Whimsicals by Margot

I realize my blog is beginning to make me look like I'm solely a nature photographer. Soon, we will be escaping West Virginia and moving on to bigger, better things that will hopefully include other types of photography. But, until the wind farm is complete, I must take pictures of what is available to me in the Wild and Wonderful. The primary thing that is not wild or wonderful about this state are the way the roads are named (but only half even have signs), maintained, and randomly end. I spent more time lost, trying to find this botanical garden, than actually enjoying it. It was a lovely day, and fantastic stroll.

The only Sunday my hubby had off work in May, he told me to find something for us to do that might be comparably cool with the time I took him to Seneca Rocks. Due to the rain (the reason he was off work in the first place), I did not have many options. But, I remembered someone suggesting I go to Smoke Hole Cavern at some point, and that it was pretty neat. This idea was approved, and we spent part of our afternoon on a tour through the cave. I have been to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, so this one was a sneeze in comparison, but still way groovy. The best part was spotting a salamander on the way out.

On my way back to the cabin after visiting the falls, I thought I'd check out Canaan Valley when it was not knee deep in snow as well. Since I am not a native of this state, I tend to ask complete strangers on a regular basis local culture experience opportunities. Doing so has introduced me to things like ramps (the wild leek, not the kind for skateboard tricks), caves, trails, parks, festivals, moonshine, cities, and many restaurants. I assumed the gentleman I asked about which trail in Canaan Valley was the best hike would be a fairly reliable source. He informed me the hike would be "moderate" and had the best view of the valley. However, by the time I got to the top, I hardly cared about the view. The trail was not "moderate". I work out daily and had a rough go of it. The view was quite impressive though, I admit it.

I went to Blackwater Falls State Park a few months ago, but most of the trail was closed due to snow and ice. Recently, a lovely spring day motivated me to return. The falls certainly live up to the West Virginia state slogan: Wild and Wonderful.

I recently got to make a trip back to Indiana and was fortunate enough to squeeze in a photo shoot with Chrissy and her daughter, Naomi. Naomi was turning a year old, I hadn't photographed her since the day after she was born, so I lept at the opportunity. We did a set of mom and daughter in a modernized retro glam downtown, a set with her birthday cake, some extras in the tutu I made her, and my favorite part: fingerpainting. Both gals were a delight and a fun change of pace since scenery has been the only available photography for months. I was able to narrow it down to roughly twenty for my blog, which was difficult due to so many awesome shots.

One of the perks of living in West Virginia is hiking the nearby nature preserves and parks. Last Sunday, John and I checked out a place recommended by another electrician on his crew: Seneca Rocks. It was breathtaking! When we got there, all the other hikers were wearing protective head gear and carrying ropes and harnesses. We thought perhaps we came unprepared. However, we found a primitive trail that did not require professional mountain climbing equipment and took us over two hours to climb. Once we got to the top, there was a wide and easy trail down that we had missed. Oh well. We had a feeling of accomplishment for going up the hard way.