We took off on a quick road trip to Blue Mound State Park this Memorial Day weekend.

Back in early spring, I saw photos of this place in my Instagram feed and hadn't forgotten about it since then. We packed a picnic and planned an afternoon of hiking and taking lots of pictures at the highest point of the state of Wisconsin.

The view was incredible. Our favorite was the west observation tower looking out to the south and west toward the Illinois and Iowa borders as well as the Mississippi River. 

I think we'll try to make it out again in autumn to see the colors. We thought of a neat idea to map out a plan to visit all the state parks in Wisconsin and document our experiences. Some would be close enough for a day trip, like Blue Mound, while others would take us clear across the state and we would visit a handful for a week or so. 

We'll see where that idea takes us...it's fun to dream up plans at any rate! Hope you had a wonderful long weekend! HERE'S TO SUMMER 2014!

I am so happy to finally post these photos. I believe they are from the end of February when we went home for my birthday. I was waiting to buy Lightroom and a VSCO pack for a long time and am now able to edit everything I've shot since early 2014. So get ready for lots of posts. 

This is the house my husband grew up in and these are his parents. I love how people just walk into the house when they come over; no knocking. There's a sense of time slowing down, like there's no rush to get anywhere or do anything. It might have to do with the lack of internet in the house. Which is not lacking at all. 

Summer is the best. All the windows are open and there's a constant hum of birds and crickets. In winter, there is always a fire burning in the wood stove. 

I love how this house is filled with things people have made with their hands. Lots of photos, old games and toys and instruments. Art projects from when my husband and brother-in-law were in grade school. Home cooked meals made with loving hands. Furniture made by relatives who have passed on.

This house wouldn't be the same without the people who live here though. Oliver's parents have always been so generous with their time and resources. Always excited to talk to us and interested in what we're up to. Friends with our friends. Down to earth. Family is everything to them. 

One of the things I appreciate most about them is how they love to tell stories. I've learned so much about Oliver and his family and past generations and their town. It's a gift, really. Some of my favorite times have been when we're gathered in the kitchen or around the dinner table, going back and forth with this story and that, hitting every emotion in the book, but almost always ending with guffaws of laughter. 

I am glad I got to capture this day we had together.  


Thank you Rick and Tammy for letting me photograph your home and share it. You're always so supportive of our interests and it means so much. 

We're pretty crazy about Instagram around here. 

For those who aren't as familiar with the photo/video smartphone app, Instagram provides a quick and beautiful way to share your life with family and friends. For free. Perhaps inadvertently, Instagram has also connected creatives, from across the world to local neighborhoods. 
This post in not sponsored by Instagram, by the by.

This past weekend was the 9th annual Worldwide InstaMeet, and as far as I'm aware, the first InstaMeet to occur in our city of Madison, Wisconsin. A handful of us met at the Monona Terrace and walked down to the Capitol and State Street, photographing anything and everything along the way. 

I can't begin to describe how incredible the experience was to connect with other local Instagrammers and put faces to the accounts I've been following! Definitely one of the neatest things I've done in a very long time. It was wonderful to meet you folks, thanks for coming out!

Check out our Instagrams:
http://instagram.com/mc_angela
http://instagram.com/whitetonight
http://instagram.com/fallingfromyou
http://instagram.com/oliverwright
http://instagram.com/_anchoredsouls   



Senior photo shoot! What happens when you find a red door.




Hope you had a wonderful weekend! We're starting to nail down some plans for this summer around here...what do you have in mind for your summer? Would love to hear in the comments below!