Blue Ridge blog

Adding a little color to my day...

I drew odd stares when I took this photo of Gouldian finches while in the hospital waiting room a few minutes ago. One nurse even asked me if I was allowed to take photos inside the hospital? I replied of course because finches don't fall under the HIPPA regulations. She completely bought it.
Anyway, I am off the mountain at a regional medical center while a loved one is undergoing surgery--nothing bad, y'all, just stuff that happens in life. Meanwhile I am trying to do a respectable job at simultaneously listening to a musical therapist do an o.k. job at singing some John Denver and James Taylor along with the local network television blaring off warnings of an imminent snow event. Frankly, I wish it would all go away but I am practicing self-control since I'm going to need patience and empathy while I take care of my patient in the next days to come. Thank god for wireless internet!
I was bored so I added a virtual pet on my sidebar. Thought you could throw Harley a couple of bones and maybe a ball since I am not at home to play with her.
Now please, I must vacate the area. I can't stand to listen to soap operas....

A stately barn in Boone

The morning light was a tad interesting so I cruised around the Boone golf course, hospital and airport to see what I could dig up to share with you. I saw this old barn, the one that sits on the Walgreen's side of the hospital on Deerfield Rd and tried to figure out how I could trespass in order to capture this view. While on W. Virginia street I saw a barbed-wire fence. I laughed at it and climbed through. I think there is a strand or two of my hair I left behind as my toll. Not sure who this property belongs to, but it is quite literally surrounded by structures much younger. I have a friend working on the info so I might post an update later. Gotta run! Going to Grandfather Mountain ....

SNOW DAY!

Last night around 9 p.m. my husband and I heard a hootin' and a hollerin' from downstairs. Both teens had been hanging on their cells phones, along with the entire county full of school children, to hear if school would be nixed the next day.  The answer came with eldest bounding up the stairs, " Sweet. I don't have to study for AP Government, yet," she said. Next, we heard youngest say to her phone friends, " No worry, y'all. No AP English outline due tomorrow."
So, on their snow day, I wandered around the slopes taking photos of other people's kids enjoying the frigid weather.
I asked my girls if they wanted to go snowboarding:
"Not allowed," said my youngest. "My dance teacher would be chapped if I hurt myself before competition."
"No way," said my oldest. "I'm not going to risk getting an injury before the half-marathon."
Too bad...
It looks like so much fun. Except of course for the poor child I saw who used his face brakes to slow down. Yikes.

And, I met a couple of my favorite bloggers at the ASU basketball game on Saturday.

Look! It is Allison and Katie Bonk. Our meeting was unannounced and I'm sure I blubbered and blathered meaningless crap, all the while completely impressing upon them how big an 'L' I am--Let's just say I kept clapping and saying, "Look, its Katie Bonk." Next time gals, the first round at the Library is on me. You just have to give me fair warning because I am a social retard.

Harley Update...

Harley is home. And in fact, Harley never suffered an operation. I took her to the vet's office, tortured her by leaving, and further tortured myself with thinking she was suffering when she actually was not. Instead, the big old vet assistant was walking her outside feeding her doggy 'green' treats while the doctor called me at work to consult with me.
"First, everything is o.k., Marie. But I don't think we need to do the surgery. Her leg is healing better than I ever expected. She is so strong she is dragging us all around the office. Let's just wait and see. Ummm, she could stand to lose a little weight though," he said.
"Yeh, buddy," I replied.
So, I spent $200 for the appointment, NSAIDs, expensive doggie diet food, and advise...
Ah who cares? Having Harley home is priceless...

The cornfield is colder than it looks...

I briefly shared this field of fodder with out about one hundred and fifty crows for five minutes, or so. It snowed today the way it does up here--on and off and on again. It really isn't too impressive until you drive through a snow squall as the sun shines and the flakes of snow fall magically as they do in digital movies. I have not yet found a way to capture it upon my compact flash card. And somehow this photo fails to translate how freakin' cold the wind is. This scene is of the Mast General Store Annex's backside from the perspective of the Valle Crucis Park, just so you know.

Now, for my family news...
By the time most of you read this, Harley will be under the knife. Yep, at 8 a.m. on Friday she will have her torn ACL kinda sorta tethered back into place. She was injured about 3 weeks ago while we were on a walk. Frankly, it has been pitiful to see her limp through the days. But you know Harley, she smiles through the worse of times--bless her heart. I didn't say anything about it here because we were given many, many options--some which were more expensive than say, sending my eldest to Appalachian State University for an entire year and I needed to think and be a grown-up and decide all by myself the right course of action. I am confident in her doctor and the procedure she will have and of course I will take a photo of Harley smiling afterward. She is such a good dog--the best dog ever...

Back in the saddle...

This is one of the views from the saddle between Rich Mountain and Howard Knob. The other view overlooking Boone, North Carolina is obstructed by trees. I prefer looking north towards the amphibolite Mountains. Taking this photo produced Marie's little conundrum of the day:
As I passed Howard Knob I saw a sign posted which said that the park, 'Howard's Knob' is closed for the season. For as long as I have lived in the area, everyone I have ever spoken to refers to the mountain which overlooks the town of Boone as 'Howard's Knob.'  But most maps of USGS origin clearly refer to the mountain as Howard Knob. A simple google search for the name shows the colloquial  term, 'Howard's Knob,' reigns in the hearts and minds of the people. Heck, even the Wiki uses the possesive as if the knob personally belonged to British loyalist Benjamin Howard.
So, who is right?
And who is to say who is right?
Just thinking out loud....

**update**

After I initially posted this I went back and took a photo of the direction sign the county put up to the park.

And just for giggles...check out this Girls Gone Wild video of our own congresswoman Virginia Foxx mugging for face time with the Prez last night (btw, she's the one behind the first groper). Can't say I'd blame her. The only thing that would have been funnier is if she had given us a big 'ol  Shaka Bra signal. Now, that would have been cool. Thanx Robbie Rob for entertaining me...

"You better be good to me..."

...I said to myself not so long ago. Which is why I'm eating healthier than I ever have in my life and why I'm running, spinning, lifting weights in most a generous fashion. I'm feeling the difference. I'm sleeping through the night. I'm not hungry much and I feel stronger. My general aches and pains have all but vanished (except of course, after a heavy weight lifting session).  I'm not bragging. Really, I'm not. And note, I haven't lost one damn ounce despite a reduction in food and alcohol intake. But, I just wanted to share that a drastic change in my diet--one which doesn't include processed foods or high fructose corn syrup, combined with an increase in exercise, has made a huge difference in how I feel.

I swear I don't even miss M&M's. I'm not even tempted...

Now onto the goats, because lord knows you are probably more interested in them:
May I have the pleasure of introducing you to Minerva, Maria and Magenta. They are Scott's pets he rescued from the New River Zoo when it was shut down. When I was talking to Scott about them today he began to mope.
"I'm feeling left out. As soon as I posted them on my blog, that's all anyone wants to talk about. No one cares about me or my books anymore," he said. Poor Scott. It's a tough life when you feel overshadowed by a goat.

Oh and, I completely blew out the highlights on the top shot of Maria, the baby Nubian goat, but her face was so dang cute I just had to tweak it a bit in Photoshop. And for the record, she let me play with her for a long while today. We even snuggled...

***Update*** I called a spoke with the owner. He said the New River Zoo will re-open in March. The story about why is was closed is posted Here I'm not sure if Scott has permanently adopted the goats which he claims are part Boer and part Nubian, or if he is just fostering them.

Today on top of Grandfather Mountain....

My face may be wind-burned and my legs are weary, but to quote the late James Brown, "I feel good."
Such is a winter day in the High Country.
I did go snowshoeing on Sugar Mountain this afternoon which is basically climbing up the ski slopes and using cut through trails. It was a short trip and not nearly as tough as I wanted it to be, but I learned I value a good pair of cleats on the snow/ice. Next time I have a ski/snowboarding gig I will ask for a pair of snowshoes instead of using skis. And, it is really a hoot to run down a mountain. Cleats the size of bear claws are good things.
Afterward I visited Grandfather Mountain. I had hoped to catch some rime ice photos, but the photogenic trails were closed. I'm glad they were because man, it was some kinda cold up there. This photo (above) looking southeast was not easy to take. The wind was relentless as it sliced through my body.  I used my Jeep as a windshield. I realize the horizon is off-kilter in the photo, but really, this was not ideal conditions to be shooting in (winds gusting 45-60 mph) and I was lucky to get anything. I used my 300mm lens with a 1.4 teleconverter. Oh and, I was able to see the Charlotte skyline about 100 miles away. Again, it isn't a great shot and certainly is not as good as Hugh Morton's posted here but still, it was cool to know the sky was clear enough to see (not with the naked eye) the big city. I wish I had a polarizer filter to fit my 300mm lens, some extension tubes and morning light. Sigh. It is a live and learn photographer's life....

And Google this. Google comes to Lenoir. Will there be a brain-drain from Watauga County?

Found Treasure

Oh my. I have so much to do and then I stumble upon the Music: Digital Library of Appalachia  chocked full of mp3s.

DLA music entries are derived from non-commercial sound recordings that document much of Appalachian music's geographic, ethnic, vocal, and instrumental diversity. The several thousand presently available provide an unprecedented resource for study of repertoire, technique, lore, and the musical interchanges among the region's traditional musicians, many of who are no longer living.

There is some mighty digital goodness to listen to if'n ya like the genre. Hat tip to Codewolf .

My little sugar shack...

I love this place. I don't know if I like the house trailer and barn so much as the pretty little yellow mailbox resting out front. I took this photo yesterday as I rambled about Banner Elk. It has a beautiful view of Sugar Mountain Ski Slope. Speaking of Sugar Mountain. I am so going snowshoeing there on Saturday. Never been and can't wait.