“The other day I was talking with Nick Carver about photographing, and being alone in places. And he said that he can’t get on when he’s photographing with people; that he finds it difficult. And I feel the same way. If I were here with, say, a bunch of people from… you know, from like a mentorship group, or from the TPE community, and we were all kind of like just going to explore things, I wouldn’t be in touch. I wouldn’t be in tune with this place."
From Youtube
So, yesterday I posted a couple of Last Leaves photos from a late November trip to Watershed Nature Center. I decided to review the other photos from that outing and share a few. Nothing too dramatic, but hopefully matches the mood for the day.
Taken about 2 weeks ago (11/27), at Watershed Nature Center.
The "rules" say that the top picture is better, because you're supposed to have odd numbers of things in a group. And the horizon cuts the subject a bit more distractingly in the bottom photo. What do you think? Leave a comment!
Just a couple from the back yard
Another in the series of photos in and around hotels while travelling. Today is shots from August 2018. Once again, the post title is from the old Elton John song: CLICK.
Check out the TAG to see more from the series.
Another in my continuing series of photos from our recent 2260 mile trip. Today's post is from a quick stop by Asheville, NC, to see the Biltmore Christmas Lights. We were a little hesitant due to the recent storm damage, but figured they needed the tourism dollars, and everything we saw indicated they were open and welcoming.
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Another in my continuing series of photos from our recent 2260 mile trip. Today's remembrance is the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. I've meant to pop by here for a long time, but just couldn't (didn't) make the time. This trip, our hotel was only 2 blocks (-ish) away, so it was an easy wander down. And well worth the wander, even though I wasn't an especially big Warhol fan before. I'm a bigger fan now!
Click on images to enlarge.
The exterior...
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Another in my continuing series of photos from our recent 2260 mile trip. Just a couple of photos from Raleigh and Apex, NC
A couple more photos from our recent trip. This was Rockfish Gap scenic overlook along I-64, between Staunton and Charlottesville, VA. I was a cold and breezy day, and we almost missed the turnoff, but we try to stop at overlooks whenever we can. So with some hard braking, we were able to stop. And it was well worth the time. Cold and grey but still wonderful.
Here's a few photos:
Another in the series of photos in and around hotels while travelling. Today is shots from July 2018. Once again, the post title is from the old Elton John song: CLICK.
Check out the TAG to see more from the series.
Better Photo has announced the winners of their October contest, and I had a second place, along with a couple of Finalists, and a Staff Favorite. Always fun to get some recognition!
2nd Place winner:
Last night (Monday, December 3) we saw Christmas with the Celts at the Wildey. As describer on the Wildey's website:
"Celebrating 14 years of successful national touring, top Irish musicians have united with the finest Nashville players to create the new sound and energy of The Celts. They perform a fresh hybrid of Irish Americana, which combines their own rootsy originals and tight vocal harmonies with fiery Irish Trad instrumentals.
Christmas With The Celts is a wonderful combination of timeless ancient Irish Christmas carols and lively Irish dance, along with modern contemporary songs with Irish instrumentation. New Christmas hits, Celts originals, and fresh Irish Dance tunes are added to the show each year so that no two years are the same. Always a pleasant surprise!"
Something new and different for us, and we weren't sure what to expect beyond that blurb. The Celts featured guitar, fiddle, bass, drums and uilleann pipes / flutes. They played a lot of traditional Irish tunes, mixed with a solid serving of Christmas music. The Christmas songs did include arrangements of many classics, but also some less familiar songs like the Pogue's "Fairytale Of New York", and John McCutchins' "Christmas In The Trenches". They had a group of Irish Dancers that came out all along to do bits, which was fun.
It was a fun evening, I always enjoy seeing live music. They played 2 sets, with a short break, for a solid evening of song. The band was into the spirit, and grins abounded... along with a couple of Irish themed jokes. The pipes player even gave an explanation /demonstration of the uilean pipes, which I especially (and typically) enjoyed.
As in my norm, I took a couple of photos, but not during actual the songs.
Regular readers might remember that I completed the Hiker's 365 Challenge in 2023. Starting November 2023, I embarked on their series of seasonal challenges (Winter 100, Spring Fling, Blazing Summer, Fall 50). I competed the last of those in October, which meant I qualified for the Ultimate Adventurer badge. All of which has been discussed here.
But, while I was logging the seasonal challenges, I logged my hikes for 2024, as another round of the Hiker's 365. Not officially, but just for fun. So, yesterday (12/1/2024), I completed my second year of 365 miles of hikes. It took about 7 weeks longer than last year, but still made it with some breathing room.
Here's a couple of photos from yesterday's walk. Taken as the sun was setting, perhaps fittingly closing the book on 2 years of these challenges. I'll have to find something else for 2025!
We had our first snow Saturday, afternoon into evening. The first snow is always somewhat magical, and fun. It won't take long to be tire of the whole experience, though!
Here's a few photos from Saturday:
