Our set of rooms at Skyland and the view from our room. (Portra 160, 35mm) — *Our set of rooms at Skyland and the view from our room.* (Portra 160, 35mm)

All I wanted for my birthday present this year was to go to the mountains. In true grass-is-always greener form, I grew up longing for the beach and counting days each year for our summer beach vacation. Now that I live near the ocean where the land is a super flat 9 feet above sea level, it seems all I dream of are rolling hills and the endless vistas of far-away peaks. All (!) I asked was that we go to mountains, and that I not be in charge of any of it.

So one weekend in May, we picked Cal up early from school, put him behind the wheel and headed west toward the Shenandoah National Park. Partly for our own pleasure, and partly to give Cal some stick time, entered the park at the southernmost tip of Skyline Drive. The lodge we were staying at, Skyland, was roughly at the center of the park, and at 35 MPH, we were told it would take us roughly two hours to reach the lodge.

We took our time. With 75 overlooks along the drive, even I didn't need to stop at each one, but it was hard to pass them up. Neel and Cal, who regularly humor me (and my cameras) knew that this was part of the goal for the trip and they were even more accommodating than usual.

Skyland Resort, where we stayed, was perfect. Things aren't often perfect, but Skyland was. While Neel checked us in, Cal and I sat in rockers in the main lodge and looked out over the valley to the west. We also checked the animal sighting log book which included lots of deer, chipmunks, a few bear and even a mountain lion! (!!) Our room was a short drive deeper into the valley, but still walking distance to the dining hall, which featured Virginia beers and wines and amazing views across the valley. Our room key even had a tiny flashlight in case our dinner lasted until after dark. (Breakfast was pretty tasty too, by the way.)

Saturday we spent driving. I spent it shooting. We took a hike to the falls that are pictured in my last post (maybe not our best move just a few days out from the flu) and drove the length of the park. We'd been hoping for a repeat of gorgeous stars we'd seen the night before, but we were graced with a stellar thunder storm instead. Fair trade. After the storm, having heard that we'd see bears at twilight, we headed out. Cal drove while Neel and I promised to keep our eyes peeled. Of course Cal spotted the bear. A cub, darting back into the woods. Score!

Next morning, on our way down the mountain, Neel pointed to a sign shaped like a bear on one of the low rock walls that are common along the side of the road. And then the sign hopped of the wall and ambled across the road in front of us. So, two bears. Super exciting.

I hated to have it end. I can feel my heart tug toward those peaks and valleys, and I don't want to have to resist. I'm lucky to live in a place where resisting isn't completely necessary. Blink, and I'm at the ocean. Turn around, and I'm standing on the mountain top. Thank you, Virginia.

Film Notes: Part of the whole exercise for me was simply to enjoy photographing this beautiful space, and to that end, I took three cameras. My 35mm Canon Elan, my Mamiya C330 (whose shots you can see here at Clickin' It Old School) and my Pentax 645n. The Pentax and the Mamiya are both medium format cameras, which have larger negatives than the 35mm. It's really interesting to me (yawn, to the rest of you) to see the difference between the photos from the 35mm and the medium format cameras in this post. Same film, same location, often roughly same time of day. For lots of reasons, I love each of those cameras, but there's no denying that there's a depth to those medium format images that the 35mm images just don't have. Food for thought.

We're headed out on another trip tonight. The dogs are skulking about suspiciously, knowing that when the suitcases come out, the pet sitters come in. And no matter how beloved our pet sitters, our dogs are still suspicious. With a hound and a corgi in the house, "worried" is the default. I know I haven't tended this space well of late, but I'm hoping that with a few weeks off, I'll come back renewed and inspired. In the meantime, I'll be hanging out on Instagram as we travel. Hope to see you there.

Row 1: Gathering from Scratch, Sunset, Fairylight Supper; Row 2: Breakfast by Vermeer, Farmhouse Window, Farm Life — **Row 1**: Gathering from Scratch, Sunset, Fairylight Supper; **Row 2:** Breakfast by Vermeer, Farmhouse Window, Farm Life

So I snuck away this weekend. Let me first say that leaving Neel and Cal home alone during the 12-day Simpsons marathon on FX might have been my best parenting decision EVER. When I got home yesterday afternoon, they hugged me by patting me on the back vaguely, before their eyes glassily veered TV-ward again. So, win-win?

There were no back-to-back-to-back Simpson's episodes for me. There was instead a 300 year-old farmhouse, the oldest stone farmhouse in the Shenandoah Valley. There were the rolling hills of West Virginia. There were lab puppies! (Swoon.) (I told them as I was leaving not to count heads. There might be a puppy coming home with me.) (There wasn't.) There were horses and sheep and pigs and cows and goats and chickens and parrots and peacocks who flew onto the roof each night at twilight. All of that was pretty amazing.

The food was pretty amazing too. I don't want to say too much today because there are so many photos to download, but each meal was so beautifully presented and served on stunningly laid tables. One of the hosts, Rebecca Gallup, from A Daily Something, is a prop stylist, and I could have spent the entire weekend with her just learning how she makes each decision she makes. Beth Kirby of local milk is a recipe developer, stylist and food photographer, and she handled that end in addition to keeping us fed. The food, and just being fed? That part alone for someone who does the feeding in the family, well, that was pretty special.

It's possible that I'm not the best workshop attendee. Too introverted, perhaps. Although I met so many wonderful women and enjoyed every moment with them, it's not the thing I'm best at. And let's face it. I'm not so great at the practical part of learning things either. Not great at taking advantage of having the experts on hand to guide me. I can ask questions and pick brains, but when it comes time to try stuff out and get help, I freeze up a little. It's also possible that I'm just a crappy stylist and always will be and no amount of workshops is gonna change that.

Don't get me wrong, simply being there and soaking up every moment was a really, really good thing. And some of the women there unfolded like flowers, and that was a beautiful thing to see. If I wanted to come home having fallen in love with styling, it's really okay that I didn't. I thought for the longest time that it was that I just didn't know enough, and once I knew more, I'd be okay. It might be that it's just not a good fit for me. Instead, I came home with an appreciation for gathering around the table and tending to my family with food. That sense has been sorely missing since I've been ill this summer. I came home more in love with my little Fuji than ever. I came home having made some really lovely friends among some really talented women.

I have more to tell you, all the lovely details of how well tended to we were all weekend, and all the beauty of the farm we stayed on, but you know what? My kid starts 9th Grade today, and that's the crazytown most important thing. Another school year begins, and I think I hear his alarm. Cinnamon rolls are on the menu, so it's a good thing I'm feeling rejuvenated.

Shenandoah Spring, On Film

weekend lookback, august 25