Blue Ridge blog

But it was funny...

I saw something today that I have never witnessed in person before....a pro-wrestling match held smack in the middle of King Street in the mega-metropolis of Boone. Yep, there I was minding everyone else's business, taking photos of the Rat Daddy Bike Fest when I noticed one kinda big guy in a much too tight outfit and then I saw a rail thin balding gentlemen all in black. They entered a ring and began to wrestle. I was more than curious and watched as the crowd gathered about and cheered their favorite. Now I could tell that this was a fight to the death and that these boys were seriously gonna put some hurt on each other. The crowd got rowdier and little kids even joined in the taunts. "Kill 'em Big Earl" some 6 year old screamed beside me. I watched for a little while, laughing the whole time. It was surreal watching a couple adults run around a ring, fake fighting, while the rest of us stood around, fake yelling. One thing was for sure....it was entertaining and I still haven't figured out that one yet.

Before and after the storm

I stopped to visit my great friend Wanda at the Mast Farm Inn in Valle Crucis yesterday afternoon. It had been too long since our last visit so we chatted quite awhile. We made plans to get together on Sunday to visit more and taste a couple of new wines that she is adding to the Inn's menu. I'm lucky to have a friend like Wanda. She let me pick several stalks of rhubarb out of the Inn's organic garden and I promised to share with her a jar of rhubarb chutney. I stopped to admire the roses that lined the white picket fence in front of the Inn. The wild roses are also blooming in the Valle and the perfume is thick...

Around 6:30 yesterday afternoon, a terrific storm passed through Valle Crucis. We lost our electric power. Dinner was eaten (swine and rhubarb chutney) and homework was done by the soft light of several of our oil lamps that we have scattered through out our house for just such occasions. This morning the clouds floated above and below the ridges and coves of the Blue Ridge. As I drove the girls to school, we noticed several huge trees had succumbed to the storm's winds. Fortunately, none of the trees blocked our passage. The air feels so much cleaner today...

Linn Cove Viaduct

Yesterday was a Chamber of Commerce day up on Grandfather Mountain. I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway looking for folks having a great time outdoors. The newspaper always needs those type of shots. I found lots of people hiking, canoeing, or simply sunning themselves at most of the popular vistas.

This shot is more or less the "cliche" shot of the Linn Cove Viaduct which hugs the boulder surface of the might Grandfather. Hugh Morton made this shot famous by placing blooming rhododendren in the foreground. I am a week too early for the flowers, but still chose to climb the rocks to get this view.

INCOMING!

OK, I rock! I endured many minutes of this insane swallow dive-bombing me in order to get one good shot out of 82. No matter that the depth of field is shallow. The eye is in focus. I was at the Valle Crucis park trying to get in my weekend warrior run and after a mile, made the executive decision to carry my camera for the next round. Things never happen as I plan. The robin with his beak filled with worms disappeared. The bullfrog in the pond dove to depths unknown and I horribly underestimated the exposure of the iris with raindrops. However, I did sadistically enjoy torturing this poor bird protecting his nest. I kept telling him that I wasn't going to hurt him, but he didn't believe me. I swear he kept after me for more than 15 minutes. Finally, I nailed the sucker leaving he and his brood in peace. You cannot imagine how difficult it is to focus on an incoming object such as this bird. Triumph.

My brood is fine. Final exams loom. Health is much better. Summer plans are in the process. The day job still gets in the way of everything else.

Old Barn and Iris

This old barn sits on Deerfield Rd right next door to our ever expanding hospital. In its glory years, it sat, King of the Hill, overlooking the farmland below. Now, it's view is of the Boone Golf Course. I like the barbed wire fence at the top of the frame as it tends to break up the white sky a bit.

Littlest daughter seems ok today. She stayed home from school today but I may let her dance this evening. Thank goodness it is the end of the school year and the teachers are more worried about prepping the students for the standardized EOG's (End of Grade ) exams than covering new material. Next week begins the 3 day testing process. I'm not worried about her passing the 8th grade.

@home

Just hangin' out on the bench outside the Mast General Store I found these gentlemen taking in a bit of the rare sun to shine upon our Valle over the past couple of days. How I would love to sit around and swap lies for an unhurried while.

Instead, this evening the dreaded plaque w/fever returned to haunt my youngest. This morning and for most of the day, she was fever free for the first time since Saturday. I was relieved because she was getting better from this mysterious illness when I was called to cover a horrific wreck on Hwy 421 in Deep Gap (Doc & Merle Watson Scenic Hwy). Good Lord, this one involved young children and the outcome appears bleak. I could sense the urgency in the emergency response teams. Things get stepped up several notches when the lives of children are at stake. Already, debriefing (de-stressing) meetings are being held at the local fire/medic departments. I captured images of grandparents arriving on scene and I instinctively pressed the shutter, but those images will never see the paper. Screw press awards... some moments won't 'benefit, inform or teach' the general public. It is a line that I personally draw that will always keep me from moving up in the ranks. I'm happy where I am.

....and about my daughter. I allowed her to go to her ballet dress rehearsal this evening. She is a lovely 'winter fairy' in Cinderella. She was weak but wanted to go to learn her cues. It was only an hour long outing, but upon arriving home, I had to help her upstairs. The stupid new thermometer broke so I had to scramble to find an old mercury filled replacement... she was burning up...yep, 101.5 The doctor says it may be viral so won't prescribe antibiotics but my patience is running out. No substantial food for 5 days is plain wrong and Mama Bear is getting antsy... I'm calling the doctor in the a.m. and going to request some pathology tests. Am I wrong? No, it doesn't matter what you say, I have that gut feeling that says that more info is necessary to fix this problem.

Dear Mom and Dad, If you are reading this, don't fret...I'll call you with info about Bos as soon as I know anything.

Several Blue Ridges

No matter how many times I see this view from my deck, I never tire of it. I had my tripod on my deck this morning and shot a couple of frames. I always imagine the fog as an ocean and the ridges as little islands. Sometimes the sun comes up from the east (right had side) and bathes the 'islands' with a soft fushia glow.

Youngest daughter has been fighting a crud that has caused a fever for several days now. Efforts to get her in to see a quality physician have been frustrating. Our pediatrician is so backed up that they could only squeeze her in a day after I called for an appointment. I have learned that most of our other area doctors are no longer taking new patients save for one new general practitioner. We're gonna give him a try rather than to wait in the germ infested pediactrics office for 2 hours. Uggggg!

A Sunday Drive

I remember when I was about 3 or 4, most Sundays my parents would round up our family of 5 into the Rambler and we would tool around the Louisiana countryside. I don't remember where we visited or what we did, but eventually we would get ice cream or some other treat so I never minded the afternoon trips. With gas prices in Boone about $1.90/gallon for regular grade, Sunday drives are basically out of the question.

This morning, I had a purpose to be driving around the countryside. I picked up my eldested from a sleepover which was in the Northwest section of the county...literally spitting distance from the Tennessee border in a community called Zionville. I wandered from Valle Crucis over to the Mast Gap. I cut through Sugar Grove and the Cove Creek community. Sherwood was packed with people filling it's churches. The morning was gorgeous and temps in the high 60's. I soaked in the scenery and promised to come back when I had time to stop and take photos. I did manage to take a photo of this poppy. The color is so vivid and plays nicely with the spring greens everywhere.

People Watchin'

Occasional Spring showers have kept me dodging raindrops over the past couple of days. I was grabbing a cup 'o Joe at Expresso News yesterday when I captured this image of a pair of pups watching me and others go through our daily hoops. I believe they think we are quite a silly, but adorable and entertaining species.

Brain Washing

The Wild Strawberry crop is going to be fantastic this year
A boulder in my yard. If we have an earthquake, will it take out my neighbor's house?
My Ginseng flourishes.
I found a stash of Showy Orchids growing near a spring.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit

I woke up to a beautiful spring morning. Fog created sweet light upon the landscape. I shot many frames before heading to the office. It was there that I made the conscious decision to watch, with my friends, the complete internet video of Nick Berg. I was instantly horrified. My brain went into overload and in a matter of self-survival, shifted to 'numb'. It has taken me all day to slowly siphor through my thoughts and emotions. After work, I went running in hopes to get the 'ol endorphins kicking in...it didn't help much. I then took my daughter and Harley on a walk through our woods. We photographed the items listed above. Refinding beauty cleansed my brain. Am I traumatized? No. Am I filled with rage and hell-bent for revenge? No. I am simply raw and saddened. First, because a poor man was horribly tortured by men claiming the act to be sanctioned by a Supreme Being. And second, the event is already being politicized. Is nothing sacred anymore? I had to get this off my chest. Thanks for listening.