Something fun to do

For several years now I've had the opportunity to travel to an occasional conference with Mr. M. Since he's working I usually have a day or two on my own. There is always a wonderful group of wives looking for things to do. However, when I get away on these rare trips I'm happy to spend a few hours on my own as well. I think I've mentioned it before but its bliss to have only yourself to get ready, sit peacefully and watch the Today show in bed, order room service or shop.

We found ourselves in Washington DC a couple of years ago. I had just received a new camera for Christmas and really didn't know how to use it. I found a few books but I need hands-on training to figure things out. So while getting ready for our trip I looked at the Washington, D.C Convention & Visitor's Bureau's website. I found a link to Washington Photo Safari and checked it out. It sounded perfect...a walking tour of our country's capitol, a lesson on how to take great pictures and a guide with much more experience than me who could help me figure things out. So I signed up!

Dave was great and the time flew by. There were only 2 others in our group so we were able to ask any questions we had. We also got lots of first-hand knowledge and trivia about the city that I may not have gotten otherwise. There is something about the perspective of a local resident.

Fast forward to this past winter. We were heading to Charleston, South Carolina. I always search for "City X photo tour" when we're heading to a new place. Sure enough, a lovely woman in Charleston was doing the same thing. So I signed up!

This time I recruited a friend and fellow farmer's wife to tag along. We ended up being the only two members of the tour that morning and had a BLAST learning about the history of Charleston.

The beautiful ironwork that has become a signature of Charleston.

The beautiful gardens.

And this beautiful, mossy tree that was so charming to me.

The moral of this story is simply to check out what is offered locally. I highly recommend these photo tours. You get great pictures that YOU took. A local resident shows you the city and tells you the 'insider' information.