For this week’s post on Monochromia, I wanted to show sunlight … it seems as if we haven’t seen alot of that this summer.
It truly was a beautiful evening.
Have you visited Monochromia yet? Please do so soon and check out the work of photographers from around the world!
The 8th Annual Layne Creed Memorial Ride was held this past Saturday in Mt. Airy, North Carolina.
(photo credits Layne Creed Memorial Ride)
You may remember that I wrote about this ride in 2012. Check out this link to learn about Layne Creed, his family, and the reason behind the ride. Over the years, the Memorial Ride has raised well over $55,000 for local EMS, the Surry Community College, and the Children’s Center of Surry, which is where all of this year’s proceeds will go. In honor and memory of Layne Creed, this memorial ride has become a favorite of North Carolina and Virginia bikers, and has done incredible things for the community that Layne called home.
Each year a group of friends rides down from Virginia, and this year we were geared up for rain.
As always, the Poker Run starts at 13 Bones in Mt Airy, NC, a local restaurant known as much for their charitable donations as they are their good food. A poker run is an organized event where motorcycles (or boats, cars, bicycles) and their riders visit five checkpoints, drawing a card at each one. The one with the best poker hand at the end is the winner … although really, it is the children that are the winners.
A new checkpoint in the ride this year was Round Peak Vineyards.
As is obvious from the photos, the clouds threatened rain all day long.
Luck was with us though and we rode on dry roads.
The donations are still coming in, but the last I heard, around $7000 was raised. An incredible amount of time and energy is put into the ride each year, but the Creed family gladly does it to benefit the children of Surry and Yadkin Counties …
(photo credit Velvet Creed Leonard)
… and in honor of their loved one, Layne Creed.
You can visit the Layne Creed Memorial Ride on Facebook and see lots of photos of bikes, riders, and fun!
Even though I was balancing my camera, a plate of Stilton Cheese with Lemon Zest, and most importantly, the first Lemon Tart I’d ever made, I was distracted by this bright yellow flower growing out of the sidewalk. So, you know I just had to put everything down and shoot.
After all, yellow was definitely the theme of the evening.
The image of this intriguing old stump is my contribution to Monochromia this week. Pop on over if you get a chance and if you didn’t know it already, you’ll learn that I’m a tree hugger (like you didn’t know that already 🙂 ). As Joe always says, if you love B&W images, you need to check out Monochromia.
The women rush through the kitchen door, hands burdened with bags of food from a quick run to the store, and faces burdened with the cares and worries of the day. Each one feels sure she is the only overwhelmed one in the group, but very quickly realizes that she is not alone.
The house is cluttered with the detritis of the week … piles of mail on the table, various pairs of shoes scattered about on the floor, books perched on every surface … but the porch chairs have been brushed clear and the table tops are clean.
The food is quickly laid out on the table,
flowers placed in a vase,
and the candles are lit.
The talk that initially bursts forth after being surpressed all day eventually calms, and the women begin to relax, surrounded by friends who know and understand.
The porch offers a welcome respite from the world, even if temporary.
And we breathe …
The meet time for the ride: 10:45. The destination: Paint Bank, a small community in northern Craig County, Virginia.
The train depot dates back to 1909, when Paint Bank was the final stop of the Potts Valley Branch line of the Norfolk & Western Railway, which was expanded during the mining boom of the early 1900’s.
The lodge features a master suite, and 4 guest rooms each with private bath, and a gas fireplace.
The caboose has been renovated into a queen bedroom, complete with it’s own bath.
The Depot and the other buildings in Paint Bank have been beautifully renovated and visitors can shop in the General Store, eat in the Swinging Bridge Restaurant (which really does have a swinging bridge inside it), and explore the water powered Grist Mill.
I’ve ridden to Paint Bank several times through the years and it’s a great place for a stop along the way. Someday I’ll have to stay the night!
It was a misty ride back over the mountains towards home, but despite the dark storm clouds only a few of the 160 miles we rode were truly rainy. Another fun ride in the books.
And oh yes!
The best sign I saw along the road today was in front of a church: “Noah should have slapped those 2 mosquitos”
🙂
This barn sits alongside the dirt road on the way to my friend Cherie’s house.
Many times I’ve photographed it; many times I’ve been unsatisfied with the result. This day, however, it seemed just about right.
I’d love you to check out today’s post on Monochromia to see the B&W version and let me know what you think.
The calendar says Sept 4th,
3 days after Labor Day,
the traditional “end of summer”.
In my garden though, summer is still here!
Each morning, I get to enjoy seeing the flowers that still grace the space outside my kitchen door.
And thankfully, my basil is still growing beautifully!
It’s been awhile since I’ve attempted some macro shooting (even though I don’t have a macro lens) and I decided I needed practice. You, my dear blogger friends, are my guinea pigs. As fall approaches, I’ll definitely be practicing more!
In the meantime, I want to thank you for inspiring me with your craft, whatever it may be; for making me laugh; for causing me to sigh with both happiness and in thought, and for being here on WordPress with me!
The Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) is a 469 mile drive that connects the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, and I’ve ridden every one of those miles on the bike. In fact, I took my first solo ride on the BRP, celebrating my 50th Birthday, 4 years, and 2 cameras, ago. You can read about that ride here and here if you’d like.
Even though I’ve ridden on the BRP many times, I still see something new with each visit.
Yesterday’s 230 mile ride, part of which was on the BRP, included a stop at Thunder Ridge, at Milepost 75.
A very short hike reveals a view of the Allegheny Mountains and Arnold’s Valley, elevation 3485 ft.
The view made me think of a blanket made of mountains.
We stood there admiring this incredible view, feeling the sun on our faces while the wind blew with gusto, and then took the trail back to the bikes.
What an incredible gift it is to live right near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
“Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2010, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a product of the New Deal’s efforts to provide jobs to the unemployed of the Great Depression. Construction began in September 1935 at Cumberland Knob near the North Carolina and Virginia state line.
The idea was to create a link between the Shenandoah National Park to the edge of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Completed in 1983, the Parkway’s history has been highlighted by documentarian Ken Burns in the six-part “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” series originally aired on PBS”.
Have you visited Monochromia yet? If you haven’t and you like B&W Photography, you really should 🙂
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I Swear…..
I’d just returned home from my trip to Kentucky, and had spent the previous 3 hours riding in the rain. The light, and the shadows, and the raindrops on the windshield, stopped me in my (very wet, dripping )tracks. My bike was dripping, too, but it had brought me home safely and that, my friends, is all that really matters.
Come on over to Life on the Bike and Other Fab Things to see more images from my adventures on, and off, the bike. Please check out the blogs of my fellow contributors to Monochromia, too!
Life on the Bike and other Fab Things 