We spent this weekend in Virginia Beach traveling there to attend a reunion with the people we were with when we toured Italy in June. We had a fabulous time before, during and after the reunion, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone. Consistent with my interest in photography, I did not take any photographs at the reunion, but did manage to capture some of the natural beauty of Virginia Beach.

On Saturday, Angela and I drove to the southern end of Virginia Beach to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. On the way there, I noticed a wetland near the road that was covered in blooming lotus flowers and quickly pulled off the road. The view and setting along with the bright blue sky and puffy white clouds turned out better than expected. Below is one of the images of the wetland followed by a closeup of a beautiful and nearly perfect yellow lotus flower.

(Nikon D700, Nikon 28-300mm, and Hoya CP filter)

We did not have much time to explore Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge that connects Virginia Beach with North Carolina’s Outer Banks, but while there, we walked a winding path through pristine sand dunes to the ocean. Below is one of the images that I took while heading toward the beach.

Back Bay NWR contains over 9,250 acres, and during the winter, it is the migratory home to over 10,000 snow geese. I hope to return late this fall or early winter to thoroughly explore and photograph some of its natural, unspoiled beauty. When I return, I also hope to see some of our new wonderful friends who live in Virginia Beach.