I had grand aspirations of doing lots of photography this weekend.  I was going to read a lot and get out more than once.  It’s now Monday.  4:30 pm.  And…well…best laid plans.

It was a really good weekend, but a busy one.  On Friday night the husband and I went out for a wonderful pre-Valentine’s dinner.  I do love that man of mine.  And sitting across the table at a restaurant sharing a meal and laughter and loving looks…sigh.  He’s such a sweetheart.

Saturday we worked on a DIY framing project and I cooked an in-house Valentine’s dinner. Yesterday a girlfriend and I headed to Seattle for the Love ’em or Leave ’em 5k at Greenlake followed by an amazing brunch at Wild Mountain Cafe.  Like, seriously amazing brunch.  When I got back into town the husband and I met up at a local furniture store and ordered a chair and ottoman for the study that we’re putting together (that will include the DIY framed map).  Can I just say that furniture is ridiculously expensive?  Furniture is ridiculously expensive.

This morning I went to the gym and the grocery store and cleaned the house.  Then I went to HomeGoods to look for pillows and window coverings for the study.  I struck out on those items, but picked up some very cute Easter decor.  On my way home I stopped at the grounds of a local college to take some photos.  For the first time this entire weekend. And, the reading?  Didn’t happen.  Actually, I’ve been stalled on page 255 of my photography manual for a couple of weeks.  Mostly because a couple of novels that I had reserved through the library came in, so I’ve been reading them.  There is only so much time in the day.

Anyways, the college.  I did a 5k there around Christmas and spotted a number of retaining ponds surrounded by grasses and shrubs.  I told myself that I needed to go back sometime and take photos.  Well…since December they have erected attractive orange fences around every single pond.  Attractive.  And impossible to photograph around.  See for yourself:

I mean, really, what’s a girl supposed to do with that?  So, I moved on.

Photography is an all-consuming thing for me.  Time passes in an instant.  It’s like diving into deep water.  Sounds become muffled, the world closes around me until I break the surface, gasping for air.  I’m usually down for an hour at a time.  Today, it was the wind and a smattering of rain that brought me around.  I wasn’t hugely thrilled with the work I did, and considered stopping at a waterfront park on the way home, but it was already 3:30 and I knew that I wouldn’t get home before 5 if I stopped.  That deep dive thing.

Probably my favorite thing about today’s excursion was an old rock wall surrounding a graveyard on the college grounds.  Moss-covered and rugged, it’s a thing of beauty.

I don’t tend to do a lot of black and white photography.  In fact, these are the first black and whites that I’ve posted.  I tend to like the richness of color.  That being said, I’ve admired some stunning black and white photography, so why not give it a whirl?  I’m posting both the black and white and color versions.  I invite you to tell me which you prefer.  I’m torn.  The stone seems to lend itself well to black and white.  But, moss…so green, so luxurious.