A road trip. That thing that to some is daunting, to others boring, to many, an absolutely amazing adventure. Hours in the car with no one for company but your chosen travel companion, nights in hotels and ever-changing scenery. It can make or break a friendship and can spawn both irritability and inside jokes.
When Scribsy (aka Hilary) and I set out on our journey to Nashville, Atlanta and Orlando, we knew that at the very least, we would survive this trip as friends, having done a similar excursion only two years ago. We set off early and only had one slight detour 45 minutes in the wrong direction before getting in the groove for the long haul. Before we even reached our border crossing, we were laughing hysterically at our own silliness and officially named our trip the "Shake-a-Deuce Road Trip."
The first day we powered through all the way to Nashville, wondering how long Ohio could possibly go on while counting deer carcasses left on the roadside (okay, that might have just been me. There was a exceptional amount of roadkill). We tried hard to predict the next lyrics of the country songs on the radio and nearly lost one flip-flop at a gas stop. Before we knew it, the temperature was climbing and we opened the sunroof to soak in the sunshine. Scribs loved keeping close tabs on the dashboard thermometer, letting me know every time it rose even a degree.
We rolled into Nashville late in the evening and tiredly but excitedly tumbpled out of the car and into a magnificent hotel called The Hermitage. The lobby was expansive and elegant and we couldn't wait to get to our room, which it turns our, was equally fabulous.
For the next couple of days, we explored downtown Nashville, visited friends and checked out some of the cultural sights. It was during this time that I decided that I would do an iPhone "Art Series" of Hil during our trip. Sure, my big camera had been lugged along, but I felt like my phone images would be more interesting and immediate. Scribs was a very cooperative "muse", leaping on cement barriers and sitting in narrow window ledges at my request. I am sure some of the locals thought we were slightly unhinged, me with our collected array of bags and purses at my feet, shouting to Scribsy across a distance to move her head or arms as directed, sometimes mimicking the actions if she couldn't hear me.
After taking Nashville by storm and getting a bunch of fun "art series" shots under our belts, we set out for our next destination: Atlanta. It was an absolute whirlwind of friends and fun, a late night and early morning, but we had a blast. It is amazing the amount of visiting you can squeeze in in less than 18 hours!
We set off from Atlanta under a bright, white sun and were en route to sunny Orlando. Along the way, we realized that our original estimate of 6 hours to our destination was somewhere around 2 hours off base but we resolutely kept on, stopping for emergency Dairy Queen and laughing at the mysteries of Google Maps. Soon we were seeing the trees and flowers along the freeway turning deep green and bursting with life, the temperature climbing again after cooler temperatures in Tennessee and Georgia. We scrambled for toll money and held up the line with our lack of US coinage but eventually made it to my hotel.
This was the end of our journey together, but we were not yet finished travelling. Scribs was heading to meet her awaiting family for a much-deserved vacation while I would be boarding a flight home in the morning. But we had done it. Five days, three cities, twenty-one hours on the road. And still laughing.
After taking a few last frames for the "art series", we parted ways sadly, even though we knew we would talk on the phone every day until she was back and we would see one another in a week. But somehow, the was a magic being broken, let go, from our road trip. Memories that were being cemented and archived. I waved to her as she drove away, happy and tired, ready for a quick dip in the pool before re-packing to head home the next day.
Once I was home, I decided that I would share some of my favourite iPhoneography from the trip, partly to share with family and friends who were not following along on Instagram, but mostly as a way to relive it for a few moments.
Thank you, my dear Scribs, for being the best road trip partner-in-crime a girl could ask for. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Shake-a-Deuce Road Trip FOREVER, baby.
M xo
Tennessee sun and clouds.
Visiting our dear friend Mandy Johnson at her phenomenal studio in Franklin.
At Belle Meade Plantation.
The Hermitage Hotel had this cool window in the stairwell that I was kind of obsessed with...
The infamous Scribsy top knot.
Her favourite.
My favourite.
Downtown Nashville.
Last Starbucks of the night.
Hotel morning light falling on "command central".
She makes me take the stairs. I love her for it.
Our dear friend Elizabeth opened her home to us in Smyrna. Isn't it just the most adorable little slice of Americana?
Love wins.
The last light together in Orlando.
My view of New York City as I flew into Newark on my journey home.
The shores of Lake Ontario call me home at last.
I have known Kerri since high school and through the magic of Facebook, we have kept tabs on each other over the years. When she reached out to have me come over and photograph her family soon after they welcomed their new baby boy at their home in Kitchener, Ontario, the answer was an immediate YES.
I met Ashlee + Kevin on a gorgeous June night at the hidden oasis of 
