If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am always searching for interesting or unusual clouds. The Blue Ridge Parkway south out of Asheville is a good place to search. It can be cloudy, rainy or foggy up there when it is fine weather in Asheville. It was partly cloudy when I headed up in … [Read more…]
My friend Marcia loves to hike. It is not a good idea to hike alone, so she invites other hikers to join her on a hike about once a week. Every year she has a 4th of July hike followed by a cook-out at her house. Marcia is not a photographer and likes to hike fairly … [Read more…]
I like to spend time everyday outside photographing. Growing flowers in my garden increases the odds that will happen. This June has been hot and dry, which has been both good and bad for flowers. I spend a lot of time watering. I like the glow around the Zinnia. The Calendula that is just opening … [Read more…]
We had no appointments Friday morning and it was partly cloudy, so my husband and I decided to go north on the Blue Ridge Parkway in search of adventure and photographic fortune. Our friend Matt had introduced us to a lone tree up that way. Lone trees can increase the interest in the foreground in … [Read more…]
Craggy Gardens is north up the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville. It is a popular spot for locals and tourists to watch the sunset. It is about a 25 minute drive from my house. There are panoramic views on both sides (east and west) of the Parkway here, a visitors center with shopping, and restrooms. … [Read more…]
I try to visit the Pixie Forest once a month starting in the Spring when the leaves and grasses emerge until they return to the earth in the Fall. Pixie Forest will not appear on maps of the Blue Ridge Parkway, but is well known by local nature photographers. All you have to do is … [Read more…]
I find it hard to not stop at the roadside to photograph the poppies. There is such a variety of shapes and a few surprising colors mixed in with all the bright orange. I am not the only one that enjoys the poppies. I found this cute Jumping Spider staring at me as I took the photo. Jumping Spiders … [Read more…]
I visited the poppies by the expressway again. There are many poppies past prime, but still many photographs to be had. I have a photographer friend, Courtland White, who finds faces in landscapes. It is called “Pareidolia,” the human tendency to perceive patterns, particularly faces, where none exists. He says that once you see the … [Read more…]
Clematis is a very strange name for a beautiful flower. The plural is tricky to say – Clematises. The Clematises in our yard come to us from a former owner of our house. They have been blooming reliably every spring for the 11 years that we have lived here. They are a lot of fun to … [Read more…]
I had never seen a Clary Sage blossom before I purchased a small plant at an herb festival. The plants are about 3 feet tall and have multiple blossoms. They have seeded themselves in my garden and now their population must be kept down. Since it is a biennial, it took 2 years for the Clary … [Read more…]