Blue Ridge blog

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.

He's such a tool...

Much ado this weekend. We went to Columbia, SC to watch eldest perform in the USC University Chorus. Later we de-lofted her room and fed her in places other than the campus cafeteria. In two weeks, after her exams, we have her much closer to home. This make me happy.

Today, my husband and I constructed. Not much makes my husband happier than when he teaches then watches me use new tools. I am unskilled free labor to him..and I'm a girl. He convinces me to help him, is seemingly patient, but laughs at me the entire time. Today, I was getting used to the router and planer when he chuckled as I glazed my finger by the router blade. "Did that get your attention?" he asked.
If it wasn't for our lovely children, I would have shimmed the 'on' button of the router and chucked the tool at his head.
He's lucky I love the idiot. That's all I'm sayin...

Oh and the leaves are peepin'.

Coming full circle...

Perry Greene held audience yesterday as he sat on his John Deere Sulky plow while being pulled by three Belgian Percherons in the field behind the Mast General Store Annex.

"Ya just don't see this see sort of thing much anymore, " one passerby commented.

While resting his horses, I ask Perry why he enjoyed tinkering with this antique method of farming thinking his answer would lean towards the aesthetic and reminiscent yesteryears.
Instead his response was more telling:
"It's cheaper than paying for the diesel fuel to run the tractor and besides, this field is going to be used to grow feed for these horses. Reckon they ought to work for their meals."

If gas price continue to rise, we may see more and more of this...

I've been missing my Valle Crucis News. I found out it is temporarily being stored here.

He's dazzling us in the Valle....

I attended the Appalachian National Championship banquet last night and watched as the football players received their championship rings. It was with great delight that I caught a glimpse of Valle Crucis native, Seth Breitenstein, as he put on all 3 of his "Back-to-back-to-Back" rings. I remember photographing Seth and his buddies as 6th graders at Valle Crucis Elementary when they did a mythology unit in English/Social Studies. Then, later in high school, I watched as he excelled in both varsity sports and academics. Seth brought depth to the ASU football team in his role on special teams.
Congrats, Seth! I know your parents are proud of your accomplishments, but folks here in the Valle are as well. We can't wait to see what 'special team' you become a part of next.
But man, you can put your hand down now. That collection of ring bling is blinding ;)

Cold toes and a piggie nose, that's what Marie's morning was made of....

Today I got a much needed dose of Valle Crucis. I went to the Goodnight Family farm and visited piggies. At first I thought they had escaped, but after a few minutes noticed a huge pile of mud in the pen. Upon closer inspection, the pile of mud was piggies in disguise. They were sleeping in. Lazy pigs. They were happy to see me, until it was clear I did not come bearing piggie gifts.
Everything about the spring morning was refreshing, especially the frosty grass. I wandered over to the Valle Crucis wetlands and waited for the sun to illuminate the reeds. During my patient moments I noted the singing birds recognizing the happy season, though my cold toes missed the point entirely.

On trees and legends...

I have lots to mention, just not a whole lot of time to say it.

First, this tree shot was taken from the stairs of my deck. I had to dodge a couple of electrical lines and I wish I could have isolated it more from the glob of trees on the right, but I got what I got and that's all I got.

If'n you aren't from these parts then you might not know about Nike's commercial which features legendary games and sports figures. Apparently there is no such thing as a cupcake or a cinderella team anymore:

Give it a look-see here.

...the hallway to the Appalachian Mountaineer weight room appears much more glamorous in the movies...

I have more photos to post, but let's just see how it goes. Ok?

The Chicken who loves me...

First and most important..Happy Birthday, Amy.
I would have posted about goats, but I was fresh out 'em... raincheck.

Tonight my Mom told me, in her own special way of course, that my blog was stagnant. "I can tell you haven't done anything exciting lately," was what she really said.
And I replied, "Oh don't you worry, I'll post some exciting chicken art on it tonight."
"Oh good," she said adding, "That's better than what's been on there lately."

My Mom's a blog critic:)

So I picked sh*t with a chicken at the Goodnight Farm tonight. Yep. I was belly down with a rooster who really, really liked me. He kept pecking me in all the wrong places. Finally I had to give him the 'Let's just be friends,' talk-off and he didn't take it so well.

In any case, I used a bit of Lucis Art on the bottom photo. Otherwise this is straight forward chicken art.

Saved by the cat...

Lately I've gone through, yet again, another period of blogging 'doldrums,' If you blog, you know exactly of that which I speak. It is a time of intense self-doubt about the whole meaning and reasoning of blogging. At it's worst, the blog is in a hormonal mid-life crisis. Urges to hit the delete button and selfishly take the ball home so no one else can play, aren't uncommon. It ain't the right thing to do, but it is a thought every honest blogger admits to having, on occasion. Sometimes blogging is easy. At other times, it feels like work or being stuck in quicksand. Quitting seems less painful.
But then, all the sudden, something as simple as a cat watching Valle Crucis life pass by from the second floor of tobacco barn makes the whole blog ticker tock again and we bloggers resume as if nothing was amiss in the first place .
I'm not sure I can explain it any better than that.

Ponies!

I was so tired last night that I slapped up the previous shot on the blog without much fuss. Upload image. Press save. Done. Sleep.

This post is a bit more deliberate. I stopped by the Dutch Creek farms just as the light was waning from the sky last night. I shot several scenics and distance scenes of the horses in the fields with my BRAND NEW Nikon D300. Suddenly I felt like I was being watched. I turned around and saw this cluster of ponies tucked against the barn, with snow laden backs, staring at me with such sorrowful eyes. Naturally, I pointed my BRAND NEW Nikon D300 right at 'em and pulled the trigger.

Anyway, I'm just reporting that yesterday was a good day. I mean, how could it not be? I scored a BRAND NEW Nikon D300 and I got to see fuzzy ponies.

The sun sets on Hwy 194...

My eldest called from college yesterday and suggested I check my Valle Crucis P.O. box. I really did try to make it to the Mast General Store before it closed, but I kinda got sidetracked. I stopped on Baird's Creek Rd to take this photo. I was gonna trash this shot because lens flare doesn't do much for me, but a photographer buddy convinced me make it a keeper. What do you think? I'm leaning on the 'not' side...

On a much more vital note: John Doe is missing. You know, this John Doe. If'n you are about and see the worthless mutt, let me know or call the Mast Store. He didn't come home last night and wasn't waiting at the Mast Store door this morning to be fed. John Doe rarely misses a meal opportunity. I'll check first thing on Friday to see if he did show up and let ya know what I know.