Fall is just around the corner...

Fall is just around the corner and I am SO wanting to get out and enjoy the cooler weather! I know... lots of people love the summer. They don't mind the heat and the bugs, they like to get suntanned and be outside in the hottest of weather. But... I gotta say that I am a cool weather girl. Let me bundle up and go outside seeing the steam off my breath! I yearn for my outdoor fireplace to be burning each night while I curl up in a chair and enjoy conversation with friends and family... 

We southerners don't really get any truly cold weather, but as the days grow shorter my mind slips away and thinks about the refreshing breeze that is just around the corner... waiting for the leaves to turn and start their gentle decent to the ground, piling up in yards and setting the scene for Halloween and Thanksgiving.

While I anxiously await the cool weather I will continue to work away in the studio... Now instead of envisioning my current creations accessorizing summer fashions, I see them wrapped in shawls and wearing cashmere and wool... More long necklaces with leather and substance...

Camping adventures in the RAIN!

I would not call it a total WASH OUT, but the weather did not give us many breaks on our weekend away camping! As carefully as I studied the radar and local forecast...at some point I just make a leap of faith and pack up and hit the road!

Don't get me wrong... I'm no passy pants! A good storm is always an adventure and in the North Georgia mountains a daily shower is to be expected. It's the non-stop drizzle and unending drip that can get me down. I just want the sun to shine enough to take a few good pics.

No doubt there is talent and perseverance involved in making a wet trip a success! Luckily I am married to the guy who is prepared for every weather event known to man... We have figured out that if you can stay warm and dry... even in a driving rain... you can have a good time!

We are very organized and set up with precision, Tent and canopy before the first celebratory cocktail! Rain does not wait... The tent is always sealed against leaks... we have a great lightweight canopy that has served us well for years... we carry extra small tarps to setup over the fire (just in case)... and rope of all sizes... you never know!

Even though our weekend was wetter than expected we had a lot of fun, friends came and visited knowing that it was likely that our time would be huddled around a picnic table... We did get a break and get to go off for a short hike, and I took a few pics.

Simple Things...

Last spring I went camping in North Georgia with family and friends and stayed at Cooper's creek campground. I woke in the morning to the clear and LOUD call of the whippoorwill and spent my days observing the simple things that I often overlook in my daily life. I was particularly drawn to the carpet of new flora that was so beautiful and lush!
In looking back through some of these older photos I am amused by how I have been unknowingly incorporating them into my work. Flower stems, leaves, pods... I guess they have imprinted my mind with their sweet and simple images.
The weather is warming here in Georgia and I am getting anxious for a new camping adventure!