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As I was driving home from a photo shoot on Saturday, I noticed the peach trees and cherry trees are in bloom. They stand out against the beautiful North Carolina blue skies and signal that winter is all but over. We could still see a blast from winter but I will keep my eye on the prize. Spring brings its very own look with the flowers popping out of the ground, the creeks running clear and the trees are budding. Little animals are scurrying about looking for food and birds are chirping.

Keep your eyes open for your chance to snap a photograph this spring. With Easter coming up, look for young children in their new Easter clothes and check the schedules for Easter Egg Hunts nearby. Set your tripod up in your backyard and capture birds, I have seen at least six different kinds of birds already this Spring. And take a hike in the parks around you to capture more beauty.

I am very fortunate to live in the Water Falls state of North Carolina (Looking Glass Falls is shown in the photograph) and just 30 minutes from South Carolina which also hosts many waterfalls. My goal is to get out and capture the falls this spring after the rains to get dynamic shots. Go explore, and share your beautiful photos with all of us. Happy Shooting!

Karen

Craig and I were enjoying a quiet morning reading our emails and browsing online when Craig said, "Lake Glenville," with a twinkle in his eyes. I know immediately that he has found another destination for us to go to get the "You Must Get" shot. That shot that makes you smile when you look at it and know that it will be enjoyed by others too.

The "You Must Get" shot is what motivates photographers. The problem associated with it is that it never ends. Even when you get the must get shot at one location, you now have a new destination on your horizon. Of course, the joy, in this case, is you are always looking at the beauty God created around us and thrilled to be behind the lens capturing it.

Another idea that formed on "you must get," is this; you must get out and enjoy the area where you live. Whether you are in a city filled with great architecture and people, the rural areas dotted with great farms and livestock, the burbs cluttered with parks and children, the dessert with its own beautiful landscaping or the mountains with their huge peaks, you simply must get out and take it all in.

Enjoy!

Karen

It occurred to me today that my husband and I drive many roads that are well traveled as we head out to find beautiful vistas to photograph. We usually pull up a map of the general area or destination to get a good idea on what is in the area. Once we make our decision, all bets are off that we stay on the well-traveled roads.

Today while we were driving around Lake James in North Carolina, we took a couple of turns that took us to a road that gave us a great view of Table Rock Mountain. Not the typical view right up at the mountains edge, but one that was at the end of a dead-end road. There was a beautiful old farm at the end of the road and an area where we could turn around. To one side, the farmer's cows were out grazing in the fields. To the other side, there was another pasture with a sweeping view of the mountain. The fence provided a nice way to frame the mountain that was highlighted by the beautiful blue sky with white puffy clouds. We chose Table Rock Road because of the name, we had no clue where it would take us, we did have hope and were rewarded with a beautiful vista.

Later in the day, I took over driving and passed an old general store that was set back in the trees off of the road and in disrepair. It isn't easy for me to pull over and take shots at the same time so I had to pass it by. Craig offered to drive and go back to the store, but I knew there would be more opportunities ahead. We always look for small signs that point out hills, churches, stores, etc. Sometimes the names of the churches tell the potential photo op you may get. We turned right on a street that had a sign telling of a mountain park. We knew we would lose light soon so decided not to drive too far back into the countryside. We were rewarded about 2 miles down the road with a field full of cows with the foothills behind them.

We had our map app open on our phone and it was shouting out directions. The phone was quite active as we had already taken two turns that were not in its instructions to get us home. At one point, it told us to turn right onto a street and then told us to make a U-turn. We ended up in someone's driveway but were able to quickly recover. The phone gave more directions and we seemed to be going in a big circle. When the directions brought us back out to the main road that we had strayed from, there stood the old general store directly in front of us. I was able to pull over and take a few shots without leaving the car.

When I got home, I found that I had several wonderful shots from the day's drive and I knew I had many unique shots that were not from the road well taken.

Until next time!

Karen

Autumn or Fall is upon us and I love this time of year. The colors are vibrant, the leaves are changing colors, fall flowers mimic the reds, oranges and yellows of the trees and the waters seem so clear.

A drive through the Blue Ridge Mountain range took us to Lake Lure and Chimney Rock the other day. We recently moved to North Carolina and are in awe of the beauty here. The leaves are just starting to change but I suspect will be in their full fall glory in a couple of weeks. The lakes, rivers and rock faces along the drive were amazing. Chimney Rock stands tall above the little town like a sentry. The Broad River runs through town too. It is a rocky river that had very swift currents from all of the rain we have been receiving. Kayakers braved the river, you can take the river walk and watch them as the traverse the down rocky domain.

Rainy days accompany the season and put us in a sleepy state of mind. It seems like the time of year when we are supposed to slow down, shed the bad things from our lives and take a rest through the cold months ahead. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to hibernate like the animals do? We would eat ourselves full and then find a comfy place to sleep and hang a "Do Not Disturb Until Spring" on our doors.

I'm happy to experience the different seasons and look forward to a milder winter than we had the past two years in Southern Ohio. For now, I will continue to take Fall photos and share them with you.

Thank you for reading my blog. Please feel free to share with your family and friends.

Karen

When I was a young girl, my family moved all of the time. I think the last count was 17 schools before high school. We settled after that and I call Blue Ash, Ohio my home. Blue Ash is just outside of Cincinnati, which I also call home! As an adult, I have also moved quite a bit, living in several states and exploring whenever I can.

I am always happy when I move to a new place and we start exploring. It is so exciting to see new areas and take photos along the way. I often ask people in the area where they would recommend visiting. It surprises me how many people never go out and explore the beauty and towns close to them. We just moved to Forest City, North Carolina (actually just a little out of town). We took a ride today and visited a small town called Tryon. It is just like a small American town you would see on a movie set. The two-lane road wound through town with little stores, restaurants and scenery everywhere. It is tucked into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I stopped a lady and asked her where she would recommend getting a nice (affordable) meal. As we talked, she told me she moved to Tryon from New York. She told me to drive down about 6 miles to a restaurant that was in the little town of Landrum, South Carolina. She told me about the little town of Landrum and then told me about a few other little towns around Tryon. It was exciting to know we were so close to South Carolina. We took the drive and drove to Landrum, had a late lunch there.

On the way home, we stopped at the new equestrian center being built just outside of town in Tryon. Tryon International Equestrian center is massive and is really bringing tourism to the area. We drove through and I found out that all of the events are free to the public. We might not have known that without exploring the area.

It was a rainy day when we started out, but the sun poked through for the afternoon. The drive was wonderful and refreshed us. We thanked God for the beauty He always shows us. As we drove home, we talked about where we will explore next. I encourage you to get out and explore. Grab a couple of sodas and snacks and take a few hours to get refreshed.

Until next time.

Blessings,

Karen

Photo: Old Train Depot in Tryon, now a beautiful garden.

I love taking photographs! I am often asked what my specialty is and it makes me cringe. I know some photographers specialize in newborns, weddings, portraits, etc. Me, I specialize in "taking memories."

My husband and I became full-time RVers about three years ago. We had always wanted to do this and travel the country. It came a little sooner than we were prepared for when we both lost our contracts in California due to the recession. I suppose we could have been devastated, we sold our home and most of our possessions and started living in our motor home. What we found was a great freedom of not having "stuff" around us and being able to pick up and go when the mood hit.

The past few years have been great. You could have visited us in California,Utah, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and now settling in North Carolina. Some of the states were quick visits and others were lengthier stays. Wherever we stayed, we would do some "day tripping" so we could explore and I could get photographs of the area. What a blessed life.

I hope you take a chance to browse through the art on Fine Art America. Every artist on this site does it out of love and passion. If you see something really cute, share it on social media and help us get our names out there.

I have thousands of photos to work with so if you don't see what you are looking for, please contact me!

Thank you and God Bless you and yours,

Karen Ruhl
karenruhl12@gmail.com