summer

Lime Creek Canyon Fishing

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Last summer we ventured back to our favorite mountain getaway (which you can see the images from a previous trip here and here) a few different times. The first trip there for the summer took place over the weekend of the Fourth of July, and we were treated to some extremely wet, muddy conditions for a good portion of the trip. It had rained a lot the few days before we got there, as well as the day of, making everything a slimy, muddy mess. But, the plus side to so much rain? Everything was crazy green! 

We did end up getting pretty lucky, and the sun came out for a good chunk of the day, giving us perfect weather to fish (well, for Scott to fish, for me to sit in a chair and read), and allowing things to dry out at least a little bit. 

Up next: images from the sky (the perks of dating a private pilot). 

The Blackhills 100 Mile Race

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So much for posting in a more timely manner; this summer has most definitely kept me busy.

I've decided to break from the order that I typically post in (chronological), to share the most recent adventure that I had the opportunity to be a part of. And brace yourselves, because this will be a long one. It was an extremely memorable experience, and although I'm not entirely happy with most of the images that I took (a severe lack of sleep may have played a role), I am extremely proud to share them because of how much of an accomplishment it was for my brother (or anyone for that matter).  

A few weeks ago my brother, Kyle, ran in the Black Hills 100, which is a 100 mile trail race through the Black Hills. Although the Black Hills are at a lower elevation, the race actually has more elevation change than the 100 mile race in Leadville, Colorado. The race is an out and back course, starting in Sturgis, SD and ending there as well. They started off on a Friday morning, and ran through the day with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees for most of the day. I worked until noon in Denver that Friday, and then drove six hours to meet Kyle and the two other members of the crew at the halfway point in Silver City, SD. 

Kyle had planned on being at Silver City by 7:30 pm, but because of the heat he, along with the entire field of racers, was well behind that pace. I spent the time waiting chatting up the women working the aid station, and then the other crew members as they began to show up. Kyle ended up getting in around 11:30 pm, and my crew duties kicked in. I mainly got him any food he wanted (which was ramen, lots of ramen), filled his water, and made sure he was doing alright. His friend Will also met us at Silver City, and served as his pacer for the last 50 miles, which made a huge difference for Kyle. 

Unfortunately I forgot my speedlight, and so was stuck with using an extremely high ISO in the images below, but I had to get at least some images of him during the night.

After Silver City I drove to the Pilot Knob aid station, where I met Will's brother, Michael, who crewed with me for the rest of the race. While we sat and waited for Kyle to arrive, I set up my camera for a brief time lapse. I didn't put a soundtrack on it, and as I said, it is brief, but I think it still does a nice enough job of showing the feeling of the aid stations at night. 

There was one more aid station in the dark, and then we drove to the Dalton Lake Campground to wait once again as the sun started to rise. It was such a welcome site to see the sun coming up for us crew members, and I can only imagine how it must have felt for the runners. 

I had been awake since 5 am the morning before (totaling nearly 30 hours awake at this point), and although I felt pretty great through the night, I started to crash after the Dalton Lake aid station once the sun was up. I was in desperate need of some sleep, and after slinging up my hammock I managed to get a light nap in this amazing spot while we waited for Kyle. 

We next saw Kyle and Will at the Elk Creek aid station, which was at mile 83. Another runner came into the aid station with some wildflowers that he picked along the trail for his crew members, which I couldn't resist documenting. One of the things that I loved about this experience was getting to know the other crew members. For the most part we saw the same people at every single spot, and by the end of the race it felt like we had known each other a lot longer than 12 hours or so. 

There was an aid station prior to Elk Creek that we didn't have access to, so the distance was about twice as long as when we normally saw the runners. This was the first aid station that Kyle started to show real signs of fatigue, and the first time I was even slightly concerned. His pacer was still full of energy however, and was excellent at keeping Kyle moving. 

The next aid station was the last before the finish, and like at Elk Creek, there was a station in between where we weren't able to see him. His wife and twin boys were at the last aid station as well, and as soon as Kyle saw them he visibly perked up. The boys saw him a ways off, and were so excited that they ran out to meet him!

We then drove to the finish in Sturgis and waited for Kyle and Will to arrive. My nephews were loving my camera while we waited; their new (at least new to me) thing to do is to make silly faces constantly while I take millions of pictures, and they loved getting to press the shutter as well. 

Kyle and Will came running in to the finish just before 3:00 pm on Saturday.  We found out later that he managed to finish in 28:48:33, and was 9th place overall! It was so exciting to see him finish the race, and to finish it running no less. 

Crewing for this race was one of the coolest experiences I have had. Seeing my brother accomplish something so major, and getting to help him through that process in even a small way was an incredibly impactful and unforgettable experience. 

And with that, I will finally wrap things up. Hopefully some of you stuck through it all. Thank you for taking the time to stop by, and don't forget to share via the links below!

Flashback Friday: Driveway Creations

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How far into the past does something have to be to be considered a flashback? It has been just shy of two months since I had my last day as a nanny in Manhattan, KS, and I still think of that family often. It seemed appropriate then, that this post be dubbed the next "Flashback Friday" post. 

I absolutely adored the creativity and imagination these kids have. I would generally have a rough idea for a craft or game, but they always managed to turn it into their own thing. I loved sitting back, and watching them come up with their elaborate games and scenarios. 

Unfortunately, these are the last images I have from my summer with these amazing kiddos. It was an incredible summer before moving on to this new adventure I am on, and I will forever be glad I was able to spend that time with them.

Next up, more mountains! My first weekend in Colorado was spent on a grand adventure with my best friend and her puppy, and I cannot wait to share those images. Check back soon!

Konza Prairie Biological Station

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My time in Manhattan is quickly coming to an end. That means that I am trying to make sure to spend time with friends before I leave, along with spending time in some of my favorite places in the area. Last week I went on a hike through the Konza Prairie with my good friend, Liz. It was absurdly humid out that day, making for a hot and sweaty hike, despite its short length. The humidity did help to provide some amazing clouds and light on the hills, however. 

This is by far the greenest I have seen the area at this time of the year, in the three years that I have lived here. Kansas is definitely putting on a good show for my last summer here.  

The start of the moving process begins tonight! Scott and I will be headed to Denver in the morning to move him out, along with most of my belongings. I was able to get the last two posts written/scheduled ahead of time, though I don't currently have the next ones ready to go. So, things will likely be quiet the next week or so (unless I get some unexpected downtime). 

With that, don't forget to hit the "Subscribe" button on the left, and feel free to share via the links below. Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful Wednesday! 

home is where the light is.

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When I was home in Minnesota the other weekend I made sure to get out my real camera and take some photographs of the incredible light in my parents' home. My obsession with light, and my need for a light-filled home probably stems from growing up in that house, where every room gets amazing sunlight at some point during the day. 

The first few images below were taken the same day as the garden tour. The giant locust tree in the backyard filtered the sunlight, creating a stunning, speckled pattern on the wall and floor. I took a quick (and low quality) video of it as well, which you can see here, as it was mesmerizing to sit and watch. 

The morning that I was headed back to Kansas I poked my head into my parents' room, which gets incredible light in the morning through their wood blinds. Striped shadows are thrown across the foot of the bed and the bench made by my great-grandpa. This room is a favorite of mine in the morning, and it has set the standard high for my future home. 

This will probably be it for posts this week, since Wednesday is day one of the moving process, and I will be out of town until Sunday because of that as well. Hopefully next week I will have some exciting images to share though! Have a wonderful week, and don't forget to hit the "Subscribe" button on the left to stay in touch, and feel free to share via the links below. 

Flashback Friday: Summer Rain

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This summer has been a bit unusual in Manhattan, as we have had quite a bit of rain. This morning, in fact, I was woken up early by a little thunderstorm rolling through. Any time we get random thunderstorms and rain showers here, it reminds me of my time in Kentucky. It was a fairly regular occurrence to get afternoon thunderstorms during the summer there, and often it involved pouring rain while it was still sunny out. I absolutely loved it, and would generally run outside with my camera as soon as it started. I would have my camera in a rain sleeve to keep it dry, though I would end up completely drenched with a smile on my face. 

These images are from one such storm. I remember it absolutely down pouring, but soon after it started, the sun came out, making all of the puddles and raindrops richly golden. Even though these photographs are pretty simple, they represent a very positive time in my life and bring back lots of wonderful memories. To this day, I absolutely adore standing out in the pouring rain during summer storms (something that elicited confused looks and protests from Scott the first time I pulled him outside with me). 

Happy Friday, and have a wonderful weekend everyone! Don't forget to hit the "Subscribe" button on the left, and feel free to share, via the links below. 

Hidden Oasis

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This past semester some of my students introduced me to a park in Manhattan that I had never heard of. I first visited there early this spring, before any leaves were on the trees and the grass was still brown. For those who have been following my blog for a bit, you have seen some images from there before, as shared in my Fabric Landscape post. 

It is the most unique park I have ever been to; just a small, square plot of land tucked in between some farms and a creek, with trees planted in nearly perfect rows. You walk down a short, wooded trail past some pastures and fields to get to the little park, which is quite pretty on its own.

When you come to the end of the little trail, and the entrance to the park, the space opens up into a storybook like area. Early in the spring the brown grass had all been mowed so that you could easily walk down the rows, though this time it was densely overgrown and lushly green. There was such a perfect canopy of leaves that the light had a yellow-green glow to it and when the sun came through the clouds it filtered down through the leaves into a beautiful speckled pattern, like little spotlights all over.

On the road to and from the park, you pass over a perfect little creek. The first time I visited the area there wasn't any water running through it, but because of the large amount of rain we have had, it was a steady stream with beautifully clear water. I couldn't resist stopping on the way out to grab a few images, and I am tentatively planning some other shoots in these waters as well.

And with that, have a wonderful Wednesday! We have made it halfway through the week!

Kings and Queens and Dragons (oh my!)

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A few weeks ago I stocked up on paint, googly eyes, and gathered the toilet paper tubes I had been saving for a craft project with the kids I care for. I had planned to have them make monsters, but as usually happens, the kids all came up with their own unique ideas for what those tubes should be turned into. 

I didn't get any photographs of the kids making their creations (I was too busy gluing things and my hands were covered in paint most of the time), but afterwords we went outside to play and brought the characters with. 

Somehow, this little one ended up wearing the exact same shirt as the last time I brought my camera. I promise she does have other clothes (lots of them), and I don't only put this one shirt on her. 

And with that, here is to a happy Monday, and a smooth start to the week after a holiday weekend! 

Summer Fishing

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I skipped Monday's post. Scott's birthday was on Monday, and it also happened to be his last night in the country for three weeks. Call me crazy, but I thought maybe that was an alright reason to ignore my potentially silly, self-imposed blogging rules. 

This last Sunday Scott and I finally had at least a partial lazy day together. He defended his PhD dissertation a few days before that, so the past few weeks (or really months) have been crazy busy and stressful for him, not leaving much down time for us together. So Sunday we hopped in the car and drove out to one of the lakes nearby to do some fishing. We got a rather late start to the day, so the fish weren't exactly biting, but it was still so nice just to be outside together.  

It is a bit strange to think that was likely our last time fishing in Kansas. This fall we will both be moving to Denver; with his current trip, and the move happening shortly after he is back in the States, it is unlikely we will get out again while we live here. However, I'm sure we have many fishing trips with mountain views in our future. 

Ferguson Farm

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Last weekend Scott and I went to visit his parents on their farm. We were only there for one night, though we were treated to some amazing clouds and light that evening. Walking around the farm to photograph on evenings like this is absolutely soothing; it calms me and rejuvenates me. The quiet and solitude of the area are often times just what I need.

I also took some self-portraits on the same evening, which I will be sharing on Wednesday. Be sure to hit the "Subscribe" link on the left to keep up to date, and feel free to share this post via the link below!

Have a wonderful Monday!

Little Ones (Nanny Life)

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The first summer of my graduate school career I nannied full-time for a precious little family in Manhattan. I came to absolutely adore the kiddos (it didn't take long), so I was extremely excited when they asked me to spend the summer with them again!

They added one more little one to the bunch since the last time I was with them (the one below), and she has quickly stolen a piece of my heart as well. 

I'm always trying to think up new things to do that will keep them all occupied, and also burn off some of their energy for their mom and dad. This particular day we used up every last bit of the chalk to draw a massive road all over the driveway. We brought out cars (and a random Barbie), and had a blast "driving" around. 

When I first got my camera out they just wanted to pose for me, but after a bit they went back to playing, forgetting about me and my camera for the most part. I love sitting back and watching what their vivid imaginations come up with while they play. They are so creative, and the scenarios they come up with range from hysterical to super sweet, and everything in between.

It was a bit hot, and very humid that afternoon, so even though they weren't running around a ton, everyone was sweaty, dirty, and even a little tired. :)

I will likely be sharing lots more images of these guys throughout the summer, so be sure to check back in the coming weeks to see what we have been up to. In the mean time, have a great Wednesday! And, don't forget to check back on Friday for the Flashback Friday post (hint: more images of the beautiful Red Rive Gorge will be up)!

Flashback Friday: Red River Gorge

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It has been a few (okay, more than a few) weeks since the last Flashback Friday post. But, I am hoping to get back on track with them starting this week!

Every so often I find myself feeling extremely homesick for Kentucky. I lived in Lexington for four and a half years while I went to school at the University of Kentucky for my bachelor's degrees. Lexington and the surrounding areas took a piece of my heart during that time. The feeling of missing that area comes in waves, but for the past week or so I have found myself deep underneath one of them; this post is a result of that. 

One of the (many) great things about Lexington is that it was only around an hour and a half drive to the Red River Gorge. The Red was one of my favorite escapes when I was feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or just needed a break from people and the city. It is such a large area that when I went on my hikes, depending on the trail I chose, I would rarely see more than one or two people, if any. That fact, combined with the tall cliffs, vast forest, and towering trees made me feel small, and often helped put things in perspective as I hiked. 

I was obsessed with the trails there, and ended up with enough photographs of them to do an entire (and lengthy) series on that alone. They were often narrow, and would twist and turn allowing me to only see so far ahead before it disappeared into the woods. Perhaps as would be expected, they were quite symbolic for me. 

It was almost always incredibly humid in the summer, which I normally cannot stand. However, the past few days I have found myself even missing that heavy, moist air that I was bound to encounter on my summer hikes. It was also always incredibly green in The Red during the spring and summer months. The light that filtered down through the dense leaves had a sort of green tint to it, and everything was lush and filled with life. Ferns and moss are some of my favorite plants, and there would be expansive areas filled with both of them, much to my delight. 

I have many more images of the area (both The Red and Lexington) that I will likely be posting in the coming Flashback Friday posts, so be sure to check back next Friday to see another piece of what I have been dreaming about lately.

And with that, happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend! 

Flashback Friday: Windy Pasture

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Welcome to the third installment of my Flashback Friday series! Today's post comes from September of last year. Scott and I went to his parents' farm to do some dove hunting on the first weekend of the season. It ended up being an absurdly (though typical for Kansas) windy evening, with the grass of the pasture whipping around us. There weren't many dove near us, so I ended up photographing more than looking for birds. 

This week essentially marks the end of the semester for me, which is also the end of my graduate school career, and my time in school as a student in general. It is hard to process that this fall won't involve me getting ready for classes, for the first time in 23 years essentially. It does mean that I may have slightly more time for photographs (hopefully), so I can finally get to some projects and images that I haven't had time to get to yet.

Also, I will be cutting the prices of prints this weekend, so if you are interested in purchasing any, this weekend would be a great time to do so! All money from prints currently goes to help fund my trip the the United Kingdom this summer; any and all help I receive would be greatly appreciated. You can also donate and receive a 4x6" print via the link below. 

Happy weekend to you all!

Travel Fund