Blue Ridge blog

Potty Art

Art really can turn a frown upside down.
I was checkin' out the scenery on the Georges Gap Rd and passed by a display of toilets I've wondered about for years. See, if you twist your head just right, you'll catch a glimpse of what appears to be a row of toilets peeping over the yard's horizon. But to date there was never any context to make sense of the partial view. Still, even finally piecing together the puzzle doesn't necessary make the scene completely rational, so we'll categorize this yard as art.
How did I finally capture these images?
Previously I was too timid to stop and ask permission to take photos because a person who collects toilets in their yard, well, their personality is difficult to predict. But today was the day to solve this mystery. I reckon I was channeling my inner Nancy Drew. I pulled into the driveway and knocked on the door. No answer. So I took it upon my nosy self to walk around to the side and get a good look-see. The owner uses the toilets as brilliant little utilitarian planters. And they please me, too. I especially like the bag of manure in the foreground which is used to fill the toilets with the necessary brown gold.
Some folks may see toilet art as tacky and weird, but I see it as quirky, fun and now I can't wait to meet the artist.

I know what you are thinking right now:
"I Just clicked on Blue Ridge Blog and all I got was this stinking cliche photo of a dwarf iris again."
Well, yeah. Such is your luck...
I've been consumed with the day job as well as carrying a mother-load of responsibility. Youngest is graduating, dancing, testing, prom-ing and goodness knows what else.
Today, I hit a wall. I was in the grocery store at the time when all that needed to be done consumed me. I started singing a ditty and even caught the attention of the powerful real estate broker lady perusing pork.
Note to relatives visiting soon, this song is a taste of things to come:

But, I like this version the best:

(Dear Mom, I'll give you bonus points and an extra kiss if you learn the "Peanut Butter Jelly" song and dance in front of youngest after her recital.)

A feather duster for my face...

If this photo doesn't make you wanna pick up this duckie and rub your face in it's wet feathers then you need to back off the testosterone.
Duckie and siblings, seven total, were tooling around the pond appropriately named, the Duck Pond, on the campus of Appalachian State University this fine afternoon. Holy Moly, and I saw huge turtles, which thank goodness aren't duckavores, because some of these guys could swallow one of the baby birds with one snap.

Add friends and family, mix then enjoy...

I needed to sharpen my studio lighting skills so yesterday during a brief lull at work, I begged my friendly co-workers into posing for me. Gnumoon let loose with this pose which still makes me smile.
Later when I returned home, I was not only greeted by Annie''s wagging tail but also to the sound of the cello!. It has been way too long since the sounds of music have been in our house. Even youngest smiled when she entered the door. "I haven't heard that in a while," she noted...then awkwardly made a seque into a sales pitch about needing money to buy a prom dress.
She made me smile when she announced her group of friends would be dining at Dos Amigos instead of the finer establishments in town. "It's a tradition and we like the idea of going there dressed up in tuxes and gowns," she explained.
"Just don't drip nacho cheese on your dress," was my only maternal advise...

Hum this Preset....

Yes, I have been having fun with Adobe Lightroom Presets lately, thank you very much. I find myself scrolling through hundreds of Presets and hitting the button just see what funky effect each has on a photo. I've found that largely Presets are garbage and easy to replicate in Photoshop, but still...Like Actions in PS, Presets are addictive. I compare my allure of Presets to my TTV phase. Rest assured, I'll quickly get bored with it and move on. Like teenage love, this too shall pass.
My hillbilly photo philosophy remains: Ya can't make chicken soup out of chicken poop. If'n a photo ain't good to begin with, no amount of bells and whistles will make it any better.

Le Parfum du printemps....

The alluring perfume of blooming lilacs beckoned me and the dog across the yard. Lilacs are the flowers of olden times, when smells weren't so plentiful and complicated or mixed with new-fangled scents such as microwave buttery popcorn.
Confession: The other day I kneeled on ground I had just dug and took in a huge musty whiff of earthy goodness. Of course, I did look to see if Puppy had visited the area prior. Fact: Puppy enjoys lilacs as well...to eat.

Many of you have written to ask why Gnumoon placed a password on her blog. What I am able to tell you is that she spoke her mind on a post and was subsequently verbally threatened for doing so. Andt it got worse when she realized her site was being 'mined' for more information about Pookie and others in her family. Until she feels safe, she will not unlock her blog. However, if you email me ( vfreeman@skybest.com ) a request for her password, I promise to forward your request as well as any words of encourgement directly to her.

Thankfully the sun still sets...

My Eldest returned home this evening, for good. Ba-bye y'all, to the way deep south university. Just now I kissed her goodnight and gave her one of my hoodies to wear because most of her clothes are still packed away.
"It's colder here than in South Carolina," she said in an almost a surprised tone of voice. My Youngest rolled her eyes in response but seemed happily irked that once again she has a sibling roomate to have to work around. Besides, it is her turn to move away next to the same deep south state yet even farther away.