27° is too cold!

27°. That's the forecast high for today. And tomorrow. Is it any wonder I haven't been out with my camera lately? I did take a few snaps while I was stuck behind a wreck in the Nantahala gorge yesterday, but I was too exhausted when I got home to even download them from my camera. Maybe tomorrow.

We Three Springs, Canton, NC  -  2005

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

This is from December, 2005 while exploring the rail yard at the local paper mill. I don't know if I was supposed to be wandering around in there, but nobody chased me out, and I got a few interesting photos on another cold winter day. I guess I had Christmas on my mind when I named this one.

His Steadfast Love

Psalm 94:18 

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

As I have already shared with my Facebook friends, I had a terrifying experience on my way home from work Wednesday night. On I-40, which appeared to be clear and dry, I suddenly found myself careening sideways after hitting an unseen patch of icy road. I slid from the right lane across the left lane, hit inside guardrail with the left front corner of my truck, spun around backwards, slid back across both lanes again, and finally came to rest on the right shoulder facing the wrong way. I felt like I was watching a NASCAR wreck from the in-car camera. I was unhurt, but my poor little pickup will be in the shop for a while with its injuries.

The miracle was that in sliding completely across the highway twice, I hit no one, and no one hit me. I was blessed that there were no other vehicles close to me at the time I lost control because an emergency stop would have been impossible for anybody. I shudder to think what might have happened if there had been any big trucks coming up behind me. Instead, I came to rest, unhurt, on the shoulder, out of the way of oncoming traffic. I truly feel that my life had been spared.

A couple of my Facebook friends commented that His angels were watching over me that night. Who knows what means God used to preserve me Wednesday night, but I'm thankful that His steadfast love did hold me up!

A Little Winter Time Clean-up

Yesterday's post and today's are photos I made way back in August of 2013. The Winter months are a good time to catch up on work from the previous months since it's often too cold (for me) to get out much. So here are two more signs from my walk-about in Black Mountain. This finishes up the leftovers from August (finally!), and adds two more to my sign collection. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Please Don't Take The Signs

One thing I share in common with one of my photographic heroes, Walker Evans, is a love for signs. I enjoy seeing the creativity employed in trying to make a sign eye-catching and memorable. Sometimes the designer succeeds, sometimes not. Crisp, simple graphics seem to work best as in the example below.

Ale House Sign, Black Mountain, NC  -  2013

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

Walker Evans apparently liked signs so much that he was known to occasionally remove a sign (if no one was around) and take it home with him. I guess all heroes have their flaws. A ladder, screwdriver, and wrench are not usually part of my camera bag, so I was happy just to take home a digital copy of this one.

Down By The Frozen Creek

While stopped to make the photo on yesterday's post, I saw a creek down below where I was parked. The creek was still mostly frozen even though temperatures had crept up into the low 40s that day. It looked like some promising photo opportunities were down there, but it was way down there - about 150' down a very steep bank. Another problem was that I had neglected to put my shoulder strap back on my camera. With one hand holding the camera, that left me with only one hand to climb with.

I debated and hesitated before finally attempting the climb down. My third step was onto a flat rock that broke loose when I put my weight on it. I completely lost my footing for a second, but I had a good grip on a small tree, so disaster was averted. I could feel that cool sweat that breaks out on your forehead when you get a good scare, but I decided to continue down. I think sometimes men have to do things that scare them a little. I don't know why that is, but we've all done it, and keep doing it. I guess it's just the way God wired us - the lust for adventure.

I managed to find a safe path the rest of the way down with no damage to me or my camera. I was rewarded with a winter wonderland of a frozen creek with water flowing underneath the ice. These were the best shots of the bunch. Because of the cold by the river, and the exertion of the climb down, my hands weren't their steadiest. I tried bracing myself against trees, but a tripod would have made for sharper photos. But then I wouldn't have had any hands free for climbing! (Click on the photos to enlarge.)

I purposefully left out a shot of the creek from the road. I'll be in enough trouble when my daughters find out that their old Dad attempted something like this solo without letting them see exactly where I was climbing. We'll just keep that part of the story to ourselves.

A Day On Work Release

Frozen Drips, Avery County, NC  -  2014

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

In the freight business, January is usually one of the slowest months of the year. However, because of gross under-staffing (part of the trendy "Lean" business philosophy), we've been busier than a one armed wall paper hanger. For the past three weeks I haven't had much time for anything but work and getting ready to go back to work. There certainly hasn't been any time for photography.

I was able to take a personal day yesterday to drive Courtney back to Boone for the start of the new semester at Appalachian State. I used time on the drive back to do a little exploring with my camera, and I found these ice formations from the water that constantly seeps from the cliff face on 221 in Avery County. The combination of the ice on the dark, rough stone seemed to demand a B&W rendition. I also got to spend some time scrambling down to a frozen creek about 150' below the highway. I'll post some of those photos later. It was a day away from the chaos at work that I sorely needed!

Semi-hibernation

One O Four, Charleston, SC  -  2013

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

I've either been too busy, or the weather has been to cold to go out and make pictures lately. So, like a bear living off the fat he put on on the warmer months, I've gone back to re-visit photos made in the warmer months of 2013. While sipping coffee and listening to some classic Rory Gallagher music, I looked over some photos I made on a trip to Charleston last April. Ones like this brought back memories of an enjoyable trip and warmer weather.