Blue Ridge Parkway Photography Workshop

I cannot say enough about this wonderful trip we just returned from. As I've mentioned before, this trip was a 30th birthday gift to Chris from Ethan and I. It was a photography workshop held at the Wildacres Retreat at 3,300 feet above elevation in Little Switzerland, North Carolina. I asked him if he wanted me to tag along and he said yes! I was very excited seeing that I wanted this to be his weekend to get away from all the stress of everyday life. It was now mine as well!

The weather was perfect with a few chilly moments in the morning and evening, but it was perfect none the less. I was prepared with my sweaters, boots and cords! While Chris spent his days learning about how to be a better photographer, I spend them breathing in the crisp mountain air, going for a walk around the retreat, marveling at the beauty of the area, hiking to Crabtree Falls, shopping in the adorable town of Little Switzerland, drinking LOTS of coffee, making new friends, Ken and Martha, who were almost twice my age but oh so wonderful, reading New Moon (again) and just being thankful for the time I got to spend up there. Ken and Martha were also tagging along with their spouses who were in the workshop as well. The three of us were invited to view the sunrise along with the the class when they went out to photograph, but we declined and said we'd rather look at the back of our eyelids. We did however decide to join everyone for the sunset on Saturday night and I'm so glad we did. It was neat to see the class in action and to also view the beautiful sunset over the mountains.

Chris really enjoyed getting to know the people in the class, but one guy he was particularly fond of was Joe. He was such a sweetie. He always was sweet to me and such a joy to talk to. Keep in mind, most of these people were twice our age, give or take a few years. I joked with Chris that we must be old souls because we fit right along with everyone and had such a good time getting to know everyone's life stories. Joe even let me borrow his back up camera so I could take pictures of the waterfall I hiked to. When we were leaving Joe gave both of us a hug and told us how blessed he felt to be with us this weekend. Man - I had to choke back the tears. How many people actually say that to you? He was truly a genuine person and a faithful follower of Christ. It's so refreshing to meet people like him and I'm glad we had the opportunity to do so.

Here are just a few of the beautiful shots that Chris captured this weekend:

Yep, that's me taken at sunset

Sunset over the mountains

Cool shot at sunrise

Another beautiful shot at sunrise

Not spectacular, but I shot this one at Crabtree Falls!