Blue Ridge blog

Spring Posers...

So there I lay upon the ground in a yard on Grand Boulevard, taking photos of an adorable crocus, when all the sudden some old lady came up to me and jumped across me.... but that boring story is for another day. I grabbed this shot. This was my youngest's favorite as well as mine. I used the gold side of a Photoflex reflector to bounce sunlight back onto the grass and flowers to warm things up a bit. My lens was a Nikon 105 micro on manual focus--what a stud lens it has proven to be over the years...it is one of my photo loves. Warning to flower photogs, you just don't look right doing this. If you don't believe me, just ask the old lady I encountered...

On other fronts: Spring really promised her stuff today. Reveling in her 70 degree glory, my husband and I took a few moments to make the deck sit-able. Mr. Man and Harley climbed up the stairs to beg our attention, like toddlers, interupting our adult conversation. On the far end of the deck eldest practiced her cello (Stravinsky's 'Firebird'), and youngest practiced knitting & perling--all whilst in the open air. We know snow is in the forecast, but we are all spring posers, just like the daffodils, snowdrops and crocus.

Junk Yard Dog...

Harley is a fierce protector of our hillbilly junkyard. Wondering about our woods this afternoon I admired the moss and rust patina growing on the old cadillac. My husband has been saving this beloved jalopy to turn it into his own form of art. Seems like nature is beating him to it.

Hippie Hill in Boone, North Carolina

A sure sign Spring is in the air is the site of students gathering on the lawn of Hippie Hill. Yesterday, there was a pleasant little group chilling out, playing hackey sack and watching traffic flow on King Street. Cake was blasting on the boombox. I stopped and visited the students. I told them I too had lived in the Rock House on Hippie Hill back in the mid-80's. It was just me, a bunch of nice kids who I didn't really know so well, and the biggest rats in town. I immensely enjoyed the communal-like experience then...especially because there was always someone around, hanging out. The music of choice in my day was the Grateful Dead and someone always had a spare beer to share.
It was kinda neat to spend a few minutes remembering my King Street/Hippie Hill days. And, after talking with the students, I found that little had changed. The kids assured me that even the rats still like to linger in the area.

Skateboarding in Harris Teeter parking lot...

I had just loaded the diet doggie food into the back of my Jeep when I noticed two cars, filled with laughing teenagers, in the parking lot of Harris Teeter. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a streak on wheels pass. Upon further investigative reporting, (ummm, nosey-ness) I was delighted to see it was my friend, A.G., home from college on spring break. Over a handful of almonds we had a meaningful conversation. She imparted a year's worth of learned freshman college info along with some helpful insight into choosing colleges. I have watched A.G. grow through the years from soccer fool, budding actress, percussionist, rabid ASU fan to the bubbly young lady she is today. Anyway, I made her do more tricks through the parking lot while I took photos. She's a good sport. Her other friends laughed. That's A.G., always doing something and making those around her happy, including me....

Who?

I have enough confidence in your intelligence to know you can figure out I painted over the nice lady's face in this image. I did it because I don't exactly have her permission to put this photo on my blog. In fact, she didn't want me to run it elsewhere because she thought you might conclude by looking at this image that it is a dandy idea to copy her.
So I'm hear to inform the one of you who may happen upon an injured owl and think,
"Hey, I saw a nice lady on Marie's blog who drives around all the time with an owl so it must be a smart and safe way to transport this wild animal,"
DON"T DO IT.
Leave it to the professionals owl rescuers. The owl in this photo is a rescued owl used to educate folks about wise ways of the predator.
Anyway, I liked this image enough to risk putting it out here.
..and if I were you, I'd heed this owl's warning...

A High School Sunset

I was waiting in the car, warming my frozen fingers against the blowing heater, when I saw the prettiest yellow sky in my rear view mirror. Instantly, the sky was mine. I hoisted my 300mm faulty lens out of my Jeep and attached it, along with the monopod, to the D70. I set up right in the middle of the school's pickup lane and shot the colors. I dodged with my camera, not only electrical lines, but also ram-headed teenage boys in their pick-up trucks who were not amused at the site of a middle aged woman smack dab in the center of their parking lot. Too bad for them...this time. I got my shot then moved on to the soccer game.
This photo is nearly 100% raw. I didn't even get rid of the spots. Why? Because I'm feeling particularly lazy ce soir. That's why. Just so you know, I metered the yellow and then the portion just above the yellow, then added a stop in hopes of making the colors true. It worked....

Country Dog....

Warning. This is a lazy post--it is almost as slack as this dog who has been religiously sunning herself in front of the backhoe.
But I am gonna try to get out and take photos of something somewhere for you.....I just can't promise there will be many words attached.

Hillbilly Goats...

Dang. Seems like this blog is on Cuteoverload steroids. But seriously, who could pass up the chance to shoot playful little goats? Found 'em in Foscoe just a hoppin' along from rock to rock. These are real deal hillbilly goats ;)
Now 'scuse me while I go read this newly found Epicurious/Bon Appetit editor's blog . Mmmm Raclette and cornichons . Mmmm Calvados and Elderflower liqueur  . Mmmmm  Jesus Juice?

A cloudy day...

OK. Hitting Photoshop's Auto Level button makes this image much more ominous than it was in reality. The real photo is much more flat and grey--still cool looking though not nearly as contrasty between highlights and shadows. I'm not sure what kind of clouds these are, they could be Mammatus clouds but I'm no expert. As I came to work this morning I could barely keep my eyes on the road for watching the swirly textured skies above...
It is raining now and forecasters are predicting that it will be a good day for ducks.

Here ya go, Jo! This is the original photo un-Photoshopped.

****Update****
Chuck sent me this email. He is both a photographer and a pilot nearby in Tennessee so knows a bit more about clouds than me. He says:

What you have on the "Cloudy Day" posting are probably Kelvin-Hemholtz wave clouds that
are more or less embedded in an overcast. They look different from
the better known lenticular clouds that look like a stack of
saucers. Wave clouds are one of the prizes you get for living in the
mountains. I don't think these are a mammatus formation.

The picture looks just a bit like an Abraham's Tree formation, but
probably is not. I really think it is a Kelvin_Hemholtz
formation. Here is a Link to the only picture I have been able to find of this truly odd formation on the Internet
Thanks for the info, Chuck.