Beautiful Zero

January 7, 2014 by LB

Zero Degrees

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.

Sit a Spell in Blowing Rock

January 6, 2014 by LB

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.

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.

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

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.

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

No Words Needed

January 4, 2014 by LB

Do you know how hard it is for me to not use words? 🙂

A Blowing Rock New Years Eve

January 2, 2014 by LB

Despite spending a couple days in Charleston for Christmas just one week ago, I still had the itch to travel, and Blowing Rock seemed like the perfect destination. Not quite 3 hours from Radford, Blowing Rock is located right off the Blue Ridge Parkway in the mountains of North Carolina. It’s a small community only 3 square miles in size and visitors can easily walk to shops, restaurants, galleries, and opportunities for recreation.

Knowing that my only time constraint was the start of the VT / UCLA Sun Bowl Game, I took to the back roads. Old Rt 221 provided pretty views and incredibly curvy roads that really made me miss my bike.

I tuned the radio to the 740 AM station, WPAQ out of Mt Airy, and in addition to hearing some good old time music, I soon found myself listening to a man reading the obituaries. Sure enough, it was just as if I was reading them from the paper. It somehow seemed fitting as I drove those back roads and I imagined what it would have been like to have lived there during a time when local AM radio might have been the only real connection to life off the farm.

The town of Blowing Rock takes its name from an unusual rock formation which juts over 1,500 feet (460 m) above the Johns River gorge. Due to the rock’s shape and size, wind currents from the gorge often blow vertically, causing light objects to float upwards into the sky.

Upon arriving in Blowing Rock, I checked into the recently reopened Blowing Rock Ale House and Inn, before heading out to find a place to watch the game.

The Town Tavern offered a comfortable seat at the bar, right in front of a TV showing my game. The food and microbrews were great … too bad the Hokies weren’t. Sigh. Even still, I enjoyed practicing photography and chatting up the folks coming and going at the bar.

In the next couple days I’ll be sharing more of Blowing Rock with you, but for now I’ll leave you with a few pictures taken during my walk back to the Ale House.

Once back at the Inn and while sitting in front of the fire with new found friends, I enjoyed a delicious Grilled Flatbread with Wild Mushrooms, Grilled Vidalia Onions, Smoked Mozzarella, Basil Pesto and Porter-Balsamic Reduction accompanied by a lovely glass of cabernet.

Not a bad way to spend the last day of 2013.

Ornamental

December 28, 2013 by LB

You were expecting something hanging from a tree?

Nope! Just an Ornamental Cabbage … taken on the fly in Charleston.

So what does this have to do with Motorcycles? It’s time to start thinking about my next one!

Crackers: A Family Tradition

December 24, 2013 by LB

For as long as I can remember, my family has celebrated the holidays with Crackers. They adorn the table, and ultimately our heads, for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. While crackers have become all the rage these past few years, my family has been celebrating with them for decades.

According to Wikipedia, crackers are part of Christmas celebrations primarily in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, NewZealand, and South Africa.

So how did my American family come to embrace the Cracker? My Grandfather hailed from the Isle of Wight, and I am quite sure that he and my Aunt Christine brought the tradition to us.

The Cracker was created in 1847 by Tom Smith ( http://www.tomsmithchristmascrackers.com/ ). In its simplest form, a cracker is a small cardboard tube covered in a brightly colored twist of paper. When the cracker is pulled apart, a chemically treated card strip, similar to that used in a cap fun, is also pulled apart and a “pop” is made.

Inside the cracker is a bright paper hat …

… a small gift, and a joke.

As you can see, the joke is often corny and the gift is equally silly.

I hardly remember a holiday meal where those around the table were not wearing hats. Guests for the evening are not given exemption from this tradition, and while some in the family can not wait to remove the colorful crown, all are expected to participate. These photo collages are comprised of photos as old as 1987 (I couldn’t find earlier ones on short notice) and as late as 2012.

Please share one of your family traditions in the comment section …

… and know that I wish you a holiday season filled with the love of family and friends!

I Just Couldn’t Do It

December 22, 2013 by LB

Another image from that beautiful day in Shiloh (see here and here).

I specifically stopped to shoot this ramshackle structure with the idea of converting it to B&W. I follow a few bloggers who seem to instincitvely know what works in B&W and I wanted them to know they have influenced me.

I just couldn’t do it though … I loved the green framing, the red roof, and the blue sky, all highlighted in the setting sun, and with the addition of those shadows that I love so well.

Shiloh Christian Church

December 19, 2013 by LB

It was a gorgeous day in Shiloh, perfect for late afternoon photography, and the Shiloh Christian Church looked bright and pretty sitting up on the hill in the sunlight.