Reflections | Watching The Photo Reels Go Round And Round…

All of Us Nances (Minus Myself Because I Was the Photographer) at Ace Adventure Resort in West Virginia. Polly Nance. 2012.

I will try to keep this semi-short… And let the photographs speak for themselves. These are from a family vacation at Ace Adventure Resort in West Virginia. Back. At. The. End. Of. June. It was a time, where I was nervous about the up-coming wedding I was about to shoot (see previous post), so I focused mainly on portraits and documenting my experience of our trip. I highly recommend this place! For. Serious. There is a lake with a blob (see photos below) and a plethora of inflatable bouncy fun things (see photos). It was such a fun trip for the kids. In addition to the other goodies I mentioned that were featured at the lake, there was also a zip-line and a water-slide… plus a giant chess board with giant chess pieces and a beach to lounge on. And a climbing wall. However, this is just the beginning to all that you can do and experience at this resort. ACE’s property is ginormous and features horse stables, access to the New River, etc… My husband and I tried stand up paddle-boarding and, let me just tell you, it was no easy feat. We stood up on surf board-like boards and had to paddle upstream and “surf” on the river’s rapids. We probably should have thought to take a beginner’s trip, but we gave it our all. And, BOY, was I sore the next day. I have to say that I was extremely proud of my tough self. I could have quit. But, I kept trying and trying until I was able to do the things I wanted my body to do; in order to flow with the current of the river.

The family (minus our kids and my mother in-law and Sharon (Ricky’s cousin)) went on a rafting trip, which was also a blast. My husband and I (plus some other brave Nances) decided to travel down the New River in a duckie, which is basically an inflatable, two person, sit-on-top kayak. For the most part, it was uneventful (the other part of the New is more thrilling), but the last few rapids were most definitely an adrenalin rush. I wish I had pictures of that! I took some film, with a waterproof disposable camera, of both the stand-up paddle boarding adventure. QUESTION: WHERE DO YOU GET FILM DEVELOPED THESE DAYS. I’ve heard drug stores will suffice, but I’d love to know where all you film photographers develop your film. I wish I could set up my own dark room… Perhaps, sigh, one day! We did purchase one photograph of us rafting from the photographer on site, but I didn’t know how to get a clear image of it to post here.

ANYWAYS, this place was all about NATURE. We hiked, we played disc golf, we scenic-toured the gorge and we immersed ourselves in what the Ace Adventure staff had to offer. Plus, we survived a horrendous storm where the wind was so strong it tore the tops off trees as we were driving home. No. Power. The. Last. Night. We. Were. There.

I hope you enjoy these photos!