If you’ve seen some of my posts, you will know that I love my ride to work. I travel on 3 short but pretty roads. The first thing that caught my eye this morning was the sun’s reflection on the frost of this cedar tree.
There was something about that bare tree,
the questioning looks as I darted back and forth outside the fence line,
and the sunlight shining through the hair on their backs.
What a lovely, lovely way to transition from home to work.
While celebrating the 50th Birthday of two dear friends, I had the very good fortune to spend time at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary (near Raleigh) North Carolina. While not an overnight guest, I had the opportunity to enjoy the natural landscape, a delicious brunch and to realize the peace, serenity and absolute luxury that guests enjoy.
According to Our State: North Carolina Magazine, the Umstead was built on land that used to be part of the William B. Umstead State Park. “The hotel is a reflection of the surrounding serenity with a limestone exterior that rises up from naturally landscaped earth. Off the terrace, a shaded boardwalk invites visitors to linger around a pond fringed with blue flag iris and a grove of young cypress. Inside, sleek wood paneling, stone floors, and walls of windows pull nature indoors” (http://www.ourstate.com/brilliant-oasis-the-umstead/).
The Umstead also boasts an extensive art collection. I wandered the interior of the hotel, stopping time and time again to enjoy the paintings, sculptures and photographs, all a reflection of the natural world. I had not thought of writing about the experience from the perspective of art (hey – I was here for a party!), but I wish I’d taken more time with the camera. As I stopped to photograph some of the pieces, I thought about how I don’t know much about art but I do know what catches my eye.
The flower arrangements were stunning!
And even the presentation of the table and food were beautiful to see.
A stroll along the walking paths took us through the trees and alongside a pond. The hotel boasts it’s sustainability and I loved that over 50% of the food products for Herons, the in hotel restaurant, and over 30% of the food products for the entire property come from local North Carolina purveyors (http://www.theumstead.com/ourHotel/sustainability-en.html). We watched as one of the chefs selected herbs for the days meals.
What an absolute treat it was to spend a few hours at The Umstead. I kept joking with my friends that I understood why people wanted to be rich … I would have loved to spend a few days, rather than just a few hours, here.
Even the trees put on a show for us.
It truly is a wonder that I get to work on time … but I do … really! As I drive the short route to work each morning, I often have to force myself to keep the truck moving toward the office.
As one who loves all seasons and most types of weather, I thought the morning was wonderfully cold at 29 degrees. The little bit of sun that was shining through caused the frost on the leaves to sparkle. I pulled over and ran along the side of the road (in my skirt and heels) snapping a few pictures. The girls in the field were curious as to what I was up to, and followed my movements.
It was lovely to connect with the out of doors before getting back in the truck, finishing the ride to work and spending the day closed up inside a building.
The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail.
An idea that started in 2003, the 300 mile route now includes ten counties, three cities, ten towns, five regional planning districts, four state agencies, two tourism organizations, and a large number of music venues. http://thecrookedroad.org/
The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum is a major venue along The Crooked Road and hosts the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival.
The Blue Ridge Folklife Festival has been an annual event for almost 40 years and is held on the campus of Ferrum College every fall http://www.blueridgefolklifefestival.org/. For various reasons, even though I have lived in the Appalachian Region for over 15 years, I was a first timer this year.
The Appalachian Region, as defined in ARC’s authorizing legislation, is a 205,000-square-mile region that follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi. Forty two percent of the area is rural, compared with twenty percent of the national population http://www.arc.gov/appalachian_region/TheAppalachianRegion.asp.
The folks who have long lived in Southwest Virginia are used to hearing the assumptions, misconceptions and distortions of life in Appalachia. Geographic isolation from more populated areas and poverty have led to the persistence of some of the stereotypes. Despite progress, Appalachia still does not enjoy the same economic vitality as the rest of the nation. According to the Appalachian Regional Commission, the region still battles economic distress, with concentrated areas of poverty, unemployment, poor access to healthcare, and educational disparities. But oh the beauty …
The region is rich in heritage and tradition and the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival celebrates it. Coordinated by The Blue Ridge Institute & Museum, “the festival features artisans, foods, and activities not found at typical craft shows, fairs, and festivals” http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/index.htm.
I encourage you to check out the links in this blog to learn more about the heritage, music and beauty of the region and if you’ve never visited this neck of the woods, I encourage you to do so. I think you’ll like what you see! http://www.visitappalachia.com/
It was quite the rainy morning, forcing me to change my plan to ride the bike. Of course, the rain was gone only twenty minutes down the road, and I did not see a drop the rest of the day.
Shooting Creek Road, which runs through the counties of Floyd and Franklin in Virginia,would have been a blast to ride on the bike! The road twists down through the mountain, crosses over the creek a few times, and not surprisingly, I found myself stopping frequently to take pictures (most of the previous pictures were taken along Shooting Creek Road).
By the time I got there, the grounds of Ferrum College and the Ferrum 1800 living history farm museum on both sides of State Route 40, were filled with spectators and participants – musicians, moonshiners, craftspeople, cooks, motorheads, mule jumpers, horse pullers, coon dog racers, antique tractor buffs, and old-time gamers.
There was so much to see and even though I stayed for more than 5 hours, I somehow missed the Mule Jumping (but did get to see the Sheep Herding). I wandered through the antique engine and tractor area,
watched molasses, apple butter and moonshine being made,
yarn was dyed using natural ingredients,
cornmeal was ground,
and crafters were hard at work.
Children played while musicians prepared to perform.
Judging by the crowds, some of the most popular events are those that include the Coon Dogs. I couldn’t get near enough to watch the dogs “treeing” the ‘coon, but I was able to photograph them as they waited their turn.
It was standing room only around the lake as folks prepared to watch the coon dog races. The dogs are enticed by the smell of the racoon and when the doors are opened, the dogs leap into the water and give chase.
Quite exciting!
Music is a big part of the Folklife Festival and features Bluegrass, Old Time, Gospel and Rockabilly performances on 3 different stages. One of the main reasons that I came to the festival was to hear my friends perform as the Dr. Pepper All Stars. Their show is a re-creation of a portion of a 1940s radio show featuring Roy Hall and the Blue Ridge Entertainers. The radio band played popular hillbilly tunes of the day and host “Cousin Irving” Sharp promoted Dr Pepper like it was snake oil. The Dr. Pepper All Stars also perform as The Java Brothers and gather with others at the Monday night Fiddle Jam at Radford’s River City Grill, an affiliated partner of The Crooked Road.
My friend, Ralph Berrier, Jr, in addition to heading up the Dr. Pepper All Stars, has written a book about Clayton and Saford Hall, his grandfather and great uncle. If Trouble Don’t Kill Me tells the story of a “vanishing yet exalted southern culture, and shares the devastating consequences of war, allowing the reader to experience the mountain voices that not only influenced the history of music but that also shaped the landscape of America”. The book is sold at various venues along The Crooked Road and is available for purchase on line as well (If Trouble Don’t Kill Me: A Family’s Story of Brotherhood, War and Bluegrass, 2010, http://www.amazon.com/Trouble-Dont-Kill-Brotherhood-Bluegrass/dp/0307463060).
It was a full, fun day in Ferrum and even though I could have taken a quicker and much straighter route home, I chose to wind my way back up the mountain, enjoying the colors of fall and the beauty of this beautiful region that I call home.
I have loved seeing this begonia continue to bloom well into fall … bright colors that surely fit into the oranges, reds and yellows of the changing leaves.
The blue, while not a fall color, is a lovely contrast against the brown leaves.
The afternoon sun brightens the yellow leaves that have fallen into the juniper.
Southwest Virginia … home of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a part of the larger Appalachian mountain range, and also of the New River, considered to be the oldest river on the North American continent. My current home in the City of Radford (http://www.radford.va.us/) is located in the New River Valley.
On any given day, I travel down roads that, especially during this time of year, are arguably some of the prettiest around.
In the summer, my friends and I kayak along this stretch of the New. During this time of year, I scramble down the river bank to shoot the old train trestle against the backdrop of the evening light and the changing leaves.
While visiting friends to drop off fresh baked bread or cookies, I’m rewarded by the beauty that I see outside their homes.
The ride to work takes longer than it should during the fall as I stop multiple times to capture the scenery. The first picture was taken from my office parking lot, while the next is the view over the houses near Radford University (http://www.radford.edu/).
The taste of a microbrew at The River Company (http://www.therivercompanyrestaurant.com/) across the New River is even better when this is what I see from the deck.
This gorgeous oak stops me on my way down to Main Street …
… while this is the view that greets me as I drive home from work in the evening.
Sure, there are things that I miss by living in the rural part of Virginia (restaurant diversity for example), but views like this one taken from Attimo Winery (http://www.attimowinery.com/) sure help to make up for it!
My camera and I are bound at the hip. I often stop when driving to and from work to photograph something. Sites that others may think of as mundane, to me are beautiful. My friends and family are patient with the vast number of pictures they receive from me … and they are never surprised to hear me say (during the middle of a phone conversation) “I’m out of the truck taking a picture”.
All photographers, including amateurs like me, know about light. Morning, evening … it’s all about light. But I am also intensely attracted to the shadows that objects and light create.
Whether it be the shadows of trees on the wall of the carport as I get into my truck on a lovely fall morning,
Or the view of a street sign as I pay my bill at the dental office,
and afterwards, while driving down Main Street.
The morning sun streaming through my lovely screened in porch creates wonderful shadows …
as it does for the wall near my kitchen door,
and the outside wall of a friend’s office.
Whether practicing my macro shooting …
or preparing to walk into my office each day …
the merge of light and shadow brings me joy.
Life is full of constant change …
moving from one season to the next
and with it, the passing on of wisdom from a long time caregiver to those who will carry on.
The beauty and the bittersweet are captured here.
I am always surprised when someone tells me that they don’t like fall.
The fresh air, the cooler temps, the energy … but mostly the colors!
I want to take my camera with me everywhere I go. And when I do leave it at home, I regret it. The beauty of fall surrounds us at all times of the day.
Morning sun…
Mid-morning Color …
Late afternoon light …
Evening Sunset …
Don’t mourn the passing of summer and end up missing all that is fall!!
Let yourself enjoy!!
Soothing, cooling, lovely …. rain needs no improvement.
My photography? Still a work in progress … but I have to say, i was pretty excited with how these pictures turned out.
The first 4 were taken at the cabin in Floyd County. The second 4 were taken from my front porch.
Life on the Bike and other Fab Things 