I'm the first to admit, I'm not the best photo-walker. Maybe it's the pressure. I don't know. It's hard enough to get me out of the studio, but walking around looking for random things to photograph? Not feeling so great at that.

But it's my year of pushing my photography boundaries (did I tell you that?), so when I had the chance to meet with a new group of women photographers, I had to leap on it. Photo walk: not optional. I had to leap on that too.

We met for coffee first, and getting to know these amazing photographers was, for me, almost the best part. We all bring different perspectives and fresh ideas, and simply sharing stories and information is energizing and inspiring to me. We got along famously from the start, so much so that when we did get to walking there was more talking than photo taking.

I wanted to give myself some limitations and some structure, so I only brought the Lensbaby. I like the challenge of one lens, and I haven't had the LB on my camera in a long time. One woman in our group is a beast with the LB, so it could have been intimidating to try to fiddle with that little lens, but mostly I just tried to chill and have some fun. That's what it's all about, right?

Looking back, it's kind of amazing how much further we are along in our spring these days (I'm lame, aren't I? It's taken me forever to post. And edit. And download.) But you know what? This was a good day. I do love taking photos of architecture, and I especially love testing the waters with a new group of people. I think I got lucky this time. Can't wait till we get out there again.

I'll confess, I'm having some trouble knowing just what to say in this space these days. We've been in the weeds around here with some stuff, all manageable, but still. It's kind of one-foot-in-front-of-the-other time. I'm sapped.

Neel and I sneaked out to run some errands a few weeks back, and I'm still thinking about our stop at a newish Norfolk spot called Savor the Olive. Wall to wall olive oils and vinegars. We went in to look around, and came out with two oils and two vinegars. Hello. Totally delightful. We were the only ones in the shop, and we got a tour of flavors. Neel even went to the dark, infused-with-chili-pepper side. (I was willing to try the hot. He tried the very hot.)

We brought them home, and I was immediately mindful of something my friend Seamane once said to me. She'd made it a New Year's Resolution: to use her stuff. A lot of us fall into that trap, don't we? We get something we really like, maybe special bath salts or a fine chocolate and we dribble it out to ourselves, holding back. Neel and I are notorious for doing this with our souvenirs from our travels. But! But! If we use the last of the olive oil from Greece (or the tea from London or the candle from Paris, and on and on), it's GONE. But if we never use the stuff, then what we really lose is the joy of having it.

So I decided to savor my olive oil. We've been using it all the time. We got two pairings, essentially. A robust Spanish oil called Melgarejo/Frantoio that we've paired with a lavender-infused balsamic. I've been using that as a basic vinaigrette on salads or to dip our pretzels in. The other pairing? Persian Lime infused olive oil paired with a coconut infused white balsamic.

Last Saturday, we had a late lunch because of Cal's game (boy deserved some chicken wings after a stellar outing), so rather than fix the heavy dinner we were planning, we picked up some shrimp to throw on the grill. Marinated in Persian Lime infused olive oil, coconut infused white balsamic with a dash of red pepper flakes and some lime zest, THIS is why you use your stuff. This is how to savor.

I'm trying to get better at a lot of things, and this is one.

early spring photo walk {life}

savor the olive {life}