The Sunrise Carriage Trail

Today we took a winter walk on the Sunrise Carriage Trail in Charleston.

Here you can see 4 levels of the trail. It's .65 miles one way and runs from Sunrise Mansion in South Hills to the Amtrak station on MacCorkle Ave. The Mansion was built in 1905 by former West Virginia governor William A MacCorkle. The Trail was used to haul massive building stones up the hill. It's a gently-sloping trail, downhill one way and slightly uphill on the return trip.

For over 40 years beginning in 1961 The non-profit Sunrise Museum called the mansion home. When the Clay Center for the Arts was opened, the museum moved across the river and a private law firm bought the building and renovated the mansion.

The trail is now owned by the City of Charleston and is maintained as a Natural Haven. Today the public can enjoy a little bit of nature in the midst of downtown Charleston.

I'll definitely go back often... soon the birds will return and the leaves will come out on the trees. Then, the City skyline and South Hills traffic sounds will disappear and the sounds of the birds and wind in the trees will be all we'll hear.

Nikon Digital Tutoring

If you use a Nikon digital camera, check out Nikon digital Tutor . Click into your camera model and check out the text and video tutorials. I spent at least half an hour with the D80 yesterday and learned a few things!!

PhotoWalk

Last Saturday I took part in a virtual photowalk. We all went out at 9am and shot for 10 minutes.

I went to a local City Park where I often go to walk.

We only had 10 minutes, so I headed for the part of the trail that I wanted to photograph. I got quite a few images that I liked. It's amazing what you can find to shoot, even when you really don't know what you are looking for.

I shot in manual, which I'm trying to do more of. I really like it, and I think my images are much better exposed that way. I've never really shot in Auto, always used at least Program mode.

I use Shutter or Aperture priority at times, but I like this manual shooting! I don't use the scene modes very much at all. I shot with a Nikon D80 and my 18-200vr lens.

I love the 18-200 lens, it's been on the camera 99% of the time since I got it last May.

The LinMar name

This is my first post under the LinMar Photography name. I've had a blog at this site since 2005, but never updated it.

You might wonder where I got the name LinMar. It goes way back to when I was a little girl. We had boats and my Father named each boat after me and my Mom. Lin is for Linda and Mar is for Marjorie.

I worked for years to come up with a name for my photography, then last year my Mom started painting my photos. It just came to me.. LinMar! Everything old is new again!

This first posting is a photo I took of one of Mom's paintings. This is the old Jackson's Mill bridge in Lewis County, right outside the State 4H Camp. It stood for 100 years and at the time I took the photo, it was being torn down for a new super duper bridge over the West Fork River.

Stonewall Jackson lived here as a child with his Uncle. He took the exam for the military academy about 5 miles from here. As Stonewall was dying, it is thought that friends heard him saying, "Let us Cross Over the River...and Rest Under the Shade of the Trees."

Right behind the Old Mill is the spot it is believed that Stonewall would cross over the river and rest as a child.