Hello, Beauties! Quick question? What happens when two silly bloggers head to South Central Pennsylvania for a picture-taking session? You get our photo shoot shenanigans in Amish Lancaster County.
Do you remember Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 big hit debut solo, Girls Want To Have Fun? My best friend, Cynthia, and I are those girls, albeit a little older. Any time we get together, whether an event, our Paris vacation, our annual black-tie soirée, or the Philadelphia Flower Show. We relish moments to smile and enjoy ourselves. Like Lord Byron, the English poet, said, Always laugh when you can. It’s cheap medicine.
My niece, Kenya Pickles, took her love of picture taking, enrolled in community college classes, has a mentor, and now owns a photography business, Face Forward Photography. Kenya photographed the Chico’s New York City MeetUp in October 2017.
Our Instagram husbands typically take fabulous pictures, but sometimes, girls want to see how the professionals work their magic for great shots. Kenya knows by now that when she’s with Cynthia and me, it’s a day of fun and shenanigans. There are no inhibitions or questions about why you’re posing like that.
I made arrangements with my niece, Kenya, to utilize her photography skills again, this time as a gift for Cynthia’s birthday. We were fortunate to have a fantastic sunny day at Wheatland, the home of the 15th President of the United States.
My niece and I arrived at 10:30 a.m. We verified again with LancasterHistory.org that we could take photos on the grounds. Before you see the historic mansion, Wheatland, you can explore the Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum, which is located on the grounds of the Lancaster County Historical Society campus.
The botanical garden was established in 1959. The grounds contain 105 varieties of trees, including American chestnuts, beeches, firs, and three Franklinia trees. I saw a lovely blooming magnolia tree as we walked to the mansion.
Cynthia arrived at 11:15 AM, and the photo shoot shenanigans commenced. After a quick change of clothes, Cynthia cranked up Cardi B’s I Like It for her poses. When we got to the back of the historic home, someone opened the door and asked us to keep it down. It was the loud roaring laughter from trying to master those chic poses or the best friend shots.
I don’t want to get into politics about James Buchanan, the only president from Pennsylvania. I’ll mention one detail: Buchanan is considered one of America’s worst Presidents for his hands-off approach to the run-up to the Civil War. “Oh, you want to secede? OK, I’ll let the next guy handle it”. The next guy, Abraham Lincoln, handled it.
There is no admission charge to Wheatland or the Tanger Arboretum. Tickets can be booked online or over the phone. Sundays are closed.
We didn’t sign up for the free guided tour of the Federal-style mansion. Instead, we opted to head over to the new P.F. Chang for lunch to laugh and clown some more. Oh, we didn’t pass any Amish buggies while in Lancaster.
Do you ever team up with other fashionistas for photo shoots as a blogger? If so, please share it in the comments section.
Thank you for reading. Have a fabulous week.
