More From Sunday Night

Joseph's Dream, Waynesville, NC  -  2013

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This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."  (Matthew 1:18-21)

Merry Christmas to all!

Sometimes We All Need A Little Help

Mother's Helper, Waynesville, NC  -  2013

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I can't believe how busy I've been since Thanksgiving - hardly any time for photos! Finally, I got to shoot some during two Christmas programs at church on Sunday.

Our church pianist occasionally enlists the help of her son to turn pages on the music, on what I guess are the more complicated pieces. I shot several of their teamwork on this song; this one seemed to best capture the concentration of both of them. I made it a toned B&W and used a light colored vignette to obscure distractions in the background.

Late, but not really.

Late Season Tree, Canton, NC  -  2013

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We finally put up our Christmas tree last night. Yeah, I know, most folks would say we're really late, but we've always done it with the kids, and this is the first Christmas for us without at least one of our two daughters living at home. We wanted to wait until Courtney got home from college for Christmas break because it just wouldn't be the same putting up the tree without one of the girls helping. Heather, who is living in Lenoir now, won't be able to come home until Christmas Eve.

I remember when my grandmother stopped putting up a Christmas tree because of her age, and because she always came to our house for Christmas anyway. It saddened me when she told me that it was too much trouble for her any more. She had a tiny Christmas tree that sat on one of her end tables; I think seeing that little tree made it even sadder. Eventually my own mother went the "tiny tree on the end table" route because a big tree was too much for her after my dad died.

I'm dreading the day when putting up a Christmas tree will be too much for me too handle. I hope that day is a long way off. Decorating the tree with the family is too much a part of Christmas for me, and the season wouldn't be the same with only a tiny tree on the end table. So I hope I'll always have a Christmas tree in my living room, no matter how long I have to wait for someone to help us decorate it.

Good Enough

My Yard In Winter, Canton, NC  - 2013

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I'm not one of those guys who is fanatical about lawn care. I like my yard to look neat, but hey, I have other things to do. I keep my yard mowed in the summer; I rake the leaves (most of them, anyway) in the fall. That's about as fastidious as I get about it.

So right now you'll find a few leaves left in my yard, and they'll probably still be there when I crank up the lawn mower for the first time next spring. The yard doesn't look too bad does it?

Frosty Mornings

Frost Patterns, Canton, NC  -  2013

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We haven't gotten much in the way of snow yet this winter, but frost on the windows of my truck is a common occurrence in the morning. I had time to photograph this pattern one morning before I started scraping before leaving for work.

A Little Snow

Old Hampton Store, Linville, NC  -  2011

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While driving back from Boone one snowy day two winters ago, I stopped by the Old Hampton Store in Linville. The store was closed - maybe they went home early because of the weather. I got what I really wanted anyway, a nice photo of the store in the lightly falling snow.