20-JAN-2008
The Camera Doesn't Lie
But weather forecasters do. I know, I know. I shouldn’t complain. I experienced a nice winter weather surprise in South Carolina just a few days ago. But when the television “meteorologists” reported with utter certainty that 2-4 inches of fluffy snow was on the way to North Carolina Piedmont where I would be visiting Allison this weekend, I couldn’t help but get excited. But as soon as the talking heads on New Channel 4 started talking about the “rain/snow line” I knew we were doomed. When it was all said and done only about half an inch of the white stuff dusted grassy areas, trees, and rooftops across the Triangle area. Fortunately, the story does have a happy ending. The bitter cold that finally did arrive just about the time the precipitation stopped preserved what snow had fallen, and when the bright blue morning dawned, the precious white jewels strung through trees lit up like blazing stars. And since the roads were clear, we had no trouble making our way to our favorite trail at the Eno River where I took this shot. They say the camera doesn’t lie. But lifted from its context this photograph creates the impression we had a veritable blizzard. We didn’t. Nonetheless, it made for a beautiful morning, and as I told Allison, winter isn’t over yet! Hope, after all, springs eternal.
31-DEC-2007
Sunnier Days
With another possible snowfall in the forecast for tomorrow I thought this was a perfect time to take a step back in time to sunnier days. I made a quick trip to my family’s home in Florida over the holidays, and even though I took far fewer photographs then usual, I did capture a few nice shots. This collection of Great White Egrets and Wood Storks were feeding on the flats off Green Key one bright morning. The egrets are the opportunists in this relationship. The slow moving wood storks—an endangered species—feed with their long bills working back and forth beneath the shallow water in hopes of scaring up a little fish or two. The egrets can stand above it all waiting for the nimble fish, crabs, and shrimp to scurry away from the storks only to be speared by their lightening fast yellow bills.
17-JAN-2008
Snow Day
So I decided to try a different strategy. Just ignore the weather forecasts and let the chips fall where they may. It wasn’t easy. As any of you who have ever lived in the “deep South” know the possibility of a rare winter weather event is enough to throw local news broadcasters into a real tizzy. Even when I peeked out of my apartment window before bed and saw a few wet flakes gathering on the car tops I refused to let myself believe. And yet, somehow, against all odds, when I parted the curtains in the morning there it was—a snow day! It wasn’t much. A couple of inches of slushy snow destined to melt before sundown. But it was enough to cancel classes across the Upstate and I was glad for the chance to get out with the camera to document the “blizzard.” I decided to head up the mountain to Bradley Creek near Saluda, N.C. The main roads and interstate were almost completely clear by the time I was rolling but as soon as I got to the based of the Blue Ridge escarpment thick clouds of fog descended over the roadway. I turned off the overdrive, found the right lane, and began to crawl up the Saluda grade. As soon as I took the exit onto Green River road I could see the higher elevations had been gifted with a little more snowfall that the Piedmont. There was maybe three or four inches on the twisting mountain road though a clear set of tire tracks on each side showed through to blacktop. The thermometer read 34 so I decided to take a chance on further melting before the time came for the return trip. I took it nice and slow, found the parking area at Bradley Creek, and left the first set of footprints on the pristine snow that covered the trail. It was beautiful. And quiet. I’m not sure why but a nice blanket of snow like that seems to soak up the extra sound that would normally ricochet around the forest. I made it to the creek, screwed on my filters, and tried to capture the water moving past the snow covered rocks and boulders. But as often seems to be the case, my favorite shot was this quickie of frozen dogwood buds that I took along the way. I didn’t stay long and after a careful three point turn began to climb out of the valley in order to return to the interstate. But it wasn’t going to be that easy. I made it about three hundred yards up the first big hill and lost traction. Yes, I drive a F-150 with a V-8, but no, it doesn’t have four wheel drive. I put it in reverse, rolled back to the bottom, and gave it another try. After about four repetitions I finally crested the hill and was soon on my way back to Spartanburg. So Snow Day 2008 has come to and end and tomorrow it’s back to the real world. But I could look forward to the rest of the winter with renewed hope that maybe—just maybe—we haven’t seen the last of that special old man who always makes me feel young at heart.
23-DEC-2007
At Last
As she lay on the mountain side
The grey clouds rolled by overhead
And occasionally
One dipped just low enough
To pass through the tree tops
Cross the meadow
And find its way to her face
Soon wet
With the finest dew
From beneath
The mountain rose to meet her
Sliding past armorless skin
To take root
Deep in hardy bone and muscle
And quickly
Like the return of green to withered forest
After a summer downpour
Earth came to her
And where there was skin
Was bark
What was pink
Turned grey and brown
Soon soft moss
Emerald fingered
Spread
To enfold her perfect curving limbs
That received
In turn
The eternal strength of the mountain itself
Strong fibered wood
Where weak flesh had waited to die
Little deaths
And yet
The living surface
Lives on
Ripens, splits and grows green again
Ever fed by waves of cool mist
That blow across her body
In restful peace
On the side of a mountain
Where
She
At last
Sighs
15-JAN-2008
It's About Time
Happy New Year! And I hope everyone had a safe, peaceful and picture filled holiday season. I really didn’t plan to be away for so long. But I must admit it was nice to take a break and look out at the world without the camera and computer being quite so omnipresent. It’s hard not to get philosophical when you are sitting on the sidelines. It took me awhile to learn that photographs weren’t of things but light. Today it occurred to me they are about time as well. There is the time of the event. The unique instant unfolding in front of the lens frozen there along with everything that led up to it. There is the time of the photographer. The larger context of everyday life that shapes the moods, choices, and impulses of the person that points the lens. And last but certainly not least there is the time of the viewer. After all, what an image comes to mean in a viewer’s mind is more tied to the unique point in time from which they experience it than the content of the photograph itself. And all the same is true for words as well. So I reenter the PaD stream refreshed and sure that ahead of me are new subjects to photograph, new experiences to have, and new friends with which to share them. Now let me go see what you guys have been up to!
22-DEC-2007
Home for the Holidays
While I was doing research on eastern panthers that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago I ran across a website for the Carnivore Preservation Trust located just minutes from Allison’s home in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Animal lovers that we are, neither of us even knew it existed! Though it has operated for almost 40 years we would later discover that CPT has only recently opened to the public. CPT began as non-profit organization that breed and raise endangered carnivores—especially big cats—for future release into the wild. But as that need was increasingly filled by other institutions they shifted their focus to serve as an animal rescue center for abandoned carnivores. And most recently, they have opened their facility to public tours to promote wildlife education. The tours are given on Saturdays and Sundays so we decided that a great way to celebrate Christmas would be a quick visit today to see these remarkable animals. Before going we called Allison’s vet and learned that CPT is highly respected for their treatment of the animals they care for. The cats are kept in large chain link enclosures which aren’t particularly attractive (or conducive to photography) but are very functional and allow maximum space for the animals at an affordable price. The tour took almost two hours as the volunteer guides talked about each animal we saw, its natural habitat, and the often sad stories by which they found safe haven at CPT. In most cases, the big cats came from zoos that had closed or could no longer take care of the animals. Seeing this white tiger was definitely the highlight of the day. All of the world’s white tigers are a genetic anomaly bred from a single pair discovered in India in 1951 and often suffer birth defects from the pressures of inbreeding. But this fellow named Jelly Bean is perfectly healthy. He was a “surplus” cub bred by the Nashville Zoo and was lucky enough to find a wonderful home right here in North Carolina! Tomorrow we’re heading to the mountains to celebrate Christmas so I’ll see you all in a few days. Merry Christmas!
20-DEC-2007
The Other Christmas Tree
Only a few dry, brown leaves linger on the branches above the Carolina woods. Most have now gathered on the forest floor in a crazy crunching collage of oak, birch, and maple. The dry leaves sing out as they are pulverized underfoot with each step forward through the woods. But an occasional flash of green is a reminder of the life coursing through the rich loam just beneath the carpet of fallen leaves. Yes, it’s the venerable Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)—the other Christmas “tree.” The thick root systems of these common residents of eastern woodlands play in an important role in holding soil in place so that other plants and trees can spring forth. The fern’s association with Christmas is multifold. As one of the few native evergreen plants of the eastern United States their color brightens the forest during the Christmas season. For this reason, they became very popular components of wreaths and other decorations during the boon of the modern Christmas celebration in the late nineteenth century. In fact, so many tons of these plants were harvested that they actually became quite scare in some areas. Only changes in cultural taste and the development of synthetic materials kept the Christmas Fern from going the way of the Dodo. But perhaps the most delightful reason these ground growing plants may be the true Christmas tree has to do with the shape of the individual leaves that sprout from the long fronds. Held in one direction, they resemble a Christmas stocking “hung by the fire with care.” Turned the other way some say it looks like Santa standing in his sleigh. I’ll leave it to you to decide which theory is correct but, as you can see, this particular fern decided to wish me a Merry Christmas with a simple wave of its deep green leaf.
16-DEC-2007
Punch Me Harder
Ah, there's nothing more peaceful than ducks on the pond. Until, that is, they explode in a water-splashing, bill snapping, mallard on mallard free for all! The jousting between these two males must have gone on for two or three minutes mid-pond and I was most pleased to capture a little of the action. So, in honor of these two fair feathered gladiators I offer a little classic Superchunk:
Punch Me Harder
by Superchunk
Punch me hard
Make me feel it
Could not pivot away
I have to steal it
I don't wanna take anything
I feel guilty when I buy it
I'm writing my lines down from now on
Maybe you should try it
Punch me harder
Punch me harder
Punch me harder
Punch me harder
Check you out
I wish I could
I'm not allowed
If I had the right code
If I smoke the right smokes
There's a little red stone that's breathing
As you're leaving it sinks
It lies at the bottom of a non-reflecting pool
Punch me harder
Punch me harder
Punch me harder
Punch me harder
16-DEC-2007
Fish or Fowl?
At first glance this may look like the familiar Canada Goose commonly seen throughout North America. But on closer inspection you will notice the colored patterns on these slightly smaller birds are a quite a bit different. They are in fact Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis) and hail from the rocky cliffs of Greenland and other artic islands. This pair is another of the rare species that appear to have made a comfortable home at the Sara Duke Gardens in Durham, North Carolina. They have surely avoided hardships faced by their wild brethren. Unlike many other birds, geese don’t directly feed their young so the goslings must be led by their parents from the rocky cliffs where they are born to wetland feeding grounds. Unfortunately, the youngsters can’t yet fly so they must take a harrowing leap of faith to the rocky shore far below in order to begin the search for food. Their light weight and thick feathers help protect them from the fall. Ironically, Barnacle Geese got their name from a medieval belief that they were born underwater like barnacles. The idea apparently developed because the geese only appeared in North European countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Scotland, and the Netherlands during the winter months so it was thought that during the rest of the year they must be developing under the sea. There coloring also somewhat resembles a barnacle. This myth proved convenient for medieval Catholics because the birds were classified as fish allowing them to be consumed during Lent. Thankfully, these relatively rare and beautiful birds are now protected from human predation. It is definitely a treat to get to seem them far from their native land happily playing with other exotic species that has been collected at the small menagerie found year round at Duke Gardens.
16-DEC-2007
The Magic of Christmas
Christmas magic comes in many forms. At the heart of the season is childhood innocence; the pure delight of little smiles warmed by sparkling lights, colorful paper, and hidden surprises chosen with love. Christmas is a more complicated affair for adults. It can be a time of high expectations and stress. But the magic of Christmas is more powerful than that. There are still those irrepressible moments of grace when someone finds a way to reach out and share a gift of love made greater by the difficulty of the effort to do so. Christmas is more than a week away and I have already received more than one such gift. In the days ahead I only hope I am able to pass it on in kind. In that spirit, I share this Christmas rose with all of you in hopes that your holiday is filled with peerless joy. As some of you know, we have experienced a terrible drought here in the Southeast. But on Saturday night heavy clouds finally gathered low in the sky and sent a steady rain to quench the thirsty earth. In the morning the skies cleared and a cool wind began to blow. And these roses at Duke Gardens opened in thanks.
11-DEC-2007
Was Thistle
Still is. Will be again. And so it goes.
