Summer Photos

Here's proof that the impossible is possible. Every year, we get all 20+ grandkids, aunts, uncles, and Grandma and Grandpa together for a big  family picture. Usually they throw us kids in there and then take the picture before we know what's happened! That's the lodge where we stay in the background. It's soo beautiful there. You just can't go and not take a bazillion pictures. I always come home with about a hundred and fifty nature shots, and, like, eight with people in them. I just love the scenery there. It's not an everyday kind of place. Not to mention that the temperature there is such that you actually want to be outside a lot.

 A beautiful picture of a sunrise over Wildcat Lake. Because of the way my camera was set, the colors look like a sunset, but don't be fooled, it's actually about 6:30 AM. Every time I look at this picture, I end up feeling sleepy because of the warm colors. :) Or maybe just because I remember that for me, a Central Standard chick in Eastern time, it was like having a teenager up at 5:30 AM- and it was my  idea! Mom and Dad are still snoring away in their room at this point. In fact, just about everybody was snoring away in their room at this point. Except me! This one will probably go in the art show next year!

 This picture makes me think of Cutter Gap  from Christy. Which is one of my favorite books, by the way. I love the little splash of bright orange in the otherwise green picture. And I love all the mountain ranges in the background. And I love the different kinds of trees and bushes in this picture. And I love how bright green the grass is. How about we just say that I just generally LOVE this picture. Like a lot.

There is seriously a typo on this plaque that's bolted into the top of a mountain. See if you can find it and grrooaann. Although it was kind of fun to laugh and get even more out of breath after climbing zillions of feet. :) Cornelious Rex Peake must not have been that awesome, since they couldn't even get someone to proofread his commemorative plaque. Apostrophe typos are possibly some of the most annoying to look at, no?

Another shot from about a hundred thousand feet up. Ok, so it was only, like, five thousand feet, but it was still pretty high. By the time we got up to the top, I was starting to have difficulty breathing, so with the combination of the slightly thinned air and my being out of breath already, it was not fun towards reaching the peak of Grassy Ridge. Even though it was hard, that hike was a great way to spend a last day with your family. When I could keep up with them. :)

 A picture of all the kids who braved two and a half miles of the Appalachian Trail, with two and a half miles left to go. Do we look like we just climbed a mountain? :)
Man, I look like such a moron! But it's not quite as bad as the other one, which will NOT be posted here, at least not until I feel like laughing at myself. How about we just say that I learned that if you're going to make a face before getting your picture taken, you'd better wipe it off before it's taken. (grimaces)

A shot of ( I think) Tennessee from North Carolina. Or possibly the other way around. Either way, it's a shot of one state with mountains from another state with mountains. :)  Every time we leave our family reunion, I suffer from like a week of depression. I've just left canoeing, climbing mountains, seventy degrees and sunny in JUNE, not to mention all of my cousins, aunts, uncles, and my grandparents. Looking at these pictures always makes me feel sort of bittersweet. It's like, " Oh, that was so much fun! I really miss them."

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed getting a little taste of my summer vacation. Other than that, we pretty much stayed at home the rest of the time. I worked at the library, planned SGA stuff, and went to Geoff's art classes. And counted down the days until fall. Basically: boring summer :)