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The Boars Head Inn

The Boars Head Inn in Charlottesville, VA, an historic hotel in the Blue Ridge Mountains, sits on the site of Terrell’s Ordinary, a modest inn where, during the 1700s, westward travelers stayed the night (these comments, and some of the next are taken from the Boars Head website).

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By the 1960s, the Ordinary was but a memory and in its place was the quintessential Virginia Inn.

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The heart of The Boar’s Head was built from the timbers of an abandoned gristmill along the banks of the Hardware River, which dated back to 1834.

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I’m lucky enough to attend a quarterly Board Meeting for my Nurse Practitioner organization at the Boars Head, but this time, I met my parents and one of my sisters and stayed as an overnight guest as well.

Situated on over 570 acres, the Inn features beautifully renovated rooms, afternoon canapes in the tea room, and five course dining in the Old Mill Room (which showcases beams from that 150 year old grist mill).

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We were still experiencing frigid temps while there, yet the geese on the frozen pond seemed to have adapted pretty well.

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The sunrise reflecting off yet another frozen pond was an incredible way to start the day.  I’m not sure when I’ve seen colors like this.

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I spent several hours learning the new camera yesterday, but that was after my time at the Boars Head Inn.  I look forward to applying some of what I have learned on my next trip back to Charlottesville.

Consider stopping in for a visit if you are near Charlottesville.  You will not be disappointed!

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Returning to the Scene of the “Crime”

While I still have not found time to learn the camera or even adjust the settings (this Sunday for sure!), I am taking the advice of many of you and shooting everything I see!  While on the way to work, I passed by the site of my Amateur Mistake and decided to try again.

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One more thing … I’m attending a meeting at the Boars Head in Charlottesville, VA.  This next photo is a a completely unedited photo of the sunrise on the ice of the pond.

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Practice, Practice, Practice

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Scoping Out The Camera

Get it?

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Scoping out the camera?  Stethoscope!

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Obviously, I’m at work … and  I tell corny jokes!

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Hey – you practice and play where you can, even if it’s just for a few minutes while eating lunch 🙂

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The Thrill is Gone …

… I may never post another photo! Yes, you guessed it! I upgraded to an SLR and frankly, I now stink at photography.  I know, I know … I’ll figure it out … someday … somehow … somewhere.  Sniff, sniff …

So for now, here’s one from happier days.  This was taken with my cell phone … and is better than what I’ve taken with  my SLR so far!

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I’ll be doing alot of this (scotch, beer, wine, whatever) until I figure out the new Canon 60D.

Poor, poor me 🙂

(ya’ll know I’m kidding, right?)

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Amateur Mistake

It was just another morning drive to work, and the sun on the field pulled me to stop.

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I was intent on capturing the light … and then I received the dreaded message “insufficient room” on the SD Card.

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As I was frantically deleting photos, the sun went behind a cloud and I never did capture the light as well as I would have liked.

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Amateur mistake!  Thank goodness, that’s exactly what I am!

🙂

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Blowing Rock: Come on In

My all too short visit to Blowing Rock was so much fun (see here), and as I walked around the town before heading home on the first day of 2014, I couldn’t help but photograph a few doors and windows.  As with the chairs and benches, I didn’t realize until I got home just how many doors and windows I had photographed.

Some from the outside …

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… and some from the inside.

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At times it was the color that caught my eye …

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… and other times, it was the light.

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And sometimes … I just don’t know 🙂

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No matter the reason, I spent 24 wonderful hours in this little town (well, except for when I locked myself out of my room … in my PJs … ha!).  Friendly folks, delicious food and drink, and lots of places to explore.

Be sure to check out Blowing Rock the next time you are near.

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Next Trip?  A day trip to Roanoke to buy my new camera!

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Grounded

During the middle of our zero degree day, I literally ran outside in between patient appointments to capture the incredible blue sky.  As I turned around to go back inside, the colors of these leaves caught my eye.

Today … the sky just could not compare.

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Beautiful Zero

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So cold yet so beautiful

I don’t have the camera (yet!) to capture the frost in true macro, so I went about it another way, and lent beauty to the trees in the background at the same time.

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Sit a Spell in Blowing Rock

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As I walked around Blowing Rock – see my previous post for more about this cool little town in the mountains of North Carolina – I kept stopping to admire the chairs and benches.

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I suppose it was the lighting, both indoors and out, that caught my eye, and frankly, I didn’t realize until I got back home that I’d taken so many photos of furniture.

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Of course, the reflections on this table were irresistable, both in color and in B&W.

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The next morning, I was the only up and about in the common rooms at the Inn and the soft morning light, kept me shooting.

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On my next visit, I’ll try to sit a bit more!