This morning, I awoke to the first light of dawn, crept quietly out of my tent, stuffed my bare feet into my wet sneakers, and sloshed through the mud for this shot. I was rewarded by seeing a white tailed deer running through the field right before I snapped. It was peaceful out and beautiful.
We were camping last night with the cub scouts. It was a little rougher a camping experience than I prefer. No running water (aside from a contraption that the leaders rigged up for washing hands). One low for me was having to get up to use the restroom in the middle of the night, hiking through the pitch black woods for a half a mile and NOT finding the bathroom. I found a nearby, non-poison ivy infested tree and obeyed the call of nature (don't think less of me, if that is possible;-). As I nervously flashed my light around, I saw yellow eyes watching me. I didn't linger getting back to the tent. What made up for this, though, was how amazingly gorgeous the sparkling night sky looked away from all of the light pollution in the city.
Camping...so messy and difficult, but so nice to get away from it all and get some peace. And the s'mores are to die for!!
yes. sounds like a courageous experience with the yellow eyes! :) love the morning mist....gives such a wonderful mood to this with the lone bench. my soul constantly yearns for this solitude...lovely to have this forefront tree to highlight the mist against the backdrop trees!
gah id love to have a session in that location with those elements. jealous. (fav) and smores are addicting. glad you got away from your comfort zone. helps us to grow ;)
@tbats22 Aw, thanks for your sweet words and fav, my friend. Hey, should I crop down the left side a tad to make the shape less funky or leave well enough alone? It may make it stronger a shot...can't decide.
love the shot and story to go along. I have definately had that experience camping! Not so fun in the moment, but such a great story to tell afterwards!
Beautiful shot! You're a braver camper! My idea is of camping is inside a 40 foot fifth wheel with a microwave and DVD player! I"m totally spoiled!! LOL!
This is an amazingly stunning shot, Amanda! Glad you had fun camping too. We did our first backpacking trips last year and can't wait to get back out at it.
Such a serene feeling to this image. Love the mist and the amazing tree. Great capture! Thanks for sharing your camping experience! You tell great stories.
@fueast Your auto correct message kills me, really it does.:) Thanks, lady. I think;-).
@moreyoulessme I need to get more solitude myself. Thanks for your sweet comments, Jerri!
@tbats22 Yes, maam. Wish we could have walked around together. It makes seeing yellow eyes in the dark less scary with a buddy (who is hopefully slower;-). Thanks so much, my friend. I wouldn't leave you behind either!!
@bardejov Aw, thanks so much for that, my friend!!
@deeganp Aw, thanks for your sweet words, Pea. Appreciate that!
@losthorizon Thanks, Beau. It was nice. But I wasn't accustomed to cub scout camping...way more rustic than girl scouts!!
@psychographer Oh lady, I tried to forget about it and go back to bed. I laid there awake for an hour. I also considered just going right outside my tent, but then didn't want to be seen by our other campers/families in our group. Ugh. Thanks for your comments:)!!
@rockinrobyn Thanks, my friend. It was cool to witness and be in the quiet stillness.
@happysnap Thanks, Linda. I wondered if I should share or if it would be TMI. Glad that you appreciated hearing about it. :)
@denidouble The tent part was nice...I love hearing the nature sounds around me. Not so much the man in the next tent talking on his cell phone until all hours of the night, though. Thanks so much for the fav, Deni. You are kind!
Sounds like quite a trip and not one I would want to go on. Love your photo, Amanda and story of your night. I forgot how much I love your writing. I can always sit and read what you write as you make it so interesting and fun and just what it is. Sure does not look sloshy and for me I would take it as we still have no rain and will likely have none till Fall. You would be amazed at how dry it is here and so brown. It is in the low 90's today and in the low 80's in SF. Crazy year here.
@abhijit It was a really funky shape. Not round and nice but oddly tall and weird. Thus the crop. I took it in portrait, too and showed the whole tree, but didn't like the look. I prefer the landscape mode for more room sake and just cropped the funky out. I wish it had looked better to show. Thanks, Abhijit. I finally did reprocess my shot of me on the gazebo at night without the poles in there. It did look better! Wish I hadn't been lazy the first time around!:)
@tonydebont You can fav whatever you want, Tony. So glad that you liked the story as I debated sharing it. Thanks so much, man!!
@bpaquette Ah yeah. I had seconds they were so good. Thanks, friend. Any thought about going to NYC in June?
@lfrans I love great stories and seem to always get them from my experiences. Thanks, lady!
@rachelwithey Aw, thanks friend. Hope it warms up for you soon!
@adamj Oh you are missing out. The great outdoors is wonderful. I do prefer more of a KOA camping experience, though, with running water and showers! Thanks, Adam!
@sugarmuser Aw, thank so much for that, my friend!
Just look at that! Congratulations on the PP, the atmosphere here is fantastic, it's what early mornings are all about. You were well on the way to convincing me to camp... then you mentioned yellow eyes! urgh, creepy.
@amandal :-) i thought that may have been the case. sitting in front of teh computers, we can't see the restrictions that a photog has to deal with :-)
@kwind That sounds a little more cushy and doable. I am more of a KOA type camper...running water and showers. I wouldn't mind trying out your way to do it sometime. Thanks, lady!
@snaggy Yep! Gorgeous time of day if you can drag yourself from bed. Thanks, Kev!
@ozziehoffy Yikes, I know! Thanks, Cass:). Her way does sound much easier and cleaner!
@archaeofrog I've never backpacked. I'd love to someday! We love hiking, just not for long periods yet with the kids. We should try it. Thanks, Miss Katie!
@tryeveryday Thanks, Michelle. Fog makes things more magical. Oh I wish I had gotten a shot off when the deer was there. You are sweet. Have you been on here much lately? I feel like it's been awhile. How ya been?
@bristolrose Thanks so much, Miss Kathryn! Appreciate your comments!
@arina Aw, thanks for the sweet comments and fav, Arina. So appreciate that!
@pflaume Thanks so much, Lisa. Your sweet comments mean a lot to me. Someday I hope to write a book so it's good to get the story telling practice. I love that so many things happen to me that make great stories.:)
@colie Thank you, Colie. My favorite colors in this shot!
@rachelmackenzie LOVE your sweet comments, Rachel! Thanks so much for them and the fav.
@seanoneill Yeah stubbed toes are nothing compared to seeing the eyes of a potentially ferocious animal staring at you in the night. Thank so much for your funny comments and fav, my friend!
@thirtysevenways Thanks so much for your great comments and fav, Andy. So appreciate it...and yes, I agree. Totally worth it!
Stuffing bare feet into wet sneakers?? Yikes! There could have been a creepy-crawly in there, woman!!
You are brave and tuff. Personally, I would make sure that no liquids passed my lips for at least 5 hours before bedtime. No traipsing through the woods all alone at night for me. No way, no how. LOL
Actually, just the THOUGHT of camping sounds like pure hell to me. ;-)
You got a remarkable shot though, so it seems your hardships paid off admirably.
Love the greens and the blues and the mist and the solitude. Bet it was real quiet, too.
LOL... Oh I'm totally with KWind on the camping thing... @kwind
@fueast Your auto correct message kills me, really it does.:) Thanks, lady. I think;-).
@moreyoulessme I need to get more solitude myself. Thanks for your sweet comments, Jerri!
@tbats22 Yes, maam. Wish we could have walked around together. It makes seeing yellow eyes in the dark less scary with a buddy (who is hopefully slower;-). Thanks so much, my friend. I wouldn't leave you behind either!!
@softbootsailer Thanks, Bob. It really was!
@soboy5 Thanks, Danny.
@annbo Thanks so much, Ann! I did, too!
@bardejov Aw, thanks so much for that, my friend!!
@deeganp Aw, thanks for your sweet words, Pea. Appreciate that!
@losthorizon Thanks, Beau. It was nice. But I wasn't accustomed to cub scout camping...way more rustic than girl scouts!!
@psychographer Oh lady, I tried to forget about it and go back to bed. I laid there awake for an hour. I also considered just going right outside my tent, but then didn't want to be seen by our other campers/families in our group. Ugh. Thanks for your comments:)!!
@rockinrobyn Thanks, my friend. It was cool to witness and be in the quiet stillness.
@happysnap Thanks, Linda. I wondered if I should share or if it would be TMI. Glad that you appreciated hearing about it. :)
@denidouble The tent part was nice...I love hearing the nature sounds around me. Not so much the man in the next tent talking on his cell phone until all hours of the night, though. Thanks so much for the fav, Deni. You are kind!
@bpaquette Ah yeah. I had seconds they were so good. Thanks, friend. Any thought about going to NYC in June?
@lfrans I love great stories and seem to always get them from my experiences. Thanks, lady!
@rachelwithey Aw, thanks friend. Hope it warms up for you soon!
@adamj Oh you are missing out. The great outdoors is wonderful. I do prefer more of a KOA camping experience, though, with running water and showers! Thanks, Adam!
@sugarmuser Aw, thank so much for that, my friend!
@snaggy Yep! Gorgeous time of day if you can drag yourself from bed. Thanks, Kev!
@ozziehoffy Yikes, I know! Thanks, Cass:). Her way does sound much easier and cleaner!
@archaeofrog I've never backpacked. I'd love to someday! We love hiking, just not for long periods yet with the kids. We should try it. Thanks, Miss Katie!
@masosy Truly! Thanks, Kate.
@jodimuli Love that, Joey! Thank you!!
@bristolrose Thanks so much, Miss Kathryn! Appreciate your comments!
@grannysue Thanks, Linda. I did, too!
@arina Aw, thanks for the sweet comments and fav, Arina. So appreciate that!
@pflaume Thanks so much, Lisa. Your sweet comments mean a lot to me. Someday I hope to write a book so it's good to get the story telling practice. I love that so many things happen to me that make great stories.:)
@colie Thank you, Colie. My favorite colors in this shot!
@rachelmackenzie LOVE your sweet comments, Rachel! Thanks so much for them and the fav.
@moreyoulessme Thanks for telling me:)!
@nana2r Aw, thanks, lady. I was eyeing the scene the day before knowing that it had to be shot at some point in the weekend. Glad I got up to do it:).
@stimuloog Thanks so much for your lovely comments!!
@steampowered Thanks, Paul. Really appreciate your comments!
@simon0128 Thanks so much, Simon!! Really appreciate the fav!
@paulien Thanks so much, sweet lady!
@seanoneill Yeah stubbed toes are nothing compared to seeing the eyes of a potentially ferocious animal staring at you in the night. Thank so much for your funny comments and fav, my friend!
@thirtysevenways Thanks so much for your great comments and fav, Andy. So appreciate it...and yes, I agree. Totally worth it!
@cathieg Thanks so much, Cathie!!
@michaelelliott Thanks, Michael. Appreciate your comments!!
@kaynicole2014 Aw, you are so sweet to say that. Thanks so much, sweet lady!!
@3sixty5 Thanks so much, lady! Appreciate that!
@sistawood Thanks so much for the fav, my friend. Really appreciate your sweet comments.
@sparkle It was marvelous...especially this moment. Thanks, lady!
@ejlockett Oh shoot...forget I said that. I've camped a bunch and it was my first time seeing yellow eyes. Thanks for your comments, lady!
@eyesmile Aw, thanks so much for that, Miss Gena!
@wind_of_the_sothern_sea Really appreciate your comments and fav, Arefin! Thank you!
You are brave and tuff. Personally, I would make sure that no liquids passed my lips for at least 5 hours before bedtime. No traipsing through the woods all alone at night for me. No way, no how. LOL
Actually, just the THOUGHT of camping sounds like pure hell to me. ;-)
You got a remarkable shot though, so it seems your hardships paid off admirably.
Love the greens and the blues and the mist and the solitude. Bet it was real quiet, too.
Night.