Dad in the workshop.

My 85 year old father moved with mom last year into a retirement living community not far from my house.  Their health was not such that they really were going to be able to take care of a large house anymore, so we finally convinced them to move into something that would offer extended care when the time came.  Unfortunately, Dad had a workshop full of tools that he cherished and had to give up.  I salvaged as much as I could from the estate sale and with the help of some friends moved it into my own unfinished garage.  Funnily enough, my garage is almost 85 years as well.  Right before Christmas, I went to work converting the unfinished space into a place that he can come over and tinker with his tools.  Last year we painted every monday.  This year, I think you'll find us in the workshop...maybe making frames.

Well...it's a little late posting this don't you think?

A collaboration with my 14 year old daughter whose artwork is pretty amazing to say the least.   The animal theme just came about when I asked Gillian for a drawing and she handed me all these.   I had already photographed the church in the snow a couple of years ago with the intent on doing something like this.   Three weeks before Christmas, we photographed our dog "Crash" staring up towards Jesus.  Crash is the perfect model.  Does everything I ask.  :)   If you want to be on our Christmas/Holiday card list, you'll have to send us work in 2014.  I'm also open to ideas for next year...I'm starting to run out.

"Do you know where your children are?"

I knew when I saw this house exactly what I wanted to do.  Fortunately there are plenty of kids to choose from in this neighborhood and I was able to get a brother and sister with some great innocent looking costumes to contrast with the house.  It's so much fun to do these.

2013 NC State Fair

Wanted to get at least a little time tooling around the NC State Fair this week, so I headed out this morning for a couple of hours before the crowds turn up in force.  For a little while I thought it might rain, but the clouds parted and it became a beautiful day.   Mr. Simon's and I had a discussion about what fair weather is supposed to be.  "Well...there's fair weather...and then then's fair weather...two completely different things!...I do better when it's fair weather."  Mr. Simon's sells great  authentic rootbeer floats.  Huge ones for $5.00.  I was a little bloated this morning after having one at 10am.

NC State Fair Photography Competition

Back in 1985, I entered my first NC State Fair Photography competition.  I captured a first place blue ribbon for a photograph of the old mail boat out at Ocracoke.  I entered again the next couple of years, but photography was judged against fine art instead of separately, so I stopped entering.   Last year I joined the fray again and took a first place ribbon.  Feeling the need to support the fair competition again this year, I entered this image taken out at the Jim Hunt complex last year.   To my amazement it captured this years blue ribbon. Two years in a row.   As my art teacher will undoubtably say next week..."That ain't too shabby!"

Happy Accidents

After playing in "the darkroom" as I now call fiddling with the computer, I just threw some like images together in layers and blended them along with some additional tweaking of filters and sharpening...well in other words I didn't worry about going easy.  Everything was just thrown together like a poorly designed recipe.   Sometimes though the end results can be very pleasing.  I think these qualify, at least to me.

Next stop...Raleigh.

Hoped to capture the North Carolina "Piedmont" train arriving at dusk tonight, but unlike European trains, if it arrives within 15 minutes of it's scheduled arrival time...then it's on time. So...it was on time, but 15 minutes late.  :)  European trains depart and arrive exactly when they are supposed to.  However, I did get some nice light when I arrived and was able to get a couple of interesting shots of the station.  Later the train pulled in, but I struggled with the bright head lights.  Will probably head back there again earlier next summer, when it's still light when the train arrives.  Hopefully it will be on time...or better yet...early.