Local Roaming and Yard Work

The past two days have had some local roaming incorporated. And, I picked up sticks in the yard in anticipating of the grass being cut. QB finally got the grass cutter working, so that will be happening very soon much to the chickens' dismay. I really enjoy getting the camera out and taking pics, the exercise will vary depending on my day/week. We have had to catch up on chores this break, so we have not had the opportunity to go anywhere neat. With the beautiful weather, I hope we can go hiking soon. I want to go to Harper's Ferry and do some hiking there since it's just down the road. But, until we get out to somewhere more interesting, here are some pics from around out place. I also included a pic of my dyed hair that I talked about on my other blog. Enjoy the doggies. There were lovin' up the sun and were easy targets for some neat pics.

I Got Some Fresh Air Today

So, it's been several days since my last post. That's what happens to me on this strange flip-flop schedule. I will be go-go-go, then no-no-no. This blog is my bait. Which I did take today. I didn't get tons of exercise, but I did get a nice walk in the fresh air. Today really was a beautiful day.

These pictures were taken around my neighbor/landlord's home. QB had to walk over there to barrow STC's grinder to sharpen the blades on the gravely so he could mow the yard. Our grass is getting taller by the day. Soon my little doggies will get lost if we don't cut it. The chicken and guineas are loving the long grass though. Funny birds. I do enjoy watching them.

Well, I can't think of anything else related to say. Enjoy the neat pics.

Mountain Road Walk

Yesterday I came home feeling rather tired and cranky. I don't know why I was in a foul mood, but I was. I hung out with the hubby all evening and starting feeling better.

Today, I decided to head out early (well, early for me - around 1pm) so I could get some better photo opportunities. This area is on the verge of blooming out, so the trees are still mostly bare but flowers are blooming. I drove a few miles to a neat mountain road for a change of scenery. However, this road is much much neater during the summer with all the foliage. I did find some neat things to take pictures of though.

I only covered a little over a mile. I didn't have much of an appetite when I woke up, so I went out on an empty stomach. I jogged some, but mostly walked. When I got done, I was definitely hungry so I had some oatmeal when I got home. My play-list was the same, so no change there. Enjoy the pics. I am anxiously waiting for all the trees to get their leaves and more things to bloom. North Virginia is absolutely gorgeous in late April.

Why Sprint the Last 1/4m When You Can Dance?

Tonight, not only did I feel like getting active after work, but I had some extra energy from some unknown source that gave me the motivation to push myself. As soon as I got home, I put on my running shoes, grabbed my mp3 player, and headed out with my camera hoping to get some pics before it got too dark.

All in all, I covered about 2 miles. For the first 1.75ish miles I mostly jogged, but stopped a few times for a photo op. I was able to keep up a decent pace without overdoing myself. Once I got back to the beginning of our drive way, which is about 1/4m, I was feeling really great and was listening to a good song. So, instead of sprinting, I wanted to enjoy the song so I just danced back. This is another great thing about living in the country. No one but the animals to see me acting silly. I think I would have been too self conscientious to go as all out as I did if I still lived in town. I would have probably had a little boogie in my step though.

I must say, if you want nice legs, dance for the last 1/4 mile. Damn, that will that work your upper legs and glutes. :-)

 Here is my play list, in case you're curious. I got a few pics, too. A few strange pics, but pictures none the less.

Jack's Mannequin - Dark Blue
Jack's Mannequin -Spinning
Maine - Whoever She Is
MGMT - Electric Feel
Modest Mouse - Float On
Muse - Time Is Running Out
Patty Griffin - Rain
Sherwood - Alley Cat
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps
Yeah Yeah Yeahs -Heads Will Roll

Which One is the Carrot Again?

I started out using photography as an encouragement to get outside and get active. However, all day today I had the urge to get outside and run. I have had a steady exercise routine before, so I know the drive and craving for the intensity of pushing yourself. Apparently after getting a taste of that again in the past few days, I am starting to like the feel the urge to jog/run again. Did I forget what it felt like? Maybe. Maybe it was cold. Maybe I was lazy. Maybe...

Today was a long work day. I was up at 5am and got home just after 7pm. I didn't really want to go for a long run or take the time and ramp myself up; I just wanted to get outside, go hard, and burn out early. Hey, I have two more 5am days ahead of me.

I stayed local, and maybe covered just under 1 mile. Not a lot, but I am still fairly out of shape. I got my heart rate up, huffed and puffed a bit, and took just enough pictures to prove I was out. Ha.

Since the sun was setting, I did brighten the pics a little. I don't consider myself a photoshop pro, but I can get around alright. ;-)  Here are tonight's selected pics. Enjoy.

The Cherry Trees In DC

As I was waking up yesterday, before breakfast but after coffee, I was looking up local parks trying to think of a neat activity photo adventure for my last day off. I work 4 days on and 4 off, and today is my first day back at work. So, I'm not sure how many opportunities will arise to do activities over the next four days. Something about 12hr shifts makes that difficult to do. However, now that I am getting more active in such a fun way, I am actually wanting to go jogging and get some exercise. Apparently I DO respond to danging carrots. My plan is working. :-)

Anyway, so as I was sitting at my computer, QB hollered from upstairs that we needed to leave the house for DC in 30min! Apparently he had to do an emergency hard drive replacement for a client just off Dupont Circle. I was excited because I figured I would have some great opportunities for some interesting photos. I threw some some comfy clothes, and since we were in a rush, I had to eat my breakfast oatmeal on the go.

Flash forward to after I dropped off QB. By then it was around 4:30pm, and it took me about 15 min to find a parking spot. Not bad considering it is DC. I started to walk the 4-5 blocks to where QB was and figured I would meet him when we got done, and we could walk around. He was done rather quick, so he actually met me half way to where I left him. I only took a few pictures of the Dupont area, and didn't get much exercise - but that was because my scheming mind had a plan. I remembered what DC is famous for this time of year, so we now had a new quest.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival.

We had to run -what we thought would be- a quick errand, which took us north and away from the cherry trees, but we figured we had plenty of time. QB and I still haven't quite learned how bad traffic can get in DC around rush hour. By the time we turned back after our errand, we were feeling a bit pressed for time, and realized the sun was setting fast. I was afraid I would miss the cherry trees. As soon as we got close to the mall area, coming from "F" street I think, I got out the the car to walk/jog because traffic was so bad.

However, it was getting dark quick, so I realized that if I wanted any chance to take some cherry tree pictures that I would need to jog. So, I jogged at a fairly quick pace from the red dot to the pinkish area where the first of the cherry trees were. The dark was coming so fast that I felt a little guilty for stopping to take a couple of neat Washington Monument pics on the way. I did manage to get some cherry tree pics, but I didn't get a change to take all that I wanted. The dark came to quickly for me to get any pics by the water. Sigh. However, if I had not gotten out when I did and jogged, I would have gone home empty handed. Traffic was so bad for QB, as he drove down 15th street,  after I took what pics I could, I had to walk back up to the intersection of 15th and Madison and wait for him to drive another 1.5 blocks. Damn.

I ended up jogging about 1/2 mile, and probably walked at least 1 more between Dupont Circle and the rest of the cherry tree area. Remember, I am not trying to get in massive mileage since I am on CR. I am just trying to get some activity and fresh air. I'm glad I got *some* pics. I had to play around with them some and even get a little artsy because the light was just not there for ideal images. I'll put my favorites up first, then some just to show the area more. I may add some pics to this post later this evening, but I haven't decided yet. Enjoy!

Chilly Windy Day at Cabin John Creek Park

Today I decided to go into the DC-ish area with QB so I could find some activity- photo inspiration while he did some work. I looked up parks that were close to where he was going to be, and decided to visit "Cabin John Creek Park". I figure I'll get plenty of opportunities to do such a thing from time to time since I am regularly off in the middle of the week. The idea of walking, jogging, or hiking on some park trails sounded absolutely wonderful. And it was. However, I didn't not expect the rain yesterday to bring such cold wind for today. Yesterday's walk/jog was in very temperate weather, no wind, and the sun even came out a few times.

Today was overcast, chilly, and windy, but I was not going to let that stop me from my little adventure. I dropped QB off and headed to the park. Once I stepped out of the car and had a little look around so see which direction I needed to head, the chilly wind gave me a good blasting. I was glad I put on some extra clothes before I left the house, but for the first few minutes I wondered what I got myself into.  I can do alright in cold weather if there is no wind. If there is cold wind I can really be a wimp. Also, calorie restriction tends to leave me a bit colder, and I often need an extra sweater when I go places.

I snapped a few pictures, but then decided I need to warm up quick, so I started jogging down the dirt trail. A few flowers were starting to bloom, and the grass was starting to green up, but the trees were still bare. It still took me a little while to warm up because I kept finding things I wanted to take a picture of. Ha. After a while, everything was toasty expect my ears and the tip of my nose.

Overall, I covered just over 2 miles of the trail. There was a stream that more or less followed the trail, and the terrain was somewhat hilly. After about 35min, my ears were really getting cold so I put on my scarf, took a few silly pics, and started the walk back. When I got called back to the car, I realized I needed to find a restroom with a quickness. QB wasn't done yet, and there was a mall close by, so I decided to make use of their restrooms.

I ended up getting another mile of power walking in at a mall while waiting for QB to finish up since he was a bit longer than expected. I didn't feel like taking mall pictures though after all the neat nature shots. Besides, I don't think I could have said many nice things about the people I saw there...that's all I am going to say.

The first few pics are my favorite, artsy ones, then I add some for fun and some just to show the trail.  

Ok, now for a couple of me having fun with my green scarf. :-p

And finally, here are just a few of the trail. :-) 

Dangling the Carrot: The Three for One Deal

I needed some motivation to get outside, exercise, and get back into my photography hobby. So, I decided to combine all three at once. A few times a week I will take my camera outdoors and take pictures as I walk, jog, bike, etc, to where ever. My new project started today.

First, let me tell you that I also follow Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition. I have another full time blog that I have been posting to for over 6 months now. This Kaleidoscopic-CRON Existence. I made a post about this new hobby on this blog earlier today, go HERE for that post.

I am basically using my urge to get outside and love of photography to inspire a regulate source of physical activity. Hence the "dangling carrot". My mind loves to employ all sorts of mental gymnastics to get to from point a to point b. In this situation, the results seem win-win-win. :-)

For today's adventure, I just stuck to my country neighborhood. My husband (QB) and I live on the side of a mini-mountain in North Virginia. Since I stayed cooped up all winter, I kept the activity part mellow today by combining walking and jogging. I want to build up to not only running, but also some serious trekking and maybe trail running so I can really open up the photo opportunities.

I will be playing around with the template colors, so expect some visual changes soon. 

I need to get a pedometer today because I want to keep track of my distance, too. I didn't go too far today, maybe 1-1.5 miles, but there were hills involved. Ummmm, hills.

Well, here are the photo results from today. Enjoy. (The birds are mine, btw)