Blue Ridge blog

Oh Deer!

My photo session yesterday along the Blue Ridge Parkway didn't produce any fabulous results so today I am posting a shot that I took last year about this time. I was wondering around Valle Crucis near the Watauga River when I saw this doe. I popped a shot and then she was gone. At this time of year, fog tends to linger in the Valle...so conceivably this photo could have been taking today...but it wasn't.

My buddy Wanda is coming over for dinner tonight...I can't decide whether to make andouille/shrimp jambalaya or ceasar salad and my signature pizza. If you were coming over to my house, what would you want to eat?

Mmmm Good!

The sunflowers in the Mast Farm Inn organic gardens are beginning to bloom. This is one of the first and at the time I was shooting it, a bumblebee chose to stop by for a visit. I really like this photo. Though it was a bit breezy outside which generally makes for difficult macro shots, the stiff stalk of the sunflower withstood the wind. The bee was also very cooperative. The golden hues remind me of honey and the mute lighting of the day adds a slight painterly effect to the photo. I did use the Nikon D70 for this, but used my Nikon 105mm macro lens. I operated the camera in aperature priority mode and the white balance was set to 'overcast'. So far, my biggest irritation with the D70 is the aperature stop down button is in an awkward place...or maybe my hands are too small.

Now That's Entertainment...

It is amazing the time you have to kill after the toilets have been cleaned and the children aren't around to mess up the house. I made it over to the 105 Flea Market this afternoon and found all kind of hillbilly pedestrian junk for sale. Everybody needs 5 year old jarred applemint. I liked the Cardinal salt n pepper shakers. Or how 'bout the beautiful perfume container.

An Empty Nest

So, I'm taking a trial run at an empty nest as the baby birdies are testing their wings. Oldest daughter left for a month of nothing-but-cello camp. She feared that it would be filled with kids that although loved music, would have no other common interests. Boy, was she relieved to see her roomie who brought junk food and sported clothes from American Eagle. She had already made 3 new friends by the time I was quickly dismissed.

Youngest child has ventured with my husband to the bowels of Chattanooga for a good 'ol dose of Mamaw lovin'. This leaves me alone for awhile.

Yay! I sit here at the computer free from almost all responsibilities, except for Mr. Man and Harley. Mr. Man has still not forgiven me from leaving him. He's coming around, but acts as though I am simply his food wench. Harley remains my faithful gal.

What to do? If I want, I can play on the computer and watch any stupid thing on the T.V. I choose to eat a 'grass' dinner of spinach laced with grapes, bacon and tempeh. For dessert, I will treat myself to cherry ice cream with the kind of chocolate that hardens upon contact with cold. Major Yummm! To hell with the dishes this evening.

I took this photo this morning. I was chasing down a bunch of riders in a grueling 100 mile bike trek through Watauga County lovingly called "Blood, Sweat and Gears." It is a huge fundraiser for our local Chapter of the Red Cross. As I was driving to the Creston relief post near state road 88, I noticed the Sutherland Methodist Church peeping through the summer leaves. The uppermost portion of Snake Mountain is shrouded in clouds. The riders got to cruise through the clouds. How Glorious...and painful!

Sentiments from Iraq

Look at the photo that my buddy Rob sent to me from Iraq. Apparently the bumper stickers that I sent him from home made it onto one of the trucks in the convoy that he rides in the NC 1450th 2nd platoon. With temperatures well past the 100 degree mark, I bet Rob and the rest of the soldiers do wish they could be back in the cool mountains of the Blue Ridge. Rob sent me an email this morning and in it he says:

"It is tense over here right now. Kuwait is worried about terrorists attacking their pipelines. We are trying to not have trucks on the road during that time. Our level of security has risen. Their attacks have gone up. Cell towers are popping up all over Iraq. They want us to open the main sections of the highway to them. They have stepped up attacks on their own government. Their police have increased their activity in the communities but the insurgents are hitting them too. It is a mess but we are determined to make our word right."

Be careful Rob!

The flowers of the Mast Farm

I went out early this morning to find that the gardens of the Mast Farm Inn have exploded with color in the last 2 weeks. Master gardener Jeff has been a busy boy. For the past couple of years the summer weather has played havoc with the garden. One summer too wet, the other way too dry. Finally, our weather has stabilized and now the gardens are bursting forth in summer celebrations. Note to self: Visit soon and tell Wanda, Kay and Jeff thanks!

It is officially summertime!

It is raining today, but I managed to pick up the 'ol camera yesterday evening a snap the setting sun as it settled in for an evening nap.
I picked up Mr. Man from the vet today. He is completely miffed at me for leaving him in jail for 10 days.

Back in business

Whew! I had a blast in Texas. I wish I had taken a better camera because my poor little Nikon Coolpix 990 just wasn't up to the task of recording moments the way I wanted. I did however, capture the more important family details ( except my brother's wedding) on the camera and hope that I have the energy tonight to post the photos in a photo album for all you who care to be bored.

My list of Texas favorites:
1) Rangers vs Cards (we won last Saturday)
2) Cattleman's steakhouse in Ft Worth...best steak I've ever had in my life. No lie!
3) Texas Hill Country---from Mineral Springs to Lampassas is different than I had expected. I could see myself living there but learned... the fire ants hurt like hell when you run through the fields taking photos of wild purple sage!
4) Austin is a great town if you are 20-35 or otherwise single. The bar crawling and musical, cultural
possibilities seem almost endless. My young teens were not impressed and we left the town hours after we arrived. I was disappointed in the famed bats' performance. They came out much later than anticipated on the night we were there. However, the view of the Colorado River was stunning from the Columbia Street bridge.
5) We visited the Alamo in San Antonio. We felt as though we were walking on hallowed ground during the entire tour. It was well worth the side trip.
6) Mustang Island . The bargain of the entire trip...We visited mid-week...it was cheap, it was gorgeous and we rode horses on the beach daily. I ate my weight in red fish and margaritas. Who could ask for anything more?

We saw more but I am sure that I will certainly bore you with too many details. I hate that I missed Fletch in Austin. The stars ( and bats ) were just not aligned right, but you can visit him yourself atAustin Country Limits. Gotta go do the laundry. More later.

I'll be thinking about ya'll...

Ta Ta For Now. This may be my last post for quite awhile unless I can pirate a computer somewhere deep in the heart of Texas. It would be a bonus if I could blog some photos. I'm bringing my ancient Nikon Coolpix 995 because if it gets dropped or stolen, I won't cry. I'm gonna really miss you folks--10 days without bloggin' is gonna be a record for me.
***With any luck, I may get to meet up with Fletch of the former (heavy sigh) Smoky Mountain Blog***
Note: I won't remove his blog from my buddy list as a makeshift memorial to him...and maybe he will be back. Ya never know.

Morning on the Edmisten Farm

This morning was the perfect summer morning...a light fog diffused the sun thus bathing the world in a soft light. Instead of going straight to work, I headed off to the old Edmisten farm in hopes of catching something on the Nikon D70 and testing it's abilities further. Old Cooper saw me and stepped into the frame. He hoped that I would bring him some sugar cubes, but alas, my pockets were empty. Next time I won't forget old buddy. I promise!