Having fun with Photography

 I have always been that person who one could count on to look at vacation photos in their entirety.  Most folks give a cursory look and move onto something they find more interesting, whereas I would study them. Used to be that folks would bring prints to work and show off what they had done, but of course that has been replaced by swiping through phones in search of the goods. I miss those print days, but I still look at most folks vacation photos because I love photography so much. That said, I'm somewhat of a snob because I look for something that makes it more special. Most of my photos do not fall into that category, but it does not keep me from trying to be clever in my photography.

What happens to me is that I see photographs everywhere and no more so than in our new home where opportunities present themselves seemingly all of the time. For example, I walked into the dining room from the kitchen and how could I not take the photograph below?

Perhaps you are wondering what makes the above interesting and if that is the case, look again and hopefully you will see what I was seeing. Speaking of the room above, because of the repair to the plaster in the adjacent kitchen area I am thinking of painting that room a new color. Of course I am vacillating and really, who doesn't when they are choosing paint colors? Anyway, I'm wondering about carrying the "Hubbard Squash" into the kitchen. But, of course there are always shades of green to consider.

On Saturday I walked into the guest room and of course a photo op appeared before my eyes and brain. I had my phone nearby so I used that. Not much later I realized it was time to change the quilt that was bright and cheery for spring and summer. Folding it I discovered that I'd forgotten what the back looked like and I have to say, I was pretty pleased with myself. It's probably been like eight years since I made it and that striped fabric is from an awesome estate sale, tagged with 1972 as the date it was purchased.

Once I put the autumn quilt on I took the same photo.

To be quite honest, I had nearly forgotten that I made the pictured quilt as it was stashed in the blanket chest! Anyway, it reminds me of butterscotch or caramel. 

Sunday afternoon the photo below presented itself.

Undoubtedly our Florida friends are jealous of that open door that stays like that as it has been very comfortable.  The front door remains white for now.

Here's a friendly suggestion for you. Should you be looking for something to plant in your garden, look no further than Caladium bulbs because they are the bomb! Unlike so many of my flowers, the caladiums have required nothing from me and have remained looking fabulous for months now.

You can count on me planting more bulbs next year that's for sure.

One day last week we joined a bunch of other seniors to play mini golf as part of the Senior games group.

Mini golf Gail? It was not pretty, but I will say it was prettier than my previous attempt, in part because we had someone in our group, Linda, who was so encouraging no matter how many shots I took!

Unlike us, who do this once a year, she plays with her grandchildren as often as possible, which come to think of it, may be why she was so encouraging, having had experience with doing just that with the little ones. At any rate, she was very fun and we followed it up with an ice cream, all for $5!

Can you guess whose scorecard is whose? Duh, my name is on it but just look at how tidy that husband of mine is!

Ann, a new friend from church invited us over to her new cute home for a house blessing by our pastor. This was something new to me and made me think perhaps we should have considered the same in light of the reported rumors of ghosts in our house? The good news is they have been "ghosting" us if there is one here! I love the color of her door!!

Speaking of the church, well folks, we did it!! We finished reading the Bible, all 64 books, an accomplishment that seemed elusive when first presented to us. Whirlwind, I will grant you that, but now at least we are familiar with it from cover to cover. To celebrate, we played two games of Bible Jeopardy, led by Wil.

It should be noted that Ann put us all to shame. :)

Last Thursday Anita and Bruce did an amazing mowing job at the Harshaw chapel which is looking better every day. As a refresher it is purported to be the oldest building in Cherokee County. 

Saturday was action packed in a very good way. Several of our friends were featured in a big quilt show, held every other year, in Blairsville, GA, about twenty miles from here. 

If you could see the size of his sewing space you would wonder how he did it, but darn if there was not a first place ribbon on that quilt when we arrived on Saturday!! 

Another first place winner in the color use category by our friend Patty.

And now let's meet Ruth, the maker of this amazingly fun quilt.

She's about as big as a minute and spry as can be. And how do we know that? She told us! Twice a week she hikes on the Appalachian Trail, but says she is slowing just a bit now that she is 85!!!

The quilt show was wonderful as was the nearby Union County farmers market. Our inaugural visit did not disappoint, in fact we were blown away by how great it was.  Looking for fresh, foraged mushrooms? Look no further.

Jams, jellies, breads, preserves and yes mushrooms.

Peaches anyone?

Seriously I was going crazy taking photos! Funnel cake coming right up.

The knitted goods were gorgeous, made by artisans who use the Alpaca wool from this farm in Murphy.

At this time of year, of course there were pumpkins!

And even more pumpkins.

It is pretty satisfying buying from folks who grow the food, including these wonderful Shishito peppers that I cooked up the minute we got home!

A blazing hot cast iron skillet works like magic.

And just when you thought it could not get any better? It can. We watched this happen,

I wish I had a different camera with me but using what you have and not lamenting what you don't is the way to stay happy.

Woo hoo baby!!

Remind me to tell you about the loofa that is drying in the basement. Sarah June had more than she could use, thus we have one. I can assure you that not once in my past 71 years did I imagine I would have a loofa drying in my basement but here you go... now I do! 

The last of the hydrangeas are still hanging in there.

Christian continues to be a little jolly boy who is crawling like mad and pulling himself up as often as possible. Plus he giggles and babbles which is a joy to witness. Fallon frequently shares videos that we watch over and over again.

I was going to close with a picture of the Japanese Maple tree but I don't think the change is dramatic enough in a photo. That's the thing, photography is great and all but in person, well, there is no substitute. Instead I will share a photo taken this morning during a drive to Young Harris for a well doctor's appointment for Bruce. The corn...I love it!

The mountains, the fog, the clouds, I love it all! That said, I will be the first to admit that while it may look inviting in the photograph, it is much more so in person.  I realize that my title is somewhat ambiguous and maybe implies a little trickery on my part, but rest assured, I am still shooting photos the way I want them to look without any photoshop. There is plenty of that out there!

And oh yea, we are going to see Downton Abbey at the Henn Theater on Tennessee Street this afternoon,  a few blocks from here and did I mention the admission is $5.50? Hard to beat that.

your friend,

Gail

Early September

 It is hard to believe that this is our third Autumn in the mountains! Because of this we are becoming accustomed to some of the rhythms of the area as well as some of the seasonal beauty. While there are a few leaves changing here and there, one of the most beautiful happenings right now are the "fields" of zinnias blooming beside Hwy 64, the main road to Franklin, a place many are familiar with. On our way back from a recognizance mission to locate a home that we were invited to later in the week, we drove by and of course we had to stop. Well, maybe it was just me that had to stop, but ever the accommodating husband, Bruce pulled over.

As we move through this post there will be more "pull over" moments to come.

Speaking of zinnias, one thing that many people don't realize when they come across this blog, is that it began as mostly a space where I could share photographs. Stories were featured, but they were not the star of the show back then. Speaking with a friend the other day, she mentioned that she barely looked at the photos and focused on the stories. I wonder who else does the same? Yet here I am, still experimenting with light and photography.

We are all decorated for Autumn!! The placemat above was a very handy thrift store find. Isn't everything around here? Not everything, but a bunch!

A few weeks early, I just could not wait! 

Remember last episode's bat story? Here's a better look at the area to give you some context. Bruce was facing me and the bat was to his left in the white siding.

Should you be wondering about the hanging pickleball, it is to keep us from running into the screen!  To the left of that is the garden bench cubby which has turned out to be amazing. Bruce fertilized last year, adding grass seed and it is looking so good it is hard to imagine. He's also painted the back steps and while they were fine before, they are better now. One little detail about this time of the year that we could do without are the dropping chestnuts and their spiny containers. Oh my goodness they are SO SHARP!

Not only are they sharp, they are PLENTIFUL as well! On the day pictured, I picked up two buckets full. Over the weekend Bruce picked up two buckets full, and just yesterday another two buckets. The bad news is there are so MANY more still in the tree. The same holds true for the magnolia tree which has hundreds and hundreds of seed pods just waiting to drop. Aren't most things like that? Both good and bad? While we love the shade the trees provide, the price to pay for that can be somewhat unpleasant. 

Speaking of trees, let's keep track of our Japanese Maple tree as it changes color. Doesn't that sound fun?

The photo below is for documentation purposes so that together we can follow the color changes Eventually I will begin to learn when things changeand will be keeping track in this very space.

While it is still warm in the day, the nights are definitely cooling down. This morning it was 54 degrees on the back porch and it remains cool in the house, It has been weeks since we have had to use very much air conditioning, something that pleases me.

Last of the tomatoes are ripening now.

I picked probably the last cucumber yesterday afternoon. An impatient planted in a tea tin is thriving, even in the afternoon sun which for a Floridian is shocking.

Something else that is shocking, or maybe I should describe it as a pleasant surprise? A pizza crust that I made worked so beautifully and that is most definitely not the norm for me. On that evening, the crust was so pliable and spread like magic, unlike many times when I have had to tug and pull to get it to fit the pan. Happy days!

Something just around the corner from the spot above is a palm in the dining room. I had such high hopes and for a time this large plant was thriving and then, much to my dismay, it began heading in the other direction. I don't know why I did it but I ran my hand over one of the fronds and discovered a brown, sticky substance coating the back of the fronds. Do you see what I found?

Spider mites were sucking the life out of the plant and I cut off the declining fronds, as well as washed the remaining ones, in hopes of saving the plant. Isn't it easy to assume one is over-watering or the reverse when a plant begins looking sad? From now on, searching for bugs is going to be my first thought when a plant begins declining. 

Before we head over to Chattanooga (!), I am including a photo taken in town that shows the work being done there now. Additionally, the tall (!!!) brick building is the one made famous for the chimney swift hotel. Haha!

There is great hope amongst the folks around here that the construction of the new parks, lighting and paving will be done by Christmas, maybe in time for the town Christmas tree? I will keep you posted.

So what is this about Chattanooga you ask? When we got up on Friday morning I never imagined that within a few hours I would be getting a message from D'Anna about a retreat that she and her sister were meant to attend. I knew that she had driven down to the Atlanta area to pick her up on Wednesday, but I had no idea that Carol began feeling unwell and canceled on the retreat, leaving D'Anna to go alone. "Can you please go with me for the weekend to a ladies retreat with my church friends from Kennesaw?" Never having done anything like that before we thought, why not? 

Furthermore, the Drury Hotel was the location and we now know how much the Pecks love a good Drury Hotel. No, seriously, that was a plus, but there was absolutely no reason not to go. Well I could think of one and that was my darn ankle, swollen and miserable from what we are now thinking was chigger bites. I have had a heck of a time this summer with bites which for many people are a nuisance, but that is not how my body responds. She brought some lotion that David swears by; coating my ankle, I put on some thick socks to help me not scratch my leg and off we went. 

I discovered that she is as accommodating as Bruce in the pull over department. Our first stop as we drove through the Ocoee gorge was the park where, well you can read the sign!

Some folks were enjoying what water there was.

Next time you go white water rafting, this is what you are rafting over once they release the water from the dam!

That night for some reason I could not get enough of this Krystal out our window.

After two days it came to me that what is so striking is the complete lack of landscaping. Just a red and white Krystal in a very large parking lot.

We had meals together, and a great speaker named Abby who told us much about her life that has been filled with many unexpected turns.

Seeing the keyboard you know that we sang a bunch, as well as made some prayer beads. Well actually the pretty lady that sat to my left did most of mine, in part because her young eyes work better than mine.

She was a lovely Ukrainian woman who has lived in the states for 10 years after marrying an American. Thankfully, they are able to house her parents after the destruction of all that they knew and loved in Ukraine during the war.  

After lunch on Saturday four of us went downtown to explore while many others went to the Tennessee aquarium, striking buildings as pictured from the bridge over the Tennessee River.

Bridges seem to be a theme because here's another one that aside from looking good seemed to have no purpose.

A huge rainstorm an hour earlier had cleared up enough for our excursion. We discovered some changing leaves,

a chalk alley,

and a beautiful free carousel to ride.

Oh and a really cool fountain that featured some elephants, a theme Abbie had used in her Friday night talk.

Walking back to the car I had to stop and photograph this pretty wall art.

The building across the street has rock climbing on the upper part! 

After dinner at the hotel we had another session with singing, another Abby talk, door prizes and a movement exercise led by D'Anna. I heard over and over how much they miss her and I can't say that I blame them! 

Following breakfast and communion, we all made our way home, but first we stopped at a few stores that, while I have gotten used to not having, I still miss, including Trader Joes and HomeGoods. Once we were settled with shopping we headed back through the river gorge on our return to North Carolina, only about sixty miles away, if that. Murphy is a little further, but the drive was very scenic and pleasant. Here is one scene,

and here is another.

Just think in a month's time all that green will be clothed in reds, oranges and yellows! Apparently since we went through on Friday, they released the water onto the riverbed in order for folks to go rafting.

The scene below is so unique and the few times I have been this way I have tried to capture what it feels like to see these random trees rising from the water. 

I am still not sure I have captured it to my liking but I am getting closer.

Arriving home around 3PM, Bruce was happy to see me and show me how he had held the fort down in my absence! Laundry done, house clean and tidy. What more could one ask for? We bubbled over with stories before D'Anna headed home to take care of her chickens and dog. David had left earlier Sunday on a motorcycle trip to Maine! 

Lastly our hummingbirds!! They are so busy before they migrate to Mexico and Central America, an unfathomable distance for such a tiny bird! 

Like the trees above, I may take a lot of the same subject before I am happy with the results. Finally I got this one showing off the tiny ruby throat. Maybe when they return in the Spring I will have success with one with a big red throat!

Now that they days are getting cooler I am walking more. Pickleball is a given but walking in the afternoon sun has really not been my idea of fun. With the cooler weather, I have been seeing more birds than just those in my yard like this pretty Mockingbird, the same species that five states claim as their state bird and as far as I know, is the favorite of very few folks. Not like a bluebird or a cardinal that so many love for their vibrant colors.

That makes me think of how so many people use a gray palette while decorating their homes.  I seriously don't get that, but I suppose that is what makes life so interesting. We are all different and yet the same. That is really saying something, isn't it?

your friend,

Gail