Blue Ridge blog

The blissful goats of Bethel

I was fortunate to be out and about in the Bethel community yesterday. Bethel is one of those tucked away gems that every time I have a reason to visit, I am grateful for the opportunity. I saw all sorts of photogenic eye candy, but it was these goats that retained my attention. I parked my Jeep, engaged the emergency brake for the steep incline and jumped over the electric fence so I could point my Nikon at the nubians. I used the 50mm lens wide open at f1.8 because I was in a bokeh sort of mood. These goats were pleasant posers.

Here's another:

 

And one more:

 

Here's your Christmas Goat...

I was out shooting Choose and Cut Christmas trees on Sunday and happened upon a very pregnant goat munching its way through the tree paths.

If you want to get a fresh Christmas tree for you family come up here and visit one of the many growers in Watauga County. It is good fun to pick out your tree while sipping hot chocolate and cider. And then, you never know what you might run in to.

If you want to give a fresh goat to someone for Christmas,you may consider visiting the Heifer International site. It'll make you feel all good inside without having to worry about all those goat droppings...

**Update**
There was a horrific crash in Watauga County on Friday night that took the life of Drew Newell, 22, of Boone. His father Brian is in serious condition in Johnson City.
A Blog has been set up which posts most of the media reports on this incident and tracks Brian's progress. Further updates, as they are confirmed, are also found on the Watauga Democrat website. This is a beloved family and our community is hurting and trying to wrap our brains around this senseless tragedy.

The Newell Report link works for me, but if it doesn't work for you, the URL is:
http://www.newellreport.blogspot.com

Portrait of a hillbilly weedeater...

Meet Jackson, a nine week old pygmie goat. I showed this photo to my husband and he asked me why I didn't bring Jackson home with me. I'm a-thinking we've just decided having a goat is better than having another kid...

A cheeky goat...

Is this goat smiling at me? Yes, I do believe she is. Why? Probably because she wants me to feed her more potato chips. I found these new pets trolling around the Dutch Creek Trail farm yesterday. KW, owner of the farm, gave me a small bag of chips to see if I could convince the girls to follow me for a photo shoot. It mostly worked. I'm posting this shot because perhaps sharing a goat smile with y'all will pass along her sweet karma.