Mountain Laurel Macro

Last weekend in North Carolina we took a jaunt down the Blue Ridge Parkway and it was just so green and fresh and wonderful.  Curt was loving the drive and the curves while I just sat in awe of the big trees, expansive views, and yummy fresh air.  We stopped at a few overlooks to, well, look over the view and wandered off onto a couple of trails so I could try to catch some mountain laurel shots.  We were in a different state, I know, but they're the state flower of Pennsylvania so I had some fond memories of my home.  I can't remember for certain, but I think I learned about all the official Pennsylvania flora and fauna from a placemat--maybe it was at Grammy Snyder's house where I spent most of my littlest years or maybe it was at the little Landmark Restaurant downtown where we had french fries with gravy with Pappy Hine.  Either way, it's a little flower with a big nostalgic punch.

I'm not especially happy with these shots, but with the breeze and my hiking over forest roots in sandals, they came out okay....haaaaaaaaaaaaaa  I also yelled out and almost had Curt run off the road when I saw orange flowers in the woods.  That's my favorite color, so I had to see them up close.  They're apparently a type of azalea.  

The rest of the macro Sunday crowd hosted by Studio Waterstone is out there...linked at this button: