Blue Ridge blog

Complementary Colors...

SUMMER is here with obvious signs. First, this morning instead of heading straight to work, I veered in the direction of Grandfather Mountain to see if the Catawbas were in bloom. Yup. Check that one off my list. I only had 5 minutes to smell the green and grab this shot but it was 5 minutes of goodness.
Then there was work.
But after work I went for a long run 'round Bass Lake and The Maze. Though it was hot, the shade of the trail convinced me to run the whole dang thing. I only saw 3 people in 4 miles. Sweet ratio.
Later at home I had to call my youngest when dinner was almost ready to see if she could possibly grace us with her presence. "I'm on my way home from the Snake Pit and Trash Can Falls. I'll be home soon. Are you mad?" she asked.
"No, just jealous," I said.
And shortly she did return home with fantastic summer time stories to tell.
Her advise to others: "Flip flops and those local hotspots don't mix," she learned.
And here's another photo taken near the Split Rock on Grandfather Mountain.

Just another married couple...

Nope. This isn't a representational photo of my husband and me. Rather, we are basking in the glory of not only having raised a bona fide high school graduate, but also having a house reclaimed from beloved, but 'glad they're gone' family.
These are just some old birds hashing out their own little issues at Valle Crucis Park today.
I'm tired. I don't remember the process of my graduation from high school in 1981 lasting for two whole weeks. Like every thing these days, I believe it is a bit overdone. Not to belittle the accomplishments of my kids or yours, but sheesh, must we clap at every mediocre act they do? For me, it only makes failure seem almost average.
I'm just sayin'....and I'm tired.

May your life be topped with colored sprinkles....

Give a 4 year old child (in this case my niece) a Blue Moon ice cream cone with sprinkles from Kilwins in Blowing Rock and get a smile. According to my eldest, 'Blue Moon' tastes like cake icing. Never mind the sticky sugar fallout destined to happen later, 'cause that's what parents are for. We call it round here the 'Sprinkle showdown' when the youngins thrash their sugared-up legs in the bed protest. Oh how I've easily forgotten those days...
May my eldest daughter's high school graduation on Monday be as sweet as eating a Blue Moon ice cream cone topped with colorful sprinkles. Come to think of it, her Watauga High School cap and gown are the same shade of blue.

Give and Take...

My husband commented that my eldest's boyfriend must like her a little if he would wake up and run a 5K with her.
"A cute girl will surely make a boy be stupid," he said.
Later in the evening the boyfriend escorted her to their Senior Prom. It was a long evening for them as they danced, shared dessert with friends and stayed up most of the night (chaperoned) by a dear friend at her home. It is rare for my eldest to sacrifice slumbertime so today she resembled a zombie.
Sometimes a cute boy will make a gal miss her beauty sleep, I say.

Playing Dress-up...

Shopping for Harley is so much easier than shopping for me. I have a new haircut and so does Harley, but her pink boa is so much better than anything I could conjure up for graduation festivities. Maybe Ill just send her in my place....or borrow her glasses;)

On being invisible...

So they would know I was there, I made sure to talk to these cows in Vilas, NC today as I climbed over a fence and walked along their path to take this photo. These cows have the very best view of the Blue Ridge Mountains ever. I may post a photo or two later...

But I have to tell you this:
I am awkward socially but less so when I have my trusty Nikon nearby. It appears having my magic camera necklace hanging around my neck provides me with the powers to be seen by others.

And I can prove this.

Last night at a senior recognition ceremony, I decided to be a mother instead of a photographer and attended the event without my Nikon. There were a few scattered seats available. We asked for a seat at a table near two ladies who were so involved in conversation they didn't even look at us.
My husband and I sat down anyway and enjoyed our own company.
Then across the room a familiar face saw me. She waved her arms in a 'you-hoo' kind of way and pointed to the empty seat beside me.
I nodded for her to please take a seat.
All the sudden she stopped and frowned. Clearly she was distressed.
"Where's your camera?" she asked.
"I decided to leave it at home," I lied. (it was in the car)
She shooed her hand at me and denied the seat beside me saying,
"Shucks. I always rely on you to supply me photos of my kids. Now I suppose I'll have to look for someone else."
And poof she was gone.
As far as I know the lack of my camera provided me the protection like that of Harry Potter and his Invisibility Cloak and she didn't see me the rest of the evening.

I'm happy with that. In my opinion it is far better to be an invisible person than to be a transparent bitch.

Please note: If you read my blog, I'm not talking about you. I enjoy making images of you and your children. I may be invisible, but I still recognize sincerity when I see it. The 'she' doesn't read my blog.

It is all about Them...

WARNING: This post is all about them. My girls. So feel free to click on by, as if I could stop you.

Every evening since last Tuesday my backside has been planted in some chair, in some crowded venue as I watched them do something, be somebody, be recognized for something or other. And there is more yet to come... I'm not complaining, just a wee weary.
Eldest has only two more days of school. Prom is Saturday. Graduation ceremony is on Monday. For anyone who doesn't understand what the final days of school for seniors are like I can generally sum it up as it must be like herding cats.
My daughter is sick of rules imposed by silly adults and prefers to do as she pleases. The restraint is killing her as she wants nothing more than to be set free.
"I just don't understand the reason behind much of the administration's graduation policies," said my daughter as we found a rare moment to sit together at the kitchen table.
My husband and I assured her that even in adulthood, one must still fight ill conceived legislation.
"Just look at congress," my husband pointed out.

My youngest is dancing through her junior year of high school-both literally and figuratively. We haven't seen her crack a book since the end of AP testing. Still, she made it into the National Honor Society and I admit getting teary-eyed watching her beautiful self dance on stage in the role of the 'Autumn Fairy' in the Cinderella ballet. Up next for her? Finding a summer J.O.B.

I took many family photos over the past several days, but this is one of my favorites of my youngest on stage. Check out that tu-tu sewn by her talented dance instructor!

Unattended

Life was full the past several days and I completely neglected my blog. I sit here trying to find which of my thoughts to share but my brain feels weedy--sort of like this iris struggling to grow through the grass in Valle Crucis park. I beg your forgiveness and understanding and will post more later. Gonna go now, wake up my youngest ballerina and pack her lunch with the newest family fun, Chocolate Pop Rocks. I know. I'm mom of the year, right?

Eco-magination

Rain fell this evening. I made sure to leave the Jeep out so it could get washed. Harley volunteered to shower as well. As my husband played with his new George Foreman grill, I took photos of the wispy clouds crossing the valley. The sun danced through clouds. This image is real except it is a only how I recall the view from my deck this evening. My 'eco-magination,' if you will. The photo was produced using a graduated neutral density filter. I then imported the image into Photomatix to be tone-mapped via my eyeballs. I think the intensity is a bit more than on the original image, but in real life there were much more tonal depth that only the naked eye was able to pick up. You should've been here with me to witness this. It was extraordinary.

Thunder Ridge Overlook

This is one of the views you will get traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway from Aho Gap to Blowing Rock, North Carolina. It is taken from the Thunder Ridge Overlook. Today, I hope to use my precious gas allowance venturing up to Grandfather Mountain. Time to see what's growing nearly a mile in the sky...

OK. Help. Blogger hates me. For the past couple of weeks I have been unable to post comments on Blogspot blogs despite numerous attempts. The Blogs of Mark, Melissa, and Magazine Man and many others simply will not take my Blogger id and password. Additionally, it will not allow me to comment anonymously. I signed up for a new Blogger i.d. the night before last and it worked one time on Mark's blog. But now, I get the same password rejection. Anybody else have this issue?
**Update**
I am able to comment again on Blogger. The whole problem was all me. Apparently I am a moron and don't read instructions.