A Summer Collection

“To collect photographs is to collect the world.”
― Susan Sontag

Perhaps I do collect photographs like others collect shells on the beach.  I seek out the moment and light that catches my eye, and I capture it in my camera to savor later.

At the beginning of the month, I had the opportunity to visit two of my favorite places in Virginia with Randy.

Our first stop was Massanutten, Virginia.  Randy’s parents invited us to spend some time with them there.  We had a wonderful time with Randy’s parents sharing great food, conversation, and laughter.

Randy and his father enjoy playing golf.  I rode along the morning they played together.  It was wonderful to be outdoors, appreciating the mountain views while they shared the morning doing what they love.

After a couple of days in Massanutten, Randy and I traveled to one of our family’s favorite summer spots, Chincoteague Island, Virginia.

While in Chincoteague, we enjoyed seeing the wild ponies.  They are always a highlight of our trip.

We tried to do some things we hadn’t done in the past.  Rather than taking a tour to see the ponies, we took a boat tour with Captain Barry that exposed us to other treasures of Chincoteague.

During our two-hour boat tour, Captain Barry pulled up a crab trap, brought aboard oysters to share with anyone who would like to sample them, showed us how to use a net to catch fish, and entertained us throughout the voyage.

We spent evenings dining out, having ice cream from Mr. Whippy’s, and enjoying the views from our room.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Waterfront in Chincoteague.  The sign outside read Number 1 Hampton Inn in the country.  We could certainly see why it was rated number one.  All we encountered on the staff were extremely friendly and helpful.  We saw employees cleaning areas all of the time.  There was such a sense of pride for the place.  All of their efforts made us feel comfortable and welcomed.

I experienced two sunrises at the beach and took time to create some images for my current personal project (I will share those at another time).

Making and collecting memories through photographs in two of my favorite places to visit during summertime was magical.

I would love you to consider joining Jamie Konarski Davidson and me as we collect memories and photographs during our fall workshop in Georgia. You can find more information about that opportunity here.

What kinds of special memories and images have you enjoyed collecting this summer?  I would love to hear about something special you have collected in the comments!  You also can share your images with me on Facebook.