Dad's Boring Hobby

Yesterday afternoon I thought the family would enjoy getting out of the house for a while, and I was itching to do a little photography. I decided we would drive to the nearby towns of Dillsboro and Sylva, a couple of very scenic mountain towns filled with craft shops, and a stop for The Smoky Mountain Railroad. After a short, 20 minute drive through beautiful mountain scenery, we arrived at our destination. Unfortunately, I somehow forgot it was Easter, and all the interesting shops that are usually open on Sunday in Sylva were closed. Same story in Dillsboro. No problem for me, since there was still lots of things for me to photograph outside. There were old buildings with intersting architectural details, budding plants and flowers, and a nearby river with a small dam. I was having a great time, but everyone else soon got bored with Dad "taking 75 shots of every blade of grass" as my 16 year old daughter so eloquently put it. So I packed up my gear, stopped at a Sonic in Sylva to get some milkshakes to calm the natives, and then headed home. The upside to this story is that I've found a sure-fire way to create some space when I want to be by myself: I just say, "I'm going out to take pictures!"