The bright sun shining through and creating lovely shadows?
That same bright light revealing the very dirty window?
The tiny reflection of the flower in the glass?
The simple things in life: flowers, cards, candles, beer, plants?
Not sure … but it caught my eye so thanks for looking!
I found these pictures as I was looking through the archives from past GOA Gatherings. I was updating my FB page to reflect the joy I feel as I prepare to hit the road to meet up with some of my most favorite women! These gatherings are restorative to my soul, are a time of laughter, talk, and love (and the addition of a few pounds after enjoying amazing food and drink). I had just gotten my new camera and I was playing around with macro. Clearly I had then, and I still have, much to learn!
The GOAs are the Girls of August, and they are the women I attended the Medical College of Virginia with 20 years ago. We meet every August for a long weekend and we also meet for a Mid Winter Sanity Check in February.
Today I leave for the Sanity Check and I can not wait. These women have been a part of my life for such a long time and they mean the world to me. And who doesn’t need a little reminder of summer in the middle of February?
It’s GOA Time!
The sky was amazingly beautiful, but what struck me was the silhouette of the trees. Still, my plan was to capture the outline of the mountains on the horizon. The trees though, were demanding the attention. And as I stood there on the side of the road, the colors kept changing as the sun sank lower, until finally the fence line was what remained.
BaconFest ’13, if at all possible, was even more fun than BaconFest ’12!
The first night that we “got our bacon on” was one year ago and occurred after many a discussion about how much we loved eating the belly of the pig. And how do I know that bacon comes from the belly of the pig? Because in addition to EATING bacon we take a Bacon Quiz (complete with prizes for the winners and the losers), and one of the questions was “what part of the pig does American Bacon come from?”
In the year since then, various friends have brought a variety of bacon related food items and they were on display for all to see.
Last year, everyone seemed to bring dishes which featured bacon as an “in your face” ingredient. We had BLTs, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, Brownies with Bacon, and Bacon Explosion (http://www.bbqaddicts.com/blog/recipes/bacon-explosion/).
We started the evening with an amuse bouche of Deviled Eggs with Bacon and a shot of Bakon Vodka.
While the Deviled Eggs with Bacon served as the opening act again this year, the rest of the dishes presented bacon in a bit more of a subtle (and incredibly tasty) way.
We had Bacon Cheeseburger Dip
Bacon Tomato Pizza
Bacon & Brussell Spout Hash
Bacon Crackers
Cheddar Cauliflower Fritters
Kale, Apple, Onion & Bacon Melange
Bacon Wrapped New Potatoes with Sour Cream Hot Sauce
Somehow I did not get pictures of the:
Warm and Creamy Bacon Dip (omg – YUM!),
Bacon Wrapped Artichoke Hearts (out of this world good!),
Beer Cheese Soup with Bacon (delish!), and
the most amazing Maple Bacon Ice Cream!
It was truly a feast for a Bacon Lover and I can’t wait for BaconFest ’14!
(and hopefully I’ll have learned to photograph food by then)
I was the last one out of my office last evening, and I was a bit tired at the end of a long day. It would have been tempting to trudge along, looking at the ground as I walked, just aiming for the truck and heading for home. But I always try to look up and around as I make my way along, and this was my reward for doing so.
Extensive rain and a very heavy snowfall (followed by near record breaking flooding) damaged or destroyed many trees. I came to this site to photograph a friend as he worked to clear away this downed tree. The homeowner sure was lucky that the damage wasn’t more extensive!
I’m always saddened when a big beautiful tree goes down.
As I wandered around, taking pictures before, during and after the tree work, I was struck by the colors of the newly revealed wood beneath the bark.
Despite the 15 degree weather, the day dawned beautifully and I spent a couple hours outside shooting the local scenery. One thing I learned? I need to get gloves that protect my fingers in sub freezing temperatures!
This old farmhouse sits right along side the road and I pass it on the way home each evening. I loved the shadows on the side of the house.
I pass this farm on the way to work each morning and in order to take pictures, I have to get on the highway and pull over just off the exit ramp. As usual, I wonder what the folks driving by think as I climb over the guard rail and wander around in the weeds.
This is the second of a two part post about my 50th Birthday Solo Motorcycle Ride (2010). All pictures were taken with my old point and shoot camera. Part 1 can be found here:
Day 3 – The End of the BRP and the Folks Along the Way
Hello from Bryson City, NC, located at the southern end of the BRP.
I rode the last 78 miles of parkway today and it took me a long time because I kept stopping to stare at the beautiful mountains! The section between milepost 400 and 425 is stunning with the elevation between 4500 and 5500 ft and the highest point of the BRP at 6053 ft. I have taken so many pictures, always thinking “THIS is the best one”.
I had hoped to be able to say I was writing from the Gearhead Motel outside Bryson City as recommended by a couple bikers I met, BUT when I went to check it out, it just didn’t feel right – no one was there and it seemed deserted. So, I headed on down the road and checked into the Sleep Inn instead. Later that evening, I rode back by The Gearhead and it was full of bikes and people and it looked like fun! I’d made a mistake by passing on it earlier.
The lively folks outside the motel reminded me that I haven’t said anything about the great people I have been meeting along the way. I met two bikers from Indiana (the ones who recommended the Gearhead) who used brute strength to adjust my highway pegs (which got out of position when I dropped the bike yesterday – yeah, I didn’t tell you that, did I?).
I also loved the folks, about my parents age, who said “if you were my daughter I’d kill you for riding alone”, to which I replied “why do you think I haven’t told my parents?”
I met a guy who hauled his bike from Missouri so that he could ride the BRP while his wife went shopping in Asheville. Smart man!
There have been lots of other fun people along the way … and I’m grateful that some have been willing to take a few pictures of me along the ride.
After checking into the hotel, I rode back down to town and had a great taco salad and a couple micro brews at a local dive bar (located in a 70 year old WWII quonset hut with no A/C). I followed that with a quick dip in the hotel pool and am now so ready for sleep.
Across The Tracks Bar and Restaurant, Bryson City, NC
I’ve ridden about 500 miles so far … not much compared to my friends who ride cross country but I’m proud and happy.
Tomorrow … The Dragon.
Day 4 – Curves
If you’ve been following along so far, you know that I’ve written about some of the fun curves and elevation changes that I’ve experienced during this trip. Those curves were nothing like the ones I have ridden all day today!!
The Tail of the Dragon is known world wide for its 318 curves in 11 miles. You get to put a sticker on your helmet and your bike if you finish (you have to ride it both ways), but your broken bike parts go on the Tree of Shame if you don’t.
Well, I am proud to say I have a sticker on both the bike and the helmet!! Woo hoo!! So proud! And just like when you raft a river, there are professional photographers posted along the way taking your picture.
The road is a blast to ride – even though I went at granny pace- 30 miles/hr – but the route to get to The Dragon was fun, too. Rt 28 is just as curvy and I loved riding through the lush, green Nantahala National Forest.
I rode by signs like this all day long.
After 8 hours on the bike, I checked into the Iron Horse Station in Hot Springs, NC. The road to get to Hot Springs (Rt 209) was just as curvy as the Dragon and runs for 30 miles, a lot of it through the Pisgah National Forest. Beautiful! I was often entirely alone on that road, and I am grateful I had no problems.
The Iron Horse Station Inn and Restaurant, Hot Springs, NC
http://www.theironhorsestation.com/
Hot Springs is a cool little (very little) historic train town. I am staying in a restored train depot and my room is perfect! The “tourists” are an interesting mix of bikers, river runners, AT hikers and those seeking a getaway from as far away as Atlanta, Knoxville and Asheville. As always I had a cold beer and a shower, and after that, I enjoyed a wonderful glass of red wine with some delicious white bean & chicken chili. Yum!! I am soooo content. How perfect that the train came through as a fitting end to a wonderful evening.
Almost 700 miles so far! I’m supposed to hit the road for home tomorrow … I am really not ready for that!
Day 5 – What a Ride!!
A huge storm woke me during the night and I wondered how wet my bike would be. The sun was shining brightly this morning though and I thought all was well. I am not sure why I didn’t think about all the water that the seat had absorbed during the storm – I rode with a wet ass all day! Lessons learned! 🙂
I truly enjoyed my stay in Hot Springs. I loved the fact that every single person wished me a good morning as I walked to the Smokey Mountain Diner for breakfast. I passed several buses loaded down with rafts and tubes and I kind of wish I had stayed and spent some time floating the French BroadRiver.
But … it was time to ride on.
I rode 275 miles today (a record for me) and I spent almost all of it on back roads. I rode through parts of the Cherokee National Forest, the Jefferson National Forest and the Mt Rogers Recreation Area. I rode on a long stretch of road that passed through multiple “no stop light” towns in Tennessee. I loved the names – Minneapolis, Cranberry, Plumtree (which had flower boxes on the bridge through town), and one place called Lick Log. Really? Who names a town Lick Log?
I’ve been really lucky in terms of weather on this trip, but today was the best day yet! An “Idaho sky” for sure! I have loved these past 5 days – no plan and the freedom to spontaneously pick my route. Today I literally went from one town to the next, choosing the roads as I went along. The folks I met, who helped to guide me, were wonderful.
I often hear bikers talk about the wind in the face and the freedom of the road … I feel like I finally get it!
It has been such an amazing trip and I really was not ready to come home. Even still, I was glad to cross over the New River for the first time in 5 days. Thanks to Fred and Cindy for welcoming me back home with a glass of wine, and to Amy for sharing my traditional end of the day beer with me.
What a ride!! 925 miles over 5 days and 3 states. What a great way to celebrate my 50th Birthday!!
Entering the world of WordPress 7 months ago was exciting, a bit overwhelming, and ultimately a blast! Writing this blog has been a way to share the story behind the photographs that I take and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. Even more, I have loved reading and viewing so many of your blogs and have learned much from you – about photography, food, books, travel and life in general.
I am still very new to this process though. I just learned how to use my Reader a month ago, for goodness sake! So of course, I’ve read blogs that have been nominated for awards, but an award seemed incomprehensible to me. After all, I’ve just been happy to have people “like” a post that I write. To receive a comment? Even better!
When one of my favorite bloggers nominated me for the Blog of the Year Award 2012, I was thrilled. I mean there I was, avidly reading JG’s latest post in Map of Time / A Trip Into The Past and saw that my very own blog had been mentioned.
WOW! Someone likes what I am doing! How very, very cool!
Thank you, JG! You made my day! I have loved reading your blog and learning more about history and the individuals who make it. I look forward to each and every post. http://jgburdette.wordpress.com/
FIRST! The Rules
The ‘rules’ for this award are simple:
1 Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award
2 Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.
3 Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award – http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/ and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)
4 Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them
5 You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience
6 As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…
SECOND! The Nominations (so many wonderful blogs to choose from!)
I follow several photography blogs but I am gradually expanding my list of blogs about travel, food, and life.
Photographers whose work I love to view:
1. http://hikingphoto.com/ – Canadian Hiking Photography
2. http://giddysap.wordpress.com/– Quirk’n It
3. http://smithiesshutter.wordpress.com/ – Life, Photography & Other Mistakes
4. http://thehourofsoftlight.wordpress.com/ – the hour of soft light …
Writers whose posts I love to read:
1. http://jgburdette.wordpress.com/ – JG Burdette, a great teller of the stories in history
2. http://maesday.wordpress.com/– a story of family and friendship
While I didn’t really want to be up and on the road to Charlottesville at 6:30 am for a professional meeting, the views and colors along the way were beautifully subtle.
As I traveled farther down the road, the sun gradually came up and the colors became brighter.
Adding a soft focus to this photo really highlighted the red.
The colors of the cows added to the palette.
But my favorite colors of the day were those found in this tranquil farm scene … the smoke from the chimney, the fog over the mountain, the barely rising sun against the brown of the trees and the white of the snow … just lovely!
Life on the Bike and other Fab Things 