Nature paints her canvas with the most extraordinary scenes.

In February, I went to visit my cousin in WV.

The weather was cold and blustery. On this particular day, we were a little stir crazy, and I was itching to get some photos. Plopping her 2-year-old son in his carseat, my very pregnant cousin, Caroline, took the wheel on an achingly cold and windy day to drive me around to some picturesque places.

My favorite shot from that day was this sunset - the last picture I took.

The sun was setting over a little pond in the middle of a golf course that wends its way around Caroline's subdivision. I was freezing after jumping in and out of the car for a couple of hours. I thought I was done taking photos and was happily ensconced in the toasty car, good tunes on the radio. But, as we came around the corner, only a couple of blocks from home, the sunset took my breath away.

"Just one more!" I said to Caroline, as she obliged and pulled the car over to the side of the road. I jumped out and crossed the street to position myself in front of the little pond to snap a few more.

Stormy Sky Over the Barn

We found so much beauty that day as we cruised the roads near her house. I'd spot something, Caroline would pull over, and I'd jump out of the car and start shooting.

Her sweet little boy was nonplussed by the driving and stopping. Along the way, we came across what I think of as some classic shots - like the barn in the middle of the field amid big billowy rain-threatening clouds.

The sun was fickle, taunting as it peeked in and out. I could hear Caroline yell, "Look, it's out right now," as I snapped away. I got several of the barn in the field, but this was the shot I liked best - especially the contrast between the dark clouds and the bright barn and sunlit field.

Down a long dirt road, we came across a little bed and breakfast with what felt like a fairytale scene in the back - a giant chess set in the middle of a snowy field. Out I went to get some photos. Context was difficult to show as I struggled with some bushes that were in my way and how to capture the size of the chess pieces - they were a couple of feet tall.

Giant Outdoor Chess Set

The sun was bright hot in the background, and I didn't get what I envisioned. I was a little disappointed with the final shot, but that's part of the addiction.

There's always room for improvement with photography!

I love to get pictures, and when they turn out the way I see them in my mind, then I feel like I've succeeded. Sunsets - I love sunsets - I can shoot sunset after sunset after sunset. I can relate to Monet and the way he painted the same subject over and over and over at different times of the day and in differing light. The subject may be the same, but it looks so completely different with every passing minute and changing angle of the sun. Here's to never tiring of the beautiful scenes nature provides!