Weekend: Camping, Running, Photography

On Friday, me and Rachel went camping. It was.... fun? We made it a good time by bringing margaritas and Oreos into our tent and talking and laughing until we went to bed. We were pretty tired, because we set up the tent all by ourselves. This isn't that big of a deal- Lissa and I set that mug up about 6 times when we went on "Wild West" Vacation. What made it kind of sucky was that there were 4-count them- 4 men who were camping in the same group as us. They did not offer to help. at. all. we lugged the giant silver bin loaded with tent supplies down a hill and set up the tent in btween a couple of trees. When there was a stump in the way- I sawed it down. I once again blew up my air mattress- simply because I didn't want to bother asking for the air pump from the group at the top of the hill.

On Saturday, we sat around and read books and talked. It was nice. I was a little mad because I didn't bring sunscreen so I got a little burn on my face and arms. All week in Miami, and no sunburn. A few flippin hours in the Texas heat, and I'm pink. Geez.

This morning, I went on my longest run ever. 20 miles. I was sort of scared that I wouldn't be able to make it- but we started out really easy, and kept with it. One nice thing was that part of our route was around most of White Rock Lake, which I don't think I've ever completely looped before. Not so good parts: the swarms of gnats following us along the lake. Flashbacks of Mosquito Invasion of Palm Harbor, FL. Goo! Also, the bird poop covered trees smelled so bad! I almost barfed, but if I had, I would have lost all my hydration. So I followed the classic mantra: "Breathe through your mouth!" I also had to use the men's restroom at the lake, because the women's was locked. Super smelly and pee everywhere. No toilet paper. Glurg. All in all, Once I got to about mile 16, it felt better to run than walk. Walking hurts my hips, groin, and arches. Running numbed everything. So I finished alone. Which was kind of sad. But I was happy to be finished.

This afternoon, Rachel and I went to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens to practice our photography skills. We had fun getting great shots of flowers, playing with manual settings, and making the sunlight dance. I basically told her everything that Ericka has taught me about taking great pictures. Here are a few of my faves from today: