As you know, my beloved Thursday Morning Photo Group (Now on Fridays) means the world to me. When we gather, we generally have a lot to talk about! Personal projects, issues that have come up for us, new gear... It's all on the table. The group germinated from classes that we all took together, and one thing we missed each time we met was bringing and sharing our own photographs. I can't tell you how much it helps to have weekly or monthly projects to keep your eye sharp.

So this summer we began adding prompts to our gatherings, starting with a classic scavenger hunt. Each member of the group submitted a word, and we had the bulk of the summer to "hunt" for our photos, with all photos being due at a date late in August. Having such a long time to work on the project was a blessing and a curse, and to be honest, I think most of us finished the bulk of our photos in that last week or two before they were due. And still, I carried each of the words in my mind as I went about my life over those summer weeks.

Our words (as you see) were: stairs, shadow, texture, emotion (joy), milk, wine, alone and flower. Some shots, in typical scavenger fashion, I happened across. That's what happened with "stairs." Most of the others were constructed. I thought about how I wanted to interpret the word.

There were fits and starts with some (milk was particularly frustrating, until I decided to play off of my wine shot), and some were immediate hits, like emotion. Those wine and milk shots have me thinking I'd like to play around with a food series like that, and you may notice that flower and alone aren't pictured here. The shots I used for those words did lead to another project, one which I'm not quite ready to share.

We're still playing around in our group. Now, rather than a list, we're each putting one wod in a bowl and taking turns drawing. Last time I got tiny, and those paddle boarding photos from Tuesday's post were an attempt to play around with that prompt. I'll share the photo that won that round next week. I had some hits and misses with it, but I pushed myself for sure.

Next up on the docket? Well, tomorrow we have some self-portraits due. YIKES. I'm marginally pleased with how mine turned out, although it didn't completely match my vision. Does it ever? (And besides, I can't remember where I saw my inspiration photo, so...hmmm) . After that? I have egg. You know I'll have fun with that one.

For five weekends now we've been trekking out toward First Landing State Park for a Sunday morning walk along the Chesapeake Bay. I'm not gonna lie. It was my brilliant idea in the first place. I just decided that I needed to do it, needed to go, and if I went by myself that would be okay. Luckily, everyone wanted to come with me.

Because Lucy needs the most exercise, we started with her first. Honestly? She's not the best beach dog. She's a bolter, and while I don't think she'd head off the beach and toward the busy street, it's too stressful to not be sure. So on the leash she stays. Which is fine, except for Lucy, the sand is BIG, the sky is BIG, the bay is BIG...well, you get the idea. She's an anxious little one.

We tried Thea next, and that's worked out much better for everyone, I think. Mellow on the car ride and mellow along the water, she's the best beach dog we have. She's content to sit with me if Cal and Neel are throwing the baseball, and if I say, "Let's go for a walk," she jumps up and is ready to plod along beside me. Sweet corgi looks so small on that vast beach.

Buster the bulldog, to the fore of that paddleboard.

Often times, we'll meet my friend Kim and her family for a walk with their bulldog Buster. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen Thea paddleboarding with Cal. It was Buster's paddleboard that Cal and Neel (and Thea) borrowed that gorgeous early October day.

A tanker ship rounds Cape Henry and heads to Norfolk, likely to the spot I can see from where I take all the shots from our river.

I've described to you before about how the layout of the land and water works here, and as you can see, we have so many options when it comes to taking in some beach or water time. Endless marshes or rivers aside, it's always remarkable to me that you can think to yourself, "Bay or ocean today?" Even on the bay, there are different landscapes, and further up things feel calmer while here at the mouth the world seems more wild.

I never would have dreamed you could pull me away from the ocean, but I've come, I think, to love this spot the best. I love the curve of the land as it bends around Cape Henry and I love that we're in the place where the great Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. I love it that this is where the first settlers landed when they first came to America, and I love seeing the naval might and the industry of our country travel these waters. I feel connected to the earth in a way here that doesn't happen on pavement or city streets.

The weather has been different each time we've gone, with wind and wave marching changeable patterns along the shore. Some days (like this past weekend), it's clear enough to see the cars traveling the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in the distance. Others have been blustery and cool, with gray clouds scudding across the sky.

Will we make it deep into winter? I don't know. I hope so, and with Virginia winters, we're likely to get at least a Sunday or two here or there where we can go. Until then, this I treasure. Time with my family. Hearing Cal say each weekend, "We're going to the beach, aren't we?" Walking with a faithful pup by my side. My feet in the cool soft sand. The splash of a wave against the shore. This I cherish.

hunted {life}

first landing {life}