Blue Ridge blog

Morning on Deerfield Road...

I'm alikin' me this photo! First, because the light was so off the charts weird and after many attempts, I finally captured a true representation of what I actually saw. And second, I adore the little cow ears behind the big black mama who was staring me down.

Yesterday I ran into a friend at the grocery store in front of the bubblegum machine. We stole a few minutes of conversation while her three-year old son twisted and poked every handle and quarter slot.
Blah. Blah. Blah...we nearly caught up on our comins and goins when all the sudden her son screamed:

"MOMMMMMMMMMM-MAAAAAA!"

The two of us looked down and saw that his chubby hand was looking back at him from the inside of a transparent bubblegum machine. He had pulled the 'let's see how far my hand can reached into the machine' experiment. The patient mother calmly told her son to point his fingers to the sky as she helped him wiggle his fingers loose. I was no help at all as I burst into immediate fits of laughter. Afterward, the poor kid gingerly held his wrist and wiggled his fingers to make sure they were still attached. He was not the least bit amused by my giggles, but really, it was a priceless moment.

The things we do for love...

I woke up at 5 am to check eldest out of music camp so she could still participate in her special little 6 am Spin class at the Wellness Center. Naturally, she wanted me to workout with her...Me, 6 am, and working out don't get along so good so after running 30 minutes on the treadmill, I ditched class and headed out to salvage what was left of the early morning light. I snagged only a couple of shots. This one, a silouhette of a Queen Anne's lace blossom, is one of them.

Hartley Knob

Because it has rained forever this week, I have chosen to include on today's post a photo of Hartley Knob which I took Saturday from the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you squint real hard, you might see the three crosses that adorn the grassy peak. Well over a year ago I took this photo from a spot much closer ('cept you can't see the crosses).  At this point near Bamboo Gap on the Parkway is about as close to the town of Boone as it gets. Just so you know...

This morning Mr. Man greeted me at the kitchen door with a dead varmint. He meowed for me through a mouthful of mouse to take notice of his prize. I praised him while patting him upon the head. He sweetly laid mouse to rest upon a folding chair. He sniffed at mouse. He pawed at mouse. He turned mouse over. He could resist the urge no longer. Mr. Man grabbed the beast by the head and ate it till it was all gone. I gagged at the sound of crunching bones. It is hard me me to stomach such things before my morning coffee. Just thought I'd share....

Almost dark...

Steady rain poured last night. With all the windows open in the house, I wrapped up in a quilt and relished the occasional rush of cool air that puffed across my face. The photo was taken with a tripod, f25 and long shutter speed. It was almost dark and I wanted to try to capture that feeling without creating too much digital noise in the shadows. The photo seems too sharp for my tastes (especially in the distant ridge), but still captures the feeling of a cool summer's eve in the Appalachians. It is naturally air conditioned up here.

Trading Information and such...

So when I clicked the shutter, I was supposed to be nodding my head in prayer at the 'Blessing of the Mountain' ceremony held at the gap of Rich Mountain near Trade, Tennessee. This girl and I were the only ones not bowing our heads. Instead, she was gazing at fire and I was shooting her through the heat of the flames. The girl did not pay for her transgression because it could probably be argued that she was, in a sense, in her own sort of inward prayer. On the other hand, I am an adult and should've known better. As soon as I shot this frame I immediately backed into a greasy, slimy pile of cow poo. The gods were most certainly laughing at me.
This weekend is Trade Days . In it's day, Trade, Tn., was a bustling outpost for the Native Americans and frontier dudes to barter goods and baubles. The coolest item I learned about Trade today was that it is a site for a new internet radio station called Mountain Trade Radio  which plays a heavy concentration of Blues, Rock and Jazz. The owner is Bill Hegemann who passed me his info card after the Blessing.
And another nugget to ponder for those of you who are local: Boone Drugs at New Market is now accepting digital files to be emailed to [email protected] for printing. The great thing about this is you only have to make one trip to pick up your photos. The sad part is that you only get to see Diane and Darren once. Truly, they are the best photo printers in Boone and that is my professional opinion. So there.

Beloved Chicken...

While wondering around the Valle this afternoon, I ran into a friend of mine who relayed a message from the chickens at the Sustainable Development Farm that their feeling were hurt because I posted this photo last week. Apparently, I stripped them of a bit of their dignity. Sigh. Must. Make. Amends.
So I went to the farm a little while ago and sat on the grass outside the fence and personally apologized. Just so you know.
Now if you will excuse me, while my husband is entertaining his mother outside the home tonight, I'm gonna fix a small batch of Mother's Little Helper Margaritas and watch the summer solstice sun set on Matney.

The Watauga River

The Watauga River winds through Valle Crucis. This photo was also taken last week from the low water bridge behind Shull's Farm. Because I neglected to bring my graduated neutral density filters with me, I had to do a little 'photoshopping' . Even then, I blew out the sky in order to retain detail in the shadows. Still, I keep coming back to the color of the sky reflected in the river as well as the steam rising from the water in the back. I'm a-hunting some old inner tubes so when everybody in the house gets put back together, we can dip our toes in the cold water and float downstream....

A view I saw while sitting on my deck...

Allowing that perspective may be a relative concept, I was kinda liking the view from my rocker on my deck this evening...

Not this morning on Dewitt Barnett Rd.

I did not take this photo today. Instead, this is from the batch I took last week I promised to share with you. While traveling in Valle Crucis, I have often seen the sun's rays shining through a tree's leaves. The mailbox and the curve of the road speak 'country' to me.

Today I have played nurse maid. Eldest had her four impacted wisdom teeth removed this morning. She's fine and not a problem so long as I manage to fit the bamboo pipe through her bloody gauze so I can I blow the painkillers down her throat. Just kidding, except for the bloody gauze... Youngest came home late from work last night sporting a flat tire and a tingling rash on her arms. She was a dishwasher last night. She is allergic to dishwashing...I could have told her boss that after years of having to nag her to simply load our the dishwasher. And well, my mother-in-law still here. I'm not saying anything further....

A working gal's round-up of sorts...

My mother-in-law was feeling up to an outing this morning so I took her to the summit of Grandfather Mountain. My eldest will be running The Bear on Grandfather in July and her grandmother wanted to see the race course. Ummm...even my Jeep has a hard time running up the mountain.
The rhodies and the tourists are in full bloom on top of Grandfather Mountain as you can see from the photo of the swinging bridge and McRaes Peak in the photo above. Must. Dodge. Tourists.
I have been busy at work. Friday I shot the Watauga County Relay for Life. I posted a photo gallery of more than 80 photos that you can see here. There were many bright moments in this year's Relay, but one thought still clung in the humid air above the event: Cancer still Sucks!

On an ending a someone brighter note: HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! Dad. and HAPPY 18th ANNIVERSARY! Husband. Sorry there were no presents, decent food or even a fair amount of light-hearted time talking to either one of you. I owe you both a dinner of homemade pizza and champagne...how's that?