My Favorite Wild Flower

Turk's Cap Lily With Butterfly, Haywood County, NC  -  2010

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

With the abundance of wild flowers in the region where I live, it's hard to pick an absolute favorite. Stick a gun to my head, and I'll say the Turk's Cap Lily gets the nod. I happened to find this sample with a butterfly on it along the Blue Ridge Parkway in 2010. Sometimes you just end up at the right place at the right time.

And More Wall Art

Some more spray paint murals from the old Day Warehouses in Asheville. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

A Different Perspective

Up Against It, Asheville, NC  -   2016

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One of the most photographed objects in Asheville is the British double-decker bus that serves as the residence of Double D's Coffee and Desserts. I wanted something a little different than the standard postcard shot from across the street, so I came up with this.

More Wall Art

Whenever I visit the warehouses on Riverside Drive in Asheville, I'm always amazed at the new art I find. There's some real talent on display here, and a considerable investment in spray paint too! The scale, colors, and detail of these paintings (graffiti is not an adequate description) impresses me every time I visit. Here's a few more from Sunday afternoon's visit. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

By the way, all of the photos in yesterday's and today's post were made with my little Lumix point and shoot camera. You don't need a big, expensive camera to get good quality photos! I have really enjoyed doing my exploring with a camera that fits in my shirt pocket, and can still produce results like this in good light. I don't miss lugging around my DSLR at all.

Walkabout

Crocodile Dundee introduced the term walkabout to the American lexicon back in 1986. The Urban Dictionary describes a walkabout in their interesting style:

Background: Australian. Given to us by Crocodile Dundee: A spontaneous journey through the wilderness of one's choosing in an effort to satisfy one's itchy feet, a need to be elsewhere, the craving for the open road, that space over the horizon ... yes ... something like that ... you can't quite touch it, so you have to go find it, because it's, you know, it's there ... Or maybe it feels good to go walking around ... wink: Yeah. It's a WALKABOUT.

That's what I need occasionally, a walkabout with my camera. It may be in the wilderness of our mountains, or the wilderness of Asheville. Last Sunday I chose Asheville, and I went to see what there was to see. I went first to the abandoned warehouses on Riverside Drive to see what the graffiti artists have been up to. Then I roamed around downtown for a bit. Here is some of what I found. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Sidewalk Serenade

Sidewalk Serenade, Asheville, NC  -  2106

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A street musician plays for donations on Biltmore Avenue in downtown Asheville.

A Hot Time At Folkmoot

Whirling Dancer, Waynesville, NC  -  2013

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

It's July, and that means Folkmoot is just around the corner. This year's festival of dance will take place July 21-31, 2016. That's right, Folkmoot is in the middle of the most miserably hot and humid part of our summer. I love the dancers, love the costumes, dread the heat. At last year's Festival Day, I bailed around noon. It just couldn't take it any more.

As I drove home last year, I thought, "This might be last visit to Folkmoot. With this heat, it's just not worth going any more." That was a year ago, and now I'm thinking, "Well, maybe I'll try it again. Maybe it will be overcast and cooler." The possibility of capturing a good picture or two sometimes leads me to do strange and uncomfortable things.

Another Sign, Another Memory

Old Gulf Sign, Marshall, NC  -  2010

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

When I was a child, my parents usually bought their gas at a Gulf station on Veterans Blvd. in Metairie, LA. That was back in the days before self-service, when an attendant pumped your gas for you. Most gas stations had a mechanic on duty and did minor repairs. Many sold tires, and did oil changes too. Gulf became a part of history when it merged with Standard Oil of California in 1985, and both renamed as Chevron. When I saw this old Gulf sign in Marshall it reminded me of those days when gas stations were more than just a convenience store with some gas pumps out front.

The Journey

Bleeding Hearts, Canton, NC  -  2016

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

The dedicated photographer must be willing to travel, sometimes extreme distances, to get the photo. I journeyed all the way across the street to my neighbors garden to get this one. I didn't really mind, though. Bleeding Hearts are one of my favorite flowers, so I thought the trek was both necessary, and well worth the effort.

Lilies All Over

Early Morning Lily, Haywood County, NC  -  2016

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

As you drive around our area, you'll see that the lilies are in bloom. In people's gardens, or growing wild by the side of the road, they are everywhere! I caught this one just as the early morning light was beginning to illuminate it.