Carolina in My Mind

At lunch time today, I went to North Carolina.

Those of you who know I live in California might be thinking, What?!

Let me explain.

When my 2-year-old son has a tantrum, complete with crying and screaming and laying on the floor and more crying, I "go" to Carolina--North Carolina, that is--in my mind.

The James Taylor song, "Carolina in My Mind," starts playing in my head. (I grew up listening to tons of James Taylor music.  Thanks, Mom and Dad!) 

If you're not a JT fan (James Taylor, not Justin Timberlake), the refrain goes something like this...

In my mind I'm going to Carolina.
Can't you see the sunshine, can't you just feel the moonshine?
Ain't it just like a friend of mine to hit me from behind?
Yes, I'm going to Carolina in my mind.

If you haven't heard the song or want to time travel back to 1979 to hear it again, check out this YouTube video.

Don't worry, I'll be waiting here for you while you listen and watch and chuckle at his hairdo and clothing.

Now, back to lunch today. While the "Carolina" song played in my head, images of my time in North Carolina last October at the Click retreat appeared in my mind's eye.

I was back in the Outer Banks, walking the beach, breathing deeply and inhaling the ocean air.

With the wind in my hair and the sand between my toes, my Nikon camera and I shot images of shells and birds and the surf--including the shot above.  

Granted, I couldn't see the sunshine or feel the moonshine as the song goes, but I was there in Carolina--beautiful North Carolina--if only for a minute or two. 

Do you have a "place" you go for a short spell when life gets tough?

 

Feet First

This photo of my feet, taken on the beach in Kill Devil Hills, was inspired by the work of photographer Tom Robinson.

Since 2005, Tom has been documenting his travels by taking photos of feet--more specifically, he and his girlfriend's feet, as well as those of their young daughter.

Tom's "Feet First" collection contains more than 100 stunning photos.  If you're curious about the details of each photo, roll your mouse over the bottom of the image and a rectangular box will pop up with information. The pictures taken in Slovenia really grabbed my attention; I had no idea it was such a beautiful country.

Looking at these photos entices me to want to travel more, especially abroad.  As if I didn't already have wanderlust issues.  Smile.  

While browsing Tom's website, another photo series caught my attention.  If you need a smile this Monday morning, check out the "I'm going to be a dad" collection.  The expressions he captured are priceless!

Keep on clicking on, shutterbugs. 

Click, Click, Boom

I spent a few days last week in the Outer Banks at the Click Blogger Retreat.

Going away for four days to such a beautiful place nourished my soul.  

One of the best parts was meeting some really cool women from all over the United States.  Most are professional bloggers with a love for photography.  Several of them make a living blogging (how awesome is that?!), and were open to sharing bits and pieces of what they've learned along the way with me.

These conversations sure got me thinking about the possibility of starting a second blog with a more specific focus. 

I also loved meeting a few of the speakers at the retreat such as Ali Edwards, Tracey Clark, and Me Ra Koh (pictured above).  I was impressed by their talent, but also their passion for their work, their willingness to take risks, and their openness to talking about the messy parts of their lives.

If you're a regular reader, you know I'm a huge fan of Brene Brown, who talks about the need for authenticity, vulnerability, and courage in our lives.  It's clear that Ali, Tracey, and Me Ra embrace and practice these qualities, which was super inspiring to me. 

During the retreat, I was working on being courageous, authentic, and vulnerable.  As you probably remember from this post, I traveled out to the retreat all. by. myself.  For some, it might not have been a big deal, but for me, it was HUGE.

I practiced honoring the introvert in me (who likes people--especially in small groups--but needs some down time to recharge), while also challenging myself to share pieces of my life and forge connections with fellow Clickers. 

Here's a look at a few of my favorite photos from the retreat.    

Somewhere between Sacramento and San Diego.  From San Diego, I flew to Nashville, and then on to Norfolk.  A big thanks to Southwest Airlines for sponsoring the retreat!  Debbie Russo of Island Limo drove us out to the Outer Banks; it was fun to chat with her en route about her life experiences.
   

All of the Click attendees stayed in these two enormous houses.  I shared a room on the first floor of the yellow house with Rebecca Parsons.  

During the first 24 hours, we experienced some crazy weather.  Heavy rain, wind, lightning, and thunder.  At about 6:00 am on Thursday morning, there was a huge flash of lightning and a big BOOM (the loudest boom I've ever heard, which may have had to do with the fact that our windows were open), and we lost power in both houses.  I haven't been that scared in a long time.  Many of us actually thought the yellow house had been hit by a bomb, but it turns out that the lightning hit the transformer box nearby.

At breakfast that morning, I snapped the above shot from the third floor balcony.

Afterward, I ran down to the beach (just minutes from the house) and took a few shots of the wild surf, the birds, the grasses, the wooden fences, and the sand.

The lovely Vivienne Gucwa of NYThroughTheLens.com, a fantastic photographer who captures New York beautifully, was also down at the beach shooting away. Go check out her photography; you will be amazed!

Later that night, I shot this photo of the houses and pools from the gazebo.  I set my camera up on the railing, turned the self-timer on, and hit the shutter release button.  This was a one second exposure, which is why a few of the people in the photo are blurry.    


The following day, I attended the wild horses excursion through Wild Horse Adventure Tours in Corolla.  Butch, our driver and tour guide, was awesome!  He got us as close as possible to the horses (as is legally allowed), and slowed down so we could take shots like this one.  Keep in mind, though, that I was shooting with my Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens.  I don't use it very often, but on this trip, it sure came in handy!  The two shots below were also taken with my big mama lens.   

I loved the colorful homes on the Outer Banks.  Christmas in October, anyone? 

During the 4x4 ride, I sat next to Kelley Miller, Senior Photo Editor for National Geographic Kids magazine.  As some of you know, I enjoy writing articles for kids' magazines and just recently sold my first piece to Boys' Quest magazine.  It was fun to chat with Kelley about writing for kids, how she locates original and creative ideas, and what she loves most about her job. 

Another shot from the wild horses excursion.  Although we didn't see any horses on the beach, there were cars and trucks--something that's quite foreign to me being from Northern California--and a few fishermen.

I made a couple of short trips down to the beach by myself, just to walk in the sand, breathe in the ocean air, and enjoy the peaceful sound of the waves crashing onto the shore.  Talk about relaxing!

I definitely want to visit the Outer Banks again someday with my little family.   


On Friday night, Avery hosted an off-the-hook carnival-themed closing party at the yellow house.    The food was delicious; the fresh crab and hush puppies were my favorites.  After dinner, I roasted marshmallows and played games (ring toss, milk bottle toss, and rubber duck races) with a few new friends.  

Hats off to the TodaysMama.com team for hosting such an amazing retreat!  And thanks to all of the generous sponsors who absolutely spoiled us.

Lastly, I'm truly grateful to my husband for taking care of our son and doggies, so I could enjoy this fun getaway.       
  

P.S. To view my iPhone photos from the retreat, check out Instagram (jharless) or search #clickretreat to see photos taken by other attendees.

Click Blogger Retreat

Today, I'm flying out to North Carolina for Click, a two-day photography and blogging retreat.

I'm both excited and nervous.   

I'm excited to learn from Ali Edwards and Me Ra Koh and Tracey Clark.

I'm excited to visit the Outer Banks, a locale that has long been on my "I wanna go there!" list. 

I'm excited to drink in the beautiful scenery, and capture it with my Nikon D700.  (Pray for no rain, okay?)

I'm excited to have nearly four days on my own.  (Wow, just typing that seems strange. Up until now, I've never been away from Noah for more than twelve hours.)  That means no diaper changes, no chasing after our active 21-month-old, no tantrums, and no diaper bag in tow.

I'm excited to have time to read and write and listen to music and people watch during my two travel days.

I'm excited to meet moms who love photography and blogging as much as I do.


While I'm on retreat, Brian is going to take great care of Noah.  (Thank you, thank you, thank you, Babe!)  I'm going to miss both of them something fierce.  

While I'm super excited, I'm also nervous.  Why? Because I'm going alone, which is a big 'ol challenge for an introverted person like me.

Several months ago, I came across this letter via Pinterest, and it really resonated with me as I thought about attending this retreat.  This letter is taped to the inside of my retreat journal. 

Source

I'm acknowledging the fear...and going anyway.   

In this blog post about the Click Retreat, photographer Me Ra Koh encourages retreat attendees to bring three things with them. 

Journal, check.

Camera, check.

A spirit ready to be replenished and inspired, check.

Click, here I come!

P.S. While I'm away, you can see some of my iPhone snaps on Instagram (username: jharless).  And when I return, I'll be sure to post some of my favorite photos here on my blog.   

Project Life, 6/13-6/16

Hi all!

I'm back today with more Project Life goodness.

Specifically, I want to share photos + stories from our travels in and around Asheville, North Carolina.


On June 13th, Brian and I were driving from Nashville to Asheville and we stopped off to have lunch with my friend, Noah. I didn't take any photos that day (since much of it was spent in the car), but I did want to include a few thoughts about the day. Therefore, I wrote on two journaling cards and slid them in a plastic flip pocket.

Here's what the right journaling card says: "Noah, Brian, and I were enjoying fried potato slices at a restaurant in Knoxville. As we devoured these tasty appetizers, we discussed delicious (albeit unhealthy) southern foods. Noah, who happens to be a doctor, said something to the effect of, "Ya'll should have had your cholesterol checked before the trip and then afterward." :-)


The following day--June 14th--Brian and I toured the Biltmore House & Gardens. Several of my friends had raved about the estate, and boy were they right. As we toured the enormous house (three White Houses could fit inside of it), we listened to stories about the Vanderbilt family via audio tour.

One of my favorite stories was about a cake that Mrs. Vanderbilt's staff baked for her young daughter, Cornelia's birthday. In the cake, the baker had placed an assortment of tiny objects (buttons, thimbles, dimes) that the children attending the party would presumably discover as they ate their slice of cake. Supposedly, if you were a boy and found a button in your cake, you'd be single for life. If you were a girl and you came upon a thimble, you'd be a spinster. If you were lucky enough to find a dime, you were destined to be rich.

How fun is that?!

The story, though, didn't end there. Turns out, none of the kids actually found a dime, which sent Mrs. Vanderbilt into a panic. She grabbed a knife and started cutting up the remaining pieces of cake looking for the dime. One of the little girls attending the party went home and told her mother how strange it was to see Mrs. Vanderbilt--a very wealthy woman--searching for a mere dime in the cake.


After we toured the house, it was off to the gardens! I had a blast shooting the garden areas and ponds. I love that they plant flowers in suitcases and display vintage bicycles in their indoor gardens.

In the small pockets (measuring 2.75" x 3.75"), I included our Biltmore tickets, restaurant receipts, hotel card key and a few pictures. One of my favorite pictures is the Baptist church sign that says: "If you think it's hot here..."


I wanted to include additional pictures, so I used this American Crafts photo protector page. The page was designed to hold 12 pictures, but I only had eight photos, so I just cut off the bottom third of it with my paper cutter.


The food at Luella's, a barbeque joint in Asheville, was so yummy! I had a brisket sandwich; Brian devoured a rack of ribs. We both tried Cheer Wine (a cherry soda) for the first time and loved it. Too bad it's only available in the south!


On June 15th, we drove to Chimney Rock, which is about 25 miles from Asheville.

After walking up 500 stairs, we were treated to a breathtaking view of the surrounding area. Western North Carolina is so beautiful!

And now it's time for a few movie trivia questions from the Chimney Rock park guide, which I slipped into this page protector.

1) Which 1992 movie was shot in Chimney Rock park?

2) Which 1987 movie was filmed in the nearby Lake Lure area? (Hint, hint: Nobody puts baby in a corner!)

(Answers are at the very end of this post.)


We also drove a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway, south of Asheville. During our drive, hail pounded the roof of our car and thunder rumbled in the distance. Summer afternoon thunderstorms are such a common occurrence in the south, but for us west coasters, it's quite a treat!

Later on that day, the severe weather continued. In fact, while dining at Cracker Barrel (for the first time) and devouring our yummy chicken-fried steak/fried okra/fried apples, the lights kept flickering and we could hear the rain and thunder above the chatter. (It was so cool!) After finishing up our meal, we browsed the store, and then sat in the rocking chairs and played a game of checkers on the patio.

In the pockets, I included a map of western North Carolina and two receipts, along with a screen shot from Brian's iPhone showing the severe thunderstorms around Asheville.


I included four additional pictures from our time in Asheville using an American Crafts page protector.

One of them is a photo of the Manual Woodworkers & Weavers Factory Outlet located between Gerton and Bat Cave on US 74. They have a large selection of decorations, gifts, throws, linens, and pillows. I purchased a Christmas table runner, which I can't wait to place on our dining room table in December.


We had a wonderful time in and around Asheville, NC. In fact, I'd love to spend a few more days there in the future.

And now the time has come to reveal the answers to the movie trivia questions.

1) The Last of the Mohicans was shot in Chimney Rock park in 1992.

2) Dirty Dancing was filmed in nearby Lake Lure in 1987.

In my next post, I'll cover more of our trip beginning with our time in Williamsburg, VA.

J

Beautiful North Carolina

Since arriving in Asheville, North Carolina on Monday, we've toured the Biltmore House (and gardens), climbed up to the top of Chimney Rock (which afforded us spectacular views of the mountains), and meandered along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway.

Even though I've only seen a small portion of North Carolina, I'm blown away by its beauty.

And the food here is wonderful, too. Yesterday, we dined at a fabulous BBQ joint; tonight, we ate at Cracker Barrel. You know you're in the South when your hotel's free breakfast includes biscuits and gravy. I'm hoping my jeans fit when I don them for the airplane ride home a week from now. :-)

Tomorrow, we're on the road again (for about 7 hours) heading to Williamsburg, Virginia.

Hugs,
J