Hurricane Recovery Respite

After ten days of recovering from Hurricane Michael's ravaging windstorm through Mitchell County,  our weekend reservations at Georgia Veterans State Park on Lake Blackshear offered a welcome retreat.  Jamie's workdays had stretched into double shifts most of those days, plus he pulled one 23 hour day; he needed to get away for a couple of days to refresh.

Brilliant reflection at the entrance to Georgia Veterans State Park on Lake Blackshear

Setting up camp at site #66, spacious & secluded

We set up camp in the early afternoon, and I captured a few images of the swampy cypress entrance to the park where Spanish moss hangs low and algae grows thick on the backwater surface.  On this blue sky autumn afternoon, the reflection in the water was brilliant.

Moss draped over cypress limbs near the entrance to the park; water reflects trees & blue sky

Algae patches in the swamp

Moss hangs low on a cypress branch, while reflection on water produces an abstract pattern.

Then we returned home for the Homecoming football game and half-time festivities. Near midnight we pulled into the campground, but not before we were met by several groups of deer awaiting an opportunity to cross the roadway.

Can't miss Homecoming when your nephew is on the court.  

Deer at night

At daybreak I found an empty spot on the lakeshore to capture some morning color.

Morning Has Broken

At Water's Edge in Morning Light

A quick trip into town for a few supplies also doubled as a courthouse photo opportunity.  We're continuing to capture these images, building our collection ever so slowly.

Saturday evening we attended a lovely wedding at the resort.  The lake served as a beautiful backdrop, despite the rain delay.  And, the power went out while the guests waited -- imagine that! The best part of the evening for us was spending it with all of our kids.

Our Family

William & his girlfriend

Sunday ushered in cooler temperatures; ahh, maybe a little bit of fall is here after all.