Blue Ridge blog

Camo Dog

After a long autumn walk in the woods, Harley the Golden Retriever, flops down upon a bed of pinestraw and fallen leaves to catch her breath. Unbeknownst to her, she blends into the scenery and becomes a Camo Dog.

Taking Flight...part 2

I'm not sure where I'm going with this post...but never-the-less I will dive in. For about a year, Tom e. has told me about the turkey buzzards that gather in the field across from the conference center. Today, I actually saw them and became their buddy. There was about 25 of these creatures perched on fence posts 'drying their wings' in a manner that I can only describe (forgive me) as Christ-like. I drove my Jeep into the field while listening to a cello concerto by Grieg on WDAV . Not wanting to stop listening, I turned up the radio and stalked the scavengers. They were non-plussed by my presence. So, I crossed a streamed, soaked my favorite Birks , and crept closer. I could still hear the music from my Jeep and was basically jazzed knowing that I was spending 'my' time this way. By the time I finished, I shot more than 100 frames. Editing the bytes was a complete bitch. I have several frames of which I am proud. This is just one. I will share many with Tom e. because he is quite a see-er himself. To learn more about turkey buzzards go Here. And, because I completely spaced out my Blog Anniversary...check out the first photo that I posted on my blog a year ago on October 27, 2003 called Taking Flight

Trick or Treat

So instead of studying last night, the girls were makin' big weekend Halloween plans. The act of Trick or Treating is a bit different up here in the mountains where houses are spread far and wide. My children have always been envious of the 'town kids', because they are can dress up and run around a neighborhood collecting treats instead of schlepping around in a car to go door-to-door. Thankfully, they are now old enough that they will skip the treats and instead dress up in some Mistress-of-the-Dark-like costume pretending to have some alter-ego-goth-thing going on. Of course, if I fill the candy jar with M&M's this afternoon they will love me even more. But wait, they won't be home, so it looks like Mom gets all the Halloween Treat this weekend :-)

Oh What a beautiful morning!

This morning I was in the kitchen doing the mad mommy dash; packing bag lunches for the girls, scheduling the day's activities... when I took a brief moment to look outside. The sun was just coming up and it revealed an island of clouds bathed in a magical magenta light . I gasped and said, "Whoa," and then I did what comes naturally for me. I grabbed my camera and tripod. The girls still made it to school on time.

Seen

When I saw this scene, I knew that I had to stop what I was doing and take this photo. I was on the a movie set last week and noticed an actor sitting around waiting for the crew to come his way. With jug in hand, he looked perfectly at peace with life. Now, just in case ya'll don't know, hillbillies don't generally drink their beverage of choice out of jugs anymore. But we have been know to set out on our porches and enjoy a cold one wrapped in a cozy from time to time.

From my deck

In character

This gentleman plays a hillbilly in the upcoming movie "A Tale of a Bootlegger". The beauty of the photo is, he isn't in his costume yet--he is the real deal. I spoke with him a while and he has an incredible spirit and an infectious smile.
I have had a full week and have a busy weekend schedule so in a few minutes I'm going to get out the ol gloves and start a carthatic round of cleaning on the much neglected house.

Do you recognize this face?

I spent most of yesterday on the movie set of 'The Tale of a Bootlegger' which is being shot in the Boone area. There were a couple of chances to brush elbows with actors such as this guy and this guy. But the man in the photo above has truly has colored this world. Can't figure out where you've seen him before? Go here.

Taking Cover

It is raining today. I wandered around the Hickory Ridge Homestead today looking for squirrels foraging for acorns. Instead, I found this Towhee singing a beautiful song. The wide leaves of the rhododendren provide a natural umbrella and the backdrop is a blend of autumn leaves. I'm not sure you can see the wide-open beak in this small version.

It is a small world

My friends Jeff and Wendy called me just a few minutes ago (9:00pm EST) and told me that a photo of mine made the USA Today Photo of the Day. Go to the site and and scroll down to 'Day in the News" and it'll load a 'Day in Photos'. My photo is #9. I don't know when USA Today changes out the photos so go there fast. And to my blog friend Melissa: I thought that this story was really sweet, but the photo doesn't set me on fire except that I kept saying to myself-"How many 103 year old women do you know that can still see colors and walk across a street unaided and sit underneath a gorgeous tree--and then have a coherent memory to tell ?" Just take the photos and worry about the editing and critics later.

P.S.-I like the baby rhino photo better than all the rest