photo: four quarters farm

i took a trip out to artemas, pennsylvania on memorial day weekend to participate in the alleghany mountain green festival, which was a two-day event focused on promoting sustainable living, alternative power sources, and simpler living. it took place at a wondrous campground/retreat/sanctuary called four quarters farm, which is somewhere in the middle of the woods a mile north of the maryland/pennsylvania border. below are some of the pictures I'd taken of the trip. a handful of friends and acquaintances attended the festival with me (you'll see a glimpse of most of them below).

to be honest, I'm only satisfied with a handful of the pictures I took on this "vacation." i've been quite stressed as of late, and I haven't been taking care of myself as well lately; i think some of the photographs indicate that, particularly the first. this trip out of town was more of an escape than I realized at the time. it was exceptionally restful, fruitful, and rejuvenating; it's a pity the photographs really don't do it justice. of course, the visual surroundings are only a fraction of the entire experience, so of course pictures are unable to capture the entire "thing."

all of these photographs were taken with disposable kodak funsaver cameras with 800-speed film.

i used to take "before and after" pictures of myself all the time, prior to trips out of town. this one clearly depicts my sunny disposition prior to the car ride.
i drove past a truck that was transporting some sedan circa 1920's on a trailer. there are a couple pictures of it here.
picture two, taken one-handed as i drove past.
another one-hander as i drove past the vehicle a second time.
the further west you drove in maryland, there were more roads that were cut through mountains with dynamite. this and the next blurred shot are from one of those roadways; the striations of various rock layers can been seen on these roads.

crappy road shot number two; i think i took this one over my shoulder.
one of my housemates (the one two whom i'm referring is also my landlord) is a big fan of mushrooms, and has casually studied and cultivated his own for organic farming, focusing primarily with the 'mycelium' layer that is found in the undergrowth. these two patches of mushrooms were found in my chosen camping area; hopefully he will be able to identify them when he sees these.
mushroom patch number two.
one of several shots taken along the water. the campground is more or less along a peninsula, encircled by this stream which is at various points ranging from six inches to six feet in depth. my only lament is that the majority of these shots are too dark.
water, stone and trees along the bank.
another thing about these previous three spots is that i simply looked to my right, then straight ahead, then left, snapping pictures at each perspective from the same point.
a low shot highlighting the marsh grasses that grew sporadically at the eddies along the stream.
some of the mud-stained stones along the bank.
i really like this one; i neglected to use the flash, but it seems like it was a good thing.
ugly leg featured here. as i hiked, i picked up an inchworm. i saw many of them during my three-day stay.

more of the stream; i think i attempted to capture some of the rock faces on the opposite bank, but i was largeley unsuccessful.
a nice shot that captures the water and reflections, the trees, and some of the sky.
a large, sloping rock face that i later visited during my stay. i sat on that bank and watched crayfish feeding in the waters for at least twenty minutes. water life is fascinating stuff.
a tree that, at sometime in the past, had been swept over by water. some stones are perched within a hollowed out bole in the tree trunk.
this weathered tree has a remarkable texture and colouring.
a derelict washing machine was found along my trek.

washing machine, from the opposite side.
if there is one shot that comes closest to capturing the essence of my retreat, it would be this one. i took a picture of the same location later that night, where the moon peeked through the trees, but it didn't develop. technically speaking, i'm happiest with this particular photograph out of the whole lot of them.
four of my five acquaintances are pictured here; i woke up long before they did on sunday morning. the other, a woman i know who helps run another non-profit, was the fifth person; she's out wandering the forest or something at the time this was taken.

i'm also quite happy with this particular photograph. it's a location along the dirt road leading to the camp proper, perhaps a mile away from our campsite.

me, when i'd just finished packing the car to drive home. this is probably the last picture i have of my car when it still worked. i was sad to go, and grateful of the time i'd spent there.

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