Heading up North

If you were reading this blog back in April of this year, you might remember my trip to Grand Marais, Minnesota to The North House Folk School to learn how to build a cabin.

It was an incredible experience and so much so, that I'm heading back up there again. No, not to re-learn how to build a cabin because I didn't take good enough notes, but to spend 5 days hiking around the north shore and learning how to take great photographs. It shouldn't be hard even for a rube like me with little photography experience, considering the scenery, to get a few good shots.

Layne Kennedy, a professional photographer, that I probably should have heard of, but haven't, is going to be teaching the class. He is based out of Minneapolis and if you go to his site, he does take some damn beautiful pictures. He just got back from a photography trip to Ireland - how frickin' cool would that have been?

I'll be heading out on Wednesday so today is being spent making a pile of stuff I want to remember to take, like my camera. It would be just like me to pack all kinds of clothes in anticipation of the very unpredictable weather and forget the camera, so it was the first thing I stuck in the bag. Here is proof of my packing process. Unconventional, yes, but it works for me....sometimes, but usually I still manage to forget something important.














Yes, that is one big-ass camouflage bag. Otherwise, I end up bringing 15 small bags, this way, it all fits in one bag, I just can't lift it. As you can see, I have the most important thing in the pile - the beginning of my wine stash - I say beginning, because there will be at least 3 bottles added to that before I leave. I know how to travel, folks.

According to weather.com, the weather is supposed to be a little less than ideal, as in, rain, rain and more rain. The other class participants had no idea they were taking a class with the unluckiest person in the world when it comes to weather. Sorry, dudes.

Weather or not, 5 days alone in the cutest little cabin you have ever seen in your life that overlooks the north shore, doesn't sound so awful to me.

Lucky for me, I paid for this class way back in April while I was still on the high from the cabin building expedition, because of course now all hell is breaking loose financially in the world and taking a 5 day photography trip during this time is not the best thing to do with your money - or what little you have left. So, I'm trying not to feel guilty about that and look at it as a way NOT to throw away the money I already paid for the class. See how I do that? Twist that around to make sense? I'm good like that.

I'm hoping I will have lots of good photos to share and that I won't be laughed out of the class for what a beginner I am. In the meantime, I feel like I'm back in college, cramming for a test. I've been pouring over my Nikon book that came with my camera from two years ago to try and figure out all the settings and what the hell they do! This camera is cooler than I thought. It's amazing what you can find out by reading the directions, but don't you dare tell my husband I said that. I'm even going so far as to make a cheat-sheet so when someone asks me something I can just look down at the paper taped to the inside of my arm and come up with an intelligent answer.

Many embarrassing stories to follow, I'm sure.