to hit them but just scare them off. Boy, those turkeys are relentless! They just don't give up no matter how many times you scare them away. I don't know if they wanted to hunt us down and get us or if they are just curious creatures by nature. Every time we turned around, there they were!

The tom turkey always seems like he is fussing at the others. He is so obnoxious.

Emily chasing away the turkeys.

One of Jeremy's farm duties is dragging the arena.

Little Mongo has a hard time keeping up with the horses. He is always trailing behind.

Violet is a beautiful girl.

Theo likes more attention then Violet.

Summer Crowds

    I just love photographing crowds of people. When I take snapshots from a distance, there are so many details the camera captures that I don't see when I take the shot. It is cool to look at the image later on my computer to see the interaction between people and what they are doing in the photo. I especially enjoy photographing vacationers at the beach since it is one of my favorite places to be. Most of these where taken on the beach at North Myrtle, but a couple are from the Boardwalk area.

Only One More Month

    I can't believe we are down to one more month of summer. July was a fun month even though it was so stinking hot! I love the summer, but when it starts getting in the mid to upper 90's, it is rough. We enjoyed the 4th, hanging out with our friends by their backyard pool. Jeremy went to see fireworks with his friend but Mike and I stayed home with the pets this time, to give them comfort during all the fireworks. Surprisingly, it is more terrifying for the cat than the dog.
    We had a great time at the beach. I thought a lot while we were on vacation about how long we have been going to Myrtle Beach and how much those trips have meant to us. Mike and I both went there growing up, and while we dated we would go a few times from spring through the summer because his mom had a camper there. He asked me to marry him while we were walking on the beach. And Jeremy has gone on vacations in Myrtle Beach almost every year since he was born. Maybe it will be a special place for him to bring his family, too.

Journey in Concert

    When I was a kid I went to see Journey in concert with my big sister, Dena. This was a huge deal for me because I loved the band so much, it was my first big concert, plus I got to experience it with my sister. We stood in line nearly 2 hours to get our tickets because you couldn't get tickets any other way back then. The concert was so good. I thought I was a big shot wearing my concert tee to school the next week. I wish I still had that shirt!
    When it comes to music, Jeremy differs from a lot from the kids his age. He loves guitar, and rock music from the 70's and 80's is his favorite. He started listening to Journey in the car with me and loved their music. When we found out they were having a concert in Charlotte, we jumped at the chance to take Jeremy. His sweet friend Cassidy joined us, and I think she had fun even though she was not as familiar with their songs.
    I always loved Steve Perry's voice but their lead singer, Arnel Pineda, does an excellent job and he is full of energy. The guitarist, Neal Schon, is so very talented - he is amazing to watch. Jeremy had such a blast. It was really cool to watch him enjoying a band that meant so much to me as a teenager. So great to experience that with my kid!

Oak Island Trip Part II

    While we were staying in Oak Island it was a great opportunity to visit Wilmington and Southport. We had not been there since Jeremy was a year old.  We took the ferry over to Fort Fisher and drove up to Wilmington. Fort Fisher has a cool aquarium, but since Jeremy and I had been there on his class trip a few years ago, we didn't visit it this time. I'm a huge fan of aquariums though, so it was hard not to!
    Wilmington has a pretty historic downtown right on the Cape Fear River. We strolled around and did a little bit of shopping. Wilmington is pretty cool because it is a college town with all the conveniences of a city (with heavy traffic), plus it's on a river and minutes from the beach.
    I have to say though, that if I had to pick a place to live it would be Southport. We spent a little bit of time in Southport one evening and went back the next day to walk around. It has grown a lot over the years, but a lot has stayed the same too. I love to drive around and look at the beautiful old houses. It has been the location of movies like Safe Haven, because it is such a quaint town. I don't know if I will ever get to experience living in a small town on the coast - - but at least I can visit!
 

There is a really cool area of live oaks in Fort Fisher.

You can see some of the Battleship NC behind Jeremy.

Love my guys!

The seagull tucked his foot so far under, it looked like he only had one foot.

Southport waterfront

Trip to Oak Island

   We were fortunate to recently take a weekend trip to Oak Island, NC. The last time we were there, Jeremy was just learning to walk, so it's been a long time. Mike always says I would get sick of the beach if I lived there. (He is a mountain boy.) When I stand down by the water, feel the breeze, listen to the waves, and look at the beautiful sunset - I just don't see how that's possible! Jeremy loves to take pictures and videos of the sunset and waves with his phone. It's cool that he has an artistic eye like his mom and dad.

Pro photographer at work.

I just loved this tree. It's kind of wicked looking.

I managed to get a shot of the marsh going across the bridge.