Blue Ridge blog

This Morning

It was a pretty world this morning. The trees were covered in frosty snow---too bad it is March and I'd be more delighted seeing the  green of spring. This cabin in the woods is actually a shack behind a house on the corner of Poplar Grove and Hwy 105. I've been meaning to stop and take a photo of it before it ends up crumbled on the ground.
Youngest daughter and I are headed to another dance thingy in a different big city this weekend. I am hardly prepared mainly because I've worked some much at the day/night/weekend job this week. I am looking forward to taking a couple of deep breaths this evening and relax with other dance folk.
I've been meaning to stop by The Light Factory  for a while so hopefully I can steal a few minutes tomorrow. I'm sure my camera/necklace will make the trip with me.
By the way--I got to meet Leonard Slatkin  yesterday. He's a normal guy. He is recovering from a broken foot after having tripped over his son's snowboard.

Lessons in humility-part deux

Sorry ya'll. Blog photos have been slim pickens this week. I'm still in a mad dash to get everything that needs to be completed done. The weather is just plain icky--not snowy or icy, just icky. Harley's a trooper though. For a few brief moments today, youngest child found a left over ballet bow and crowned Harley with her creation. Harley maintained this look for about an hour and a half until she apparently had enough . The bow is now frayed and quite history. My children are madly studying ( I think ) for several upcoming tests and are not-so-silently praying for a major dump of snow.

City Bird

"You can see a lot by just looking." Yogi Berra said once. His words are immortalized in a brass plaque imbedded in the sidewalk in front of the Bank of South Carolina on Main Street in Greenville. I jumped over the plaque on my way back from a long walk around the city on Sunday morning. Greenville is a happening town. It is a vibrantly polished southern city. Art in all forms is hailed by Greenville dwellers . I was especially impressed with the new Falls on Reedy Creek outdoor area. I took photos but the light was uneven at best. Instead, you get to see the bird above as it was perched in a tree near a pedestrian suspension bridge that crosses the Falls. It was just looking around. Like me, it was just seeing what it could see.

If you hear loud whooshing noises, it is probably me. I have a whirlwind week ahead. Youngest daughter has another dance thingy this weekend, but before that, eldest daughter has several mid-week orchestral engagements and LAX. Oh, and there is this little thing called a job...
And, I almost forgot-- Leonard Slatkin  is coming to town!

The Darkest Hour

I'm sitting here in the business center of some Holiday Inn Express. It is finally morning and I've inhaled a couple of cups of complimentary coffee and have successfully delivered my youngest daughter to her dance classes.

I had trouble sleeping last night. I resisted the urge to sneak down here at 4:40 a.m. to post what would most likely have been quite a negative post. I would have gone something like this:

Well, I just couldn't get comfortable sleeping on the bathroom floor so I snuck down to this computer and decided to voice every bit of anquish and dispair that I have every experienced in my entire life...blah, blah, blah. My mind keeps thinking about that t.v. special that showed that the comforters used in hotels are rarely washed... I feel sorry for my eldest daughter who has gotten even less sleep than me tonight....

You get my drift. I would have ranted, spilled my guts about stupid stuff. The good news is that the Victorian themed Ballet was stunning last evening and the team garnered a well-deserved trophy. Youngest daughter smiled afterward. Exhausted, but happy. She will dance again this evening. Afterwards, I hope to lay my head down upon my Andes Minted pillow--and soundly crash.

Pay attention deer

This is what I imagine it to be like as a teacher-- one child in a class actually paying attention to the lesson. Oh well, life is ultimately survival of the fittest for any test. For these beasts it was a good thing that I was only armed with a camera and not a bow & arrow. Otherwise, at least one, maybe two, would be venison steak right now.
Speaking about survival.... my youngest daughter will be transformed into a graceful ballerina this weekend so I will be off the mountain cheering her accomplishments. I will be in a hotel surrounded by 2000 children wearing false eyelashes and adorable costumes. Wish me luck. Hopefully I will find someway to connect to the outside world. If you don't hear from me, be confident that my dear husband will find me and ply me with appropriate sedatives.

Drunken Crow?

Or bird snow angels? My friend Sally emailed me these photos (click to enlarge) late this afternoon and I can't quit giggling. She wrote:

   In response to your lovely blackbirds photo, I have to send this mystery from the same snow storm.  I have read about grouse, esp. in the high mountains out west, diving into snow banks for insulation in bad storms, but don't know if it happens here.  Or maybe it was a drunken crow, or a demented pilated woodpecker.  Do you have any ideas?

My response: "No Sally, but if I was a bettin' woman, I definitely would lay money on the drunken crow.It just seems fitting." I particularly like the little birdie footprints off to the right... Great photos Sally! Thanx.

Additionally, because she and Gary are in the biz, she directed me to a site called Stained Apron  which dishes out the poop about the restaurant business from the perspective of the wait staff. If you eat in restaurants, pay attention to Sweet Revenge .  I thought Celebrity Tippers  was a little fun as well.

As the crow flies...

Woke up this morning and the snow was just beginning to fly. It was 33 degrees. Now, at 9am, temps have plummeted into the high teens. We live in Boone. This is normal. I took this photo on Brookshire Rd this morning. I've noticed grackles and crows gathering on the banks of the New River over the winter. Today was their day for a group portrait.

Harley Au Natural

I unexpectedly came home during the day only to surprise Harley who was taking a little siesta in the hillside above our home. As I got out of the car, she popped up her head from a comfortable bed of ferns and pine straw. I think she is happy to have the snow gone for a while. Dear Harley, The weather is just temporary sweetie and You Need a Bath!

**Items of note** Harley does not sleep with the tennis balls in her mouth. She uses the balls like Linus uses his blanket--tucked squarely beneath her jaw when at rest.  For comfort, she gathers the balls in her mouth. I suppose it is a sign of insecurity when she is unsure. Otherwise, it just means she wants to play ball. She is the best dog EVER! BUT--I did see my great friend Brenda today. I sorely miss her company. I miss my Wanda too. Everyone needs a Brenda and a Wanda and a Margaret and a Katherine to keep 'em real.  Please, someone clue me in on how I can make time to spend just one simple hour very soon to catch up with at least one of my buds?
Watch out ladies:  Dean is being fresh again.

Mother Nature is Fickle

I was on my deck about 20 minutes ago and noticed the light changing as a squall was about to blast through from the northwest. I could hear it coming so shot a few frames and bolted inside before I got pelted with whatever was gonna fall. It hailed this morning, but this particular event produced a few minutes of sideways snow. Now, as I look outside my window, I see small patches of blue sky.

I worked a little for pay today and worked a little because it is what a mother must do. Eldest child is at a 3 day music clinic and performance. She was a bit miffed yesterday because she had to chose between this orchestral event and an LAX match, but all was forgotten when she was given the keys to drive herself to the music event. There will be more LAX matches.

Youngest child is merrily making crafts for her dance buddies. Later, she is going to make a baby blanket for her soon-to-be born boy-flavored cousin.

I'm going to go do something...don't know what, but anything to take my mind off of eldest child driving home late in the dark tonight. Thanks Mom for giving me your 'worry' gene.

Killer Icicles

I just had to do it. I was compelled to photograph the most photographed thing in Watauga County--the waterwheel beside the High Country Inn. I drive by this site about 20 million times a day and it never fails that I see at least one person taking a photograph of this waterwheel. It is pretty, I suppose. In anycase, it is a people magnet and I would be remiss if I didn't post at least a little something about it. What brought this all to mind is that driving around town today, I noticed the biggest icicles lurking about every eave just waiting for the proper time to drop and impale some poor schmuck.