June 10 on 10 – Craggy Gardens, North Carolina (Asheville Photographer)

10 on 10… Ten photos taken throughout one day, documenting that day, as an exercise in lifestyle photography

This month, the boys and I (that includes the hubby and Patrick the Poodle) packed in the car and headed right down the road to one of the most beautiful spots we’ve seen so far since our move to North Carolina. First off, I’m still amazed that we only drove about 20-30 miles from our house. But in that short drive, we climbed 3,500 feet, driving the curves and tunnels of the amazingly beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway. Our destination…Craggy Gardens.

This stunning stop along the parkway seems almost otherworldly. The trail to the summit includes a “tunnel” of rhododendrons that bloom in June. Rare plants also grow at this high-altitude spot and make the quick hike to the peak a showy one.

After our hike and drive, we headed back down into Asheville to a favorite outdoor bar, Creekside Taphouse. This is a PERFECT example of what’s so neat about the city…so many restaurants are family AND pet-friendly. So while the kids played in the nearby creek and on the playground equipment, we sat at a table with our beer and nachos. Patrick lounged on the patio by our feet with his bowl of water provided by the bar. Not bad!

The day ended with one more activity – field day events for our youngest son’s baseball league. To celebrate the end of the season, all the players and families met at the fields for games like a watermelon walk, an egg toss, and home run derby. As expected, both boys won a watermelon early on which just added to the things I had to keep up with as they played for two more hours! But a busy day equals pooped out boys…a beautiful thing for this pooped out mom.

Patrick ready to go

traveling with pets