Asheville ~:~ CLicKs

Dewey Details

2012-01-29T08:05:00.000-08:00

I love to inspect the tiny details of things! I was at the Gnomon the other morning and it was so sparkly with sunshine and dew drops I just had to take a closer look.
[Click an image to enlarge.]

Malaprop's Books

2012-01-29T07:58:00.000-08:00

Any morning is a good morning to head over to Malaprop's Books. Cozy, inviting and they have an excellent cafe in the shop! I could easily lose most of a day wandering among the shelves, exploring and inspecting all of the intersting books and ideas just waiting to be found. This is our go-to store in town for gifts, second only to the toy store.

N. Market St. - Puck Face Glyph

2012-01-29T07:43:00.000-08:00

I was cutting through a parking lot between N. Market and Broadway downtown one evening when this glyph caught my eye, winking back at me out of the darkness and changing its expression with the street lights. [Click an image to enlarge]

Richmond Hill Inn: Goodbyes and Hellos

2012-01-28T16:31:00.000-08:00

The Richmond Hill Inn, former personal residence of Ambassador and Congressman Richmond Pearson in 1889, and recently gutted by an arson fire 3 years ago, was opened today to bid a community farewell to the historic home which was once the centerpiece of the property. The new owners, Oshun Mountain Sanctuary, Inc., plan to save what they can from the house, demolish the remains and re-open the property as a health and wellness retreat.

This is a bittersweet goodbye for the Asheville Preservation Society, who saved the property from demolition in 1989 and restored it to mint condition only to lose it to arson in 2009. Still, the grounds and newer buildings are beautiful as are the walking trails around the area. It will be a relief to be able to once again visit the premises.

The official ceremony takes place at 3 but the property will be open until 5 this evening and the bulldozers arrive first thing in the morning to clear away the debris. Then the real re-building can begin.

I completely enjoyed the music of Mary Sparks and her fantastic dulcimer as she played in the solarium while Larry Camaratta led a group through the Eight Pieces of Brocade using the Qigong method. I am looking forward to wonderful and transformative events to come from this place!

Blind Pig: Washuko

2012-01-24T14:04:00.000-08:00

Blind Pig Supper Club brought the Far East to Western North Carolina Sunday evening for their Japanese style Washuko dinner at Gaining Ground Farm, inside a refurbished dairy barn in Leicester. One of the largest dinners to date with 90+ plates and 12 beautiful and delicious courses, just another opportunity for Blind Pig to show Asheville the "epic" in epicurean.

The kitchen resembled a revolving door for most of the evening with servers whisking plates to diners and then returning to whisk them away when they were finished, only to be followed by another course, the pace steady but relentless. Proceeds from the dinner were donated to ASAP, the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Program.

The barn was decorated with new paintings on brown butcher paper from Andy Herod. Throughout the dinner music from DJ Rob Castillo not only kept the mood rolling but had people up on their feet and dancing in the aisles!

Cheers to yet another wonderful supper from the Blind Pig. Check out more of my photos from the Washuko dinner at Blind Pig's Facebook page and website. Now I'm looking forward to next month's dinner, Women on Top.

[Click any image to enlarge.]

Animal Smush the Home Game

2012-01-21T12:55:00.000-08:00

MJ sprained her ankle this week resulting in a pile of couch time while we wait for the healing of those muscles. To stave off boredom and do something creative together we dusted off a game we used to play when the kids were younger. It's more of an art project directive than a game really as there's no competition and everyone wins but it keeps you occupied and creative for at least a solid hour without any TV.

How to play Animal Smush:

You will need paper, or other flatish drawable surface, and/or pens, pencils, markers, crayons, charcoal, spraypaint, etc.

1. Make a list of all the animals you can think of.
2. Cut up your list into strips of paper and put them into a bowl or jar. (We also use animal flash cards from another game we have.)
3. Reach into the jar and pull out 2 or 3 slips of paper.
4. Create an animal which is a combination of those suggestions with the most colorful and descriptive drawing you can muster.
5. You must also name your new creature and write at least 2 descriptive sentences about it which include information about what kind of an animal it is, or what it likes or does not like, what it eats, etc.

This little art project has resulted in some unexpected hybrids this weekend. Here are a few of mine. . . I know they're cartoony and goofy but that's the best part!

Hummingbird Jam

2012-01-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time a friend gave me a mobile of hummingbirds with little wood bodies and metal appendages. It was something she thought I would like and I did! It served as a mobile in the children's "sky room" when they were babies and hung from the porch we built on to our old garden shed for a while. We enjoyed it still when we hung it on the porch in Asheville and watched them spin like crazy in the tumultuous winds of Western North Carolina's constantly swirling weather. But eventually the bits of string and wire fell apart and the little birds were free of their eccentric circles. I decided to share a pair of my little birds with a different friend who is always coming up with excellent creative re-uses for things that are diassociated from their original context. How wonderfully surprised and happy I was to see how he had made hummingbird jam out of one of them! Thank you Chirstopher it is indeed wonderful jam!

*Quick update - a friend suggested I try this in sepia.

Steep Canyon Rangers Pack the Peel

2012-01-14T13:42:00.000-08:00

Local bluegrass favorites, the Steep Canyon Rangers, played to a full house at the Orange Peel for the Evergreen Community Charter School annual fundraiser. They even had a cool on-line auction that will be going on through January 22nd so if you missed the show you still have a chance to help out the school. The auction has a spectrum of neat stuff and experiences available to bid on from art to travel opportunities and you get the big excuse of "it's for a good cause" to spend the money. More pictures from the show will be up soon on the Orange Peel's Facebook Page. I'll post a link as soon as it's available.

Click an image to view larger.

The Critters EP Release at AHA AVL

2012-01-14T08:31:00.000-08:00

Local, acid-rock group The Critters held their EP release show for "Visions of Light" at AHA AVL on Wednesday night, presented by the Moog Sound Lab. AHA AVL is a monthly, invitation only concert series that showcases Asheville's local bands who are given access to top of the line Moog equipment for the show.

The Critters poured it on to a packed house for over an hour with several encores - although that may have been because it was so crowded they couldn't get off the stage. Moog does A/V recordings of these shows and posts them on their website and you tube so keep an eye out for updated videos to be up soon or catch them live this Friday (1//20/12) at the Bobo Gallery.

[Click an image to enlarge.]

Related Links: AHA AVL: Kovacs and the Polar Bear

I Brake for Chocolate. . .

2012-01-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

. . .as long as it's in front of the French Broad Chocolate Lounge!

I took the girls out for an afternoon cuppa of real hot chocolate this week and it certainly did the trick of turning a nasty rainy day into something to smile about! They each had a plain hot chocolate but I had the Cayenne & Cinnamon which is sweet, spicy and completely delicious! It was a small, yet excellent, luxury to sit with my daughters in this cozy space, listen to them talk about their day, drink the most magical of concoctions and dream about what we will order the next time we return.

[Click an image to see it larger.]

It's a Secret! Super Chip Mix

2012-01-14T05:54:00.000-08:00

So here we are on the first of many fun Saturday mornings to come. I'm all fired up and ready to go with lots of neat things to share.

MJ has just finished reading the Secret series by Pseudonymous Bosch; a really fun mystery, spy, adventure, fantasy book series aimed at the 4-8th grade set. I've read them all too and I think they're well written, definitely an interesting read. And that's about all I can tell you, because the rest you see, is a Secret.

I will risk telling you that the heroine of the story, a girl named Cass (not her real name), is a teenage survivalist who sees impending disasters everywhere (maybe) and one of her many odd proclivities is always having easily storable dry food around that she can munch on - Super Chip Mix (although I won't swear to this) in case of an emergency. The recipe is included in the book and of course we had to make some. Now we're hooked on it (although we did some improvising as well). Everyone who's tried it agrees, that's tasty!

Super Chip Mix
Chocolate Chips
Peanut Butter Chips
Banana Chips
Potato Chips

We adapted ours to include also:

Sub the chololate chips for chocoloate covered pretzels
Sub the potato chips for Sweet Potato chips. (Less greasy, better flavor.)
Butterscotch chips
Sometimes nuts like almond, cashew or peanut

Completing My Circle

2012-01-11T10:32:00.000-08:00

So here I am. Back at the beginning - January 11 - completeing the second full year of this "little" project.

Looking back on 2011 one month at a time was an excellent opportunity for me to put the year into scope. I truly appreciated the break from the daily creation for a minute while getting a chance to review what I've accomplished. Perspective is everything and those daily little steps sure can add up to some long miles. 2011 was a fabulous year of making friends, exploring places and trying new things. This project continues to be a great outlet as well as a challenge for me; a daily motivator to get up and look for something new and think a little more thoroughly about what I see.

Real and wonderful changes are happening in our lives right now and I am deeply grateful for all the blessings we are experiencing. My schedule, however, is becoming increasingly more demanding with work and family life; the upcoming move (which was also the most popular post of Dec.) is about to put a real hitch in my giddy-up. So I'm shifting the focus of the project a bit to give myself some air. For 2012 Asheville CLicKs will be a 52 week project. This will keep me regularly updated and still curious, without the daily deadline pressure, as well as allowing for some more flexibility with the layout and focus on the places and events of the most interest. I'll post a new set of shots along with some notes for the week every Saturday. As always, if there's a place you think I should go see, or an event you'd like me to attend or mention just drop me a note here. I'm always looking for new suggestions!

And while I'm thinking about new things, 2012 will definitely be a growing year as I work to build my own studio space and take aim at the next set of goals to become more self sustainable and successful here in Asheville. I'm looking forward to documenting this next rotation of the sun over these mountains with a skip in my step and a gleam in my eye. Honestly, I can't wait to find out where I end up next. Look for me, I'll see you Saturday!

November 2011

2012-01-10T05:11:00.000-08:00

Home stretch! November flew by with more great things to see and do! Tedx Asheville was a fantastic experience, I learned so much! Saw Karl Denson's Tiny Universe and Anders Orsborn play Sticky Fingers from beginning to end at the OP. The multi-artist show "Uncharted Waters" at the Phil Mechanic was cool. Checked out the Asheville Zipline with my family for a thrill. Watched the sun set on Asheville from the top of One North Pack. And caught a groove with Kovacs and the Polar Bear at the Moog.

But Blind Pig blew them all away with their early November dinner "An Offal Experience".

October 2011

2012-01-09T10:59:00.000-08:00

October was a busy and productive month with lots of lovely discoveries. I started sneeking out to the Admiral, the abandonded church next door turned out to be a piano and organ graveyard, spent a morning checking out the great grandaddy glyphs at Judaculla Rock, found a forgotten forest where an anonymous artist creates hundreds of rock cairns, and shambled with zombies into an Agent 23 music video at the Zombiewalk. But the most popular post of the month was G. Love at the Orange Peel sporting his new "Cesspool of Sin" T-Shirt.

G.Love in the A.Ville

September 2011

2012-01-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

Always a busy month for us as both kids have their birthdays during this time and we're still settling into the new school routines. This year I also submitted two photos to the Mountain State Fair for their competition and won 1st and 3rd place! But the most exciting part of September was going to my first Blind Pig dinner and it was such a thrill! Now I'm their event photographer and I get to go to them all!

Fire & Chocolate with the Blind Pig

August 2011

2012-01-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

My favorite Asheville party of the year at the Orange Peel, the AAAC's "Color" Ball. This year the theme was turquoise and it was an amazing feast for the eyes.

8.27.11: The Turquoise Ball

Here's the complete album from the night on the Orange Peel's Facebook Page.

July 2011

2012-01-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

July was utterly dominated by Bele Chere Bingo! Just check out those man jorts!

June 2011

2012-01-05T05:57:00.000-08:00

June was sweet for us, swimming and tubing in the rivers, joining the Bywater, watching the flowers bloom and cooking out at the Shed!

Favorite of June by far though was the Yarn Storm project which took over several big trees throughout the French Broad River Park on Amboy Rd. for a few days.

After the Yarnstorm

A close second was the Harvest Records pre-release listening party for the latest Gillian Welch CD The Harrow and The Harvest.

Gillian Welch Listen-In at Harvest Records

May 2011

2012-01-04T08:58:00.000-08:00

Still happy to be remembering warmer days and fun times from the past year. I'm using it as my own personal bottle of sunshine! In fact, if you're feeling chilly I highly recommend looking through the posts from the warm months.

Honestly, there wasn't much about May I didn't like. I participated in the first Big Love Fest, we watched the baby robins in their nest, Food Trucks were a hot topic and Chicken Alley got a beautiful new mural.

Most popular though was the advent of the LaZoom Asheville Art Tour which I got a sneak peek at thanks to my friend Jennifer Saylor of BlogAsheville who invited me along.

LaZoom's New Asheville Art Tour with Gabriel Schaffer

And then there's my personal favorite project of the month. The cheerful Pink mural created by Molly Rose Freeman for the Asheville Rites Project. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this lovely piece bloom under her careful hand and always ejoyed chatting with Molly when I ran in to her at the site.

Mural Mid-way On Riverside Drive

April 2011

2012-01-03T08:31:00.000-08:00

Now I know this was a good idea! The wind is ice cold and howling past the door outside so much I had to lock the screen to keep it from coming off. But inside I have a hot cup of coffee, my beautiful children with me for a surprise extra day, a glowing fire to keep us all toasty, and thoughts of spring and April to warm me up.

And April was so busy with awesomness too! There was the amazing stunt antics of Action Fest 2, Aaron Wood had his CD Release Party at the Highland Brewery, the Asheville Artist Resource Center opened and I made friends with Judith and Carylsle Murphy of the WestVillage Market's Farmacy Juice and Tonic Bar!

March 2011

2012-01-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

This was the month I got to work with the lovely ladies of the Circle in West Asheville on their Funktastic Fashion Shoot as a warm up for their Equinox Fashion Show. It was such a pleasure to work with the local designers and models and we had a great time!

Funktastic Festival Fashion Comes Around at the Circle Gallery

Link to the Photo Shoot Pics on Facebook!

February 2011

2012-01-01T10:22:00.000-08:00

The top posts for February last year were two of my favorites too!

The kids and I had so much fun at this wildly successful flash mob downtown at Pack Square.
The Anti-Valentine's Day Pillow Fight Flash Mob

I'm always telling somebody about Rocky and the rest of the yard crew and their caboose rescue mission at Craggy Mountain Line: Saving Asheville's Railroad Past.

Countdown

2011-12-31T12:59:00.000-08:00

Well this year went by fast! I've had lots of questions about what was your favorite photo for the year? Ah! Another magpie problem of mine, hard favorites! If you looked at a picture I made this year it was my favorite, at least for a minute. I figured the fairest way to do it was to post shots from the most popular pics of each month from the blog. Since my annual restart date is 1/11 that gives me 12 days to hit them all.

January was a tie between two posts, both in the River Arts District.

Pot Luck Lunchin' at the Phil Mechanic

and

The Riverlink Labyrinth

Steam Powered Breakfast

2011-12-30T11:52:00.000-08:00

I got a new steamer for Christmas and the kids figured out you can do a hard boiled egg in it so we had steamed eggs for breakfast today. (They were done perfectly, by the way, even the one with a tiny crack.)

12.29.11: New Fort in Old Fort

2011-12-30T08:07:00.000-08:00

The kids and I went exploring in Old Fort. We stopped in at the Mountain Gateway Museum which was fun and very interesting to the kids who liked the re-built cabins and access to the stream very much. We enjoyed checking out the vintage toys and shoes and all the different things they have at the museum.

Then we went to find the new fort that they're building for historical re-enactors, it's called the Davidson's Fort Historic Park. They're still in the process of building it and are looking for donations to finish it up, check out their website and give them a hand if you can. I've been watching their progress as I go up and down I-40 for work so it was fun to take the kids in to it and have a poke around. Now we're looking forward to coming out to see the Spring Muster at the fort in May.

12.28.11:Caboose Wheel - Off/On

2011-12-29T15:28:00.000-08:00

I prefer the technical terms "righty, tighty, lefty, loosey" but it's effectively the same information as long as the screw turns.

12.27.11:Zoom!

2011-12-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

Playing with my new toys - this cute little wind up was from my youngest.

Hello Hopeville!

2011-12-26T12:48:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year I got a house. Not just any house, a charmingly sweet bungalow built in 1924 that's always been lived in by people who have loved and cared for it. I'm glad to say that we'll be able to continue that tradition and stay in the neighborhood we've come to love. We got the word on Christmas Eve that the seller accepted our offer and we finalized the first of the paperwork today. In another month and a half or so we'll finally be home to stay!

Now that I have a place to dig in my heels there's no hill I can't climb! Already dreaming grand dreams of the garden and summer project, a cob built hobbit hole/eco-studio in the backyard!

Ready for Christmas Day

2011-12-25T18:18:00.000-08:00

A beautiful family day spent together enjoying each other and talking on the phone with family all over the country.

Christmas Morning, everyone.

H's with Mad Libs and her new headlamp.

MJ Sportin the Nerf Football

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

Gifts wrapped? Check.
Stockings hung? Check.
Children nestled all snug in their beds? Check.
Quiet house? Check.

Looks like everything's just right,
And to all a good night. . .

Christmas Eve Eve

2011-12-23T16:33:00.000-08:00

Took this at Pulp the other night and thought it was a pretty enough little ornament to share. I've been snuggled in under a pile of kids and dog with a roaring hot fire and two boxes of cocoa all day. Yeah, we're good. Merry Christmas Eve Eve Asheville!

Winter Solstice in the Gnomon

2011-12-22T14:35:00.000-08:00

I had heard rumors that the Gnomon has been lighting up at night and I tumbled in late on the winter solstice to see the possible spectacle first hand. Christopher is trying to trick out most of the garden in blue, green, purple or white lights as a community display this season so I guess I know what I'll be leaving as a present to this beautiful, labor of love garden.

Light is a traditional gift to be given and enjoyed on the solstice. If you're throwing out non functioning strands of lights or want to permanently donate some to the cause it would be very special and you could leave them in the mailbox or by the door; that's what I'm doing anyway.

“Your path is illuminated by the light, yet darkness lets the stars shine bright.” – J.L.W. Brooks

Lucia Luxy

Jolly St. Christopher.

Lumens of LED

12.21.11: Festival of Lights

2011-12-22T13:38:00.000-08:00

We went to the last night of the Festival of Light at Lake Julian Park tonight. Big displays and easy viewing, although next year I definitely want to go on the first night when they let you walk instead of drive. The kids certainly enjoyed it and I had fun painting with the lights. . .

12.20.11: Letters

2011-12-21T04:24:00.000-08:00

"I should have's," are popular with me this time of year. There is a mile long list this time around. Work, life and my own determined procrastinations have brought me to this point. But I've already figured out my rationalization that will get me off the hook and back on track to a happy yule.

Attention those of our near and dears who expected media contact in wrtitten form from us this year, Holiday cards and letter will probably arrive by Valentine's Day. We love you. That is all.

Now that I have forgiven myself of this odious annual task and postponed it for a nebulous future time, I'm happy, relaxed and ready for the holiday. The kids are home from school, we're enjoying the time together and doing fun crafts like paper snowflakes and baking. Bring on the cheer!

12.19.11: Patton Avenue: Pink Mutant Glyph

2011-12-20T08:44:00.000-08:00

I was sad to see someone took down the Teal Mutant sticker glyph on Lexington Ave, but happy to see that a huge pink one has appeared on Patton Ave. just beyond Westgate. That smiling, stretchy, lopsided, big hearted guy makes me smile everytime I spot him.

12.18.11: Nativity Play

2011-12-20T05:47:00.000-08:00

I told you we were doing back to back to back performances. Sunday night the kids were angels in the nativity play at church. The whole play was sweet and simple, just the way I like it.

12.17.11: Christmas Shopping

2011-12-19T13:57:00.000-08:00

MJ insisted I take her out to shop for her sister Saturday so we headed over to Dancing Bear Toys. I've said it before and I'll say it again - GREAT TOY STORE! 100% imagination powered toys and crafts, no video games. Asheville's lucky since we actually have three great toy stores like this, besides Dancing Bear on Tunnel Road, there's the Toy Box on Merrimon and O.P. Taylor's Toys in Skyland. Why would you ever want to shop at the Big Box stores when you have wonderlands like these waiting to take your imagination to a whole new level?

12.16.11: Eblen Intermediate

2011-12-19T05:11:00.000-08:00

We went to the open house on Friday night to tour the new Joseph P. Eblen Intermediate School!! Schools fulfill such a huge role in our communities and it's a special thing to be the first kids in a brand new building.

The classrooms are spacious and energy efficient with an emphasis on diffused natural lighting, the band room is generous with a big closet for all the instruments, the library, they call it the treeehouse, is so inviting and the gymnatorium looks like something out of a sci-fi novel. They also do rain water reclamation and there's a huge sundial on one of the outside walls.

Big thanks to all of the teachers and staff who have been teaching on the fringes at the elementary and middle schools since September, waiting for this space to become a reality. It may have been a little late on delivery, and put everyone through their paces getting it set up to be ready for Friday night, but it was certainly worth the wait. Classes begin bright and early Monday morning and everyone is excited to get settled in and bring this beautiful new place to life.

12.15.11: Winter Concerts

2011-12-18T14:18:00.000-08:00

Part of the reason for the delay this week was back to back to back concerts for my children in varying Winter Concerts. And let's face it, when you have musical children this is the highlight of the season so other things (like daily blogs and work schedules) have to do some adjusting to accomodate. At first we were facing a head to head schedule conflict between Elementary and Intermediate School programs but thankfully, there were some rearrangements and we managed to see everything (in spite of some very tight one point turn arounds on Mom and Dad's parts). Worth every second!

MJ - 1st Chair Percussionist

H's Chorus Solos

12.14.11:Grove Park Inn's Ginger Wonderland

2011-12-18T08:37:00.000-08:00

Got up to the Grove Park Inn this week to check out the National Gingerbread Competition. Always inspiring and beautifully done, I like the way they have re-arranged the flow of the displays this year. Viewing areas are more spread out through the hotel which keeps the knots of crowds from forming like they have in years past and gives you a chance to explore the GPI a little more.

There were so many creative interpretations of ginger bread construction; they smell as good as they look too! I picked out my favorites to share.

Gingerbread Food Truck!

Still Life with Gingerbread

Real Life with Gingerbread - Dig the Pears!

Great Concept!

The Haunted Gingerbread

Sewing Mice?

Cedar Grove Town Hall

Wow!

Mug Monsters!

2011-12-13T16:38:00.000-08:00

This is Max Ernst, MJ's much adored mug monster which she got for her 11th birthday. Mug Monsters are pure Asheville, made here locally and make a great gift and buddy! Handmade with recycled fabrics and faces as unique as you are, they want you to be their new master. In return they will protect your soup or drink, keep it hot or cold for 4-5 hours, and smile wide when you look inside!

AND. . . Go to the Mug Monster Facebook page and check this out!

‎500th Mug Monster: Special Edition....... Would you like to WIN? We propose a contest. Shower Mug Monsters with your creative fanluv. Compose a poem, haiku, funny photo, cosplay pic set, interpretive dance, whatever your fancy. The general theme being a celebration of the Mug Monster Horde at large, scattered throughout this wide Earth. Post this celebration on your Facebook Wall over the next two weeks, and tag Mug Monsters in it. The winner will be selected by distinguished jury, on Dec. 19, Mug Monsters' 5th Anniversary!

Radiant for Christmas!

2011-12-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

You can find large and small prints of my Rorschachian Abstract Radiant series for sale at two great local shops here in Asheville this year. I have a variety of sizes for as little as $15 each at the Circle on Haywood Rd in West Asheville. Many of my larger pieces from the same series are downtown at the Goldworks Gallery on Wall Street.

Signed, matted, numbered and ready to go with an amazing variety of colors, textures and images. The large pieces (10x15 and up) also come with our custom framing that lets you spin your Radiant on the wall so you can inspect it from any orientation.

With images like this the question isn't 'What is it?' but 'What do you see?'

Autumn Ripples

12.11.11: Scaling Black Dome

2011-12-12T05:20:00.000-08:00

Spotted this cool sculpture on the side of Black Dome Mountain Sports today. They've got lots of great gear for your little carabiner! Don't forget to shop local this year! I'll be giving out suggestions all week about some of my favorite places to shop local in Asheville this season.

12.10.11: Help-Portrait Day

2011-12-11T13:47:00.001-08:00

Here's my sweet friend Nicki, trying on her fake finger mustache and goofing it up with me between sessions while we were photographing for Help-Portrait, a non-profit organization that provides family and personal portraits to anyone who needs one. A GREAT organization! Check out what was accomplished by Help-Portrait worldwide on 12.10.11 and this amazing global community of folks!

The Dripolator for Breakfast

2011-12-09T13:13:00.001-08:00

First of all, yum! Had the spinach, red pepper, Swiss and chick pea quiche at the Drip for breakfast this morning while I got caught up with my friend, the Lovely Leslie. Delicious! That and their Mayan Mocha, I'm totally hooked on all of these yummy spicy coffee drinks.

A fun looking couple walked in while we were there and I instantly knew we would get along. I even told Leslie, I wish I could take THEIR picture. They paused to have a chat with us about style and cameras and life and while we were chatting I did a quick, but happy portrait of them. Actualizing wishes, what a great way to start the day!

12.8.11: Christmas time is here again. . .

2011-12-09T11:14:00.001-08:00

So amid all of our work, school and schedules it is once again Christmas time. Personally I find myself having less time for organizing for it than ever. The kids (bless them) are into it on a whole new level this year. They've both been saving their money to buy presents for others, helping out with cleaning the house and generally making me so proud of who they are growing up to be. This week their goal was to get the tree set up and decorated. Mission accomplished! Outside lights are apparently still Dad's traditional problem . . .

12.7.11: Thanks for the Ride Invader!

2011-12-08T12:57:00.001-08:00

My friend David let the girls take his horse Invader out for a short ride over the weekend. It was such a thrill for them. This was no nose to tail trail ride either! They went up the mountain and back and did great!! So proud of my cowgirls! Thanks David! Thanks Invader! Good boy!

12.6.11:Linville Falls in the Rain

2011-12-08T12:18:00.001-08:00

I have a habit of finding places at just the right time. I try to be sensitive to the idea of chairos (the right time) vs. chronos (linear scheduled time). So I was really curious what I would discover when I found myself, with two and half hours to kill between jobs, pulling into the parking lot of Linville Falls in a pouring rain storm. But that's when the spigot is on full blast with a waterfall so that's worth a walk in the rain for a look any day in my book. Boy was it ever! I didn't want to get too far out onto the trail or I would have shown up for work looking like a drowned rat but did manage to do the .4 mile trot to the falls and back in about 45 minutes. And the view? Foggy, but breathtaking! I also wandered up to the cabin in the truck but found it locked up tight. Next time I'll do the full hike to the Erwin and Chimney Overlooks as well. Great lunch break!

12.5.11: The Apple Valley Cafe

2011-12-08T09:47:00.001-08:00

Excited to find out I'll be putting up some photos for consignment at the Apple Valley Cafe (re-opening under new managent) on Chimney Rock Road in Edneyville. The photos are all of local sights in the Apple Valley and the orchards. Looking forward to having another regular place to show my work and I'll be updating the prints regularly as I continue to photograph in the area. If you're out that way, stop in and have a look.

Green Apples, Red Basket

Apple Crates

Last of the Season

Picker's Ladders

12.4.11: Blind Pig : Appalachian Avant-Garde

2011-12-08T06:48:00.001-08:00

Blind Pig's last dinner of the 2011 season, spotlighting Chef William Dissen and the culinary team of the Marketplace Restaurant, convened in the Flood Gallery of the Phil Mechanic Studios in the River Arts District on Sunday evening. The dinner was orchestrated by Chef Dissen as an homage to a traditional Appalachian Sunday dinner yet completely re-imagined as a gourmet art gallery for your senses.

Here, plate for canvas, you find beet pickled quail eggs and scrapple amid shmears of whole grain mustard and colorful rosettes of chow chow. Or a cream of chicken and dumplings soup so fresh and good it's not just going to make you feel better, it may have just saved your life! Or pork loin with red-eye gravy, deep fried macaroni and cheese dressed out with collard greens as gelee cubes and small garnishes of cracklins for texture. Or apple cake with strawberry mousse, sprinkled with pop rocks and accompanied by an aperitif of sassafras tea and white lightnin' moonshine. It was all there and it was all delectably beautiful!!

While the food was appreciated, we were amused with several stories by local story teller Connie Regan-Blake, serenaded with the melodious harmonies of Underhill Rose and surrounded by the photography of Tim Barnwell. But Tim Barnwell and myself were not the only photographers in the room that night. It was delightful to watch everyone whip out their camera phones as soon as their plates arrived. Anticipation and capture of fleeting moments of art are always a motivator for me. I'm glad to see I have this emotion in common with so many people that attend these dinners. I often feel so torn about consuming these works of food art vs. absorbing it with my eyes. That's what the big camera is for however, and at these artfully created dinners eating ALWAYS wins! Another fantastic evening of experiences for all of your senses with the Blind Pig!

Pictures are up at the Blind Pig's website , here's a few to get you started. . .

The Pump Gallery at the Phil Mechanic Studios currently featuring puppets by Madison Cripps.

Chef William Dissen reinterprets the Sunday Dinner and honors his West Virginia roots.

Mike Moore welcomes Suzy Salwa Phillips to dinner.

Connie Regan-Blake spinning yarns into tales.

Molly Rose Reed, of Underhill Rose, sipping the soup.

Underhill Rose

Blind Pig : Fire & Chocolate

Blind Pig : An Offal Experience

12.3.11: It's a Sign: 24/7 Prayer Station

2011-12-06T18:42:00.001-08:00

This little spot has been calling out to me for a closer look each time I've passed it - which happens roughly twice a quarter so that's more than a few times. It's just outside of Burnsville on N221 and if you're from there you know it's there so it's no big deal. And if you're not from there you probably don't even know that it's there so also, no big deal.

Except it's a big deal to me, personal thought breakthourgh seems to happen most when I'm staring down the line of infinity we call road. You see, first of all I love it; not the sign by itself exactly. It represents this little log chapel and the concept behind it. Here I find this silent little roadside attraction. It's intention, to me, seems to be not for the notice of the vehicles but those who might be walking or stranded. And it doesn't say it belongs to this or that church or congregation, it belongs to you, for a moment, if you need it, ever.

If you're in a car, you've driven past it before you've seen it. If you're walking, and it's cold, or rainy or anything that requires comfort and walking AND you passed this place, I'm sure you'd be called right in through the front door though it's completely empty. The world might be signicantly better if we had as many of these as we had gas stations. Just a thought.

And it set my poor brain in motion (like thoughts tend to do) about signs and their essential nature. One kind of sign can make a place into a total taboo. How many times have I ridden that sense of daring foreboding and adventure because I read a sign that suggested I ought not to do so? 9 times out of 10 that sign was created to invoke that exact affect on me.

Opposite of this are signs, like for our Prayer Station here, offering a pulsing little beacon of hope or solace or both to someone who needs it. A small, quiet bubble of sacristy to the attentive. And after more contemplation of minutiae I discover yet another fun photo series for me to pursue: "It's A Sign"

12.2.11: The Last of the Pink Ladies

2011-12-04T21:34:00.001-08:00

Found a crate of beautiful Pink Lady Apples out in Edneyville on Chimmney Rock Road. This is the end of the season and most of the orchards are closed for the year so we had to get some while we still can. The Honeycrisps (kids utter favorite) are all long gone by now. . .

12.1.11: Main Street Christmas - Weaverville

2011-12-04T21:11:00.001-08:00

For a self admitted luxoholic, Christmas is a magical time. Every town around here has their own light theme with practically no overlap. I love to look at all the pretty little lights but it makes January feel even darker once they're all over with.

11.30.11: Abandoned Dairy Farm

2011-12-04T20:51:00.001-08:00

I've found myself doing a lot of rolling around McDowell County lately and pretty much fell into this abandoned dairy farm up in North Cove. Beautiful rock built place and the best part is that the local elementary school uses this spot to do archaeological digs that get the kids excited about exploring, understanding and connecting with the past.

11.29.11: Andrew's Geyser

2011-12-04T02:18:00.001-08:00

Driving through Old Fort on Tuesday morning and have been promising myself to check out Andrew's Geyser I had some extra time and was in the area so I took myself on a little field trip. Beautiful country up there and a nice little road trip with plenty of views and curves.

11.28.11: Cross Mountain Traffic

2011-12-04T01:33:00.001-08:00

I got caught up in a nasty stretch of cross mountain traffic on 40 at Black Mountain coming home Monday evening. The highway was shut down for over half an hour for everyone's saftey mostly the police and firefighters on the scene. So there I am in the car waiting for the traffic to clear leaving me time to examine and contemplate the rain drops.

11.27.11: Asheville Zipline

2011-12-03T12:08:00.001-08:00

Sunday, MJ got a belated birthday present from her Dad, a visit to the Asheville Zip Line at the Crowne Plaza Resort. At first she was thrilled but as we loaded into the car she started asking questions like 'What if there's lightning?', ' What if the cable breaks?' , 'What if I fall?', etc. Her eyes were wide as saucers as we pulled into the parking lot and tried to allay her sudden onset of concerns. But she was totally determined not back out and so relieved to see that they let you learn on the ground before they put you up in the air. (I had the same feeling before my first hang gliding lesson. I did not crash in the Atlantic!) And when she came back to earth at the end she looked so confident and unstoppable! Great job MJ! Way to zip!

Here are MJ's Top 5 things about the Asheville Zipline:

1. I felt like I was flying!
2. I got to spend some quality time with my Dad on a real adventure.
3. Somtetimes I would be the first to go sometimes I was the last one to go, either way it
made me feel special.
4. They gave me nicknames like "Jane", "Cannonball" and "Little Bean".
5. I felt so lucky to be up high in the trees! I could see all of Asheville!

11.26.11: Vollis Simpson's Whirligig Farm

2011-12-02T09:41:00.001-08:00

No road trip is ever complete for me without a stop at a roadside attraction, it's kind of a hobby. On our way home from Eastern NC we routed our trip through Lucama, NC to stop in and see the grand daddy of roadside attractions Vollis Simpson's Whirligig Farm. Mr. Simpson creates enormous whirligig windmills, as well as little ones, and all sorts of other weldable art.

It is such a joy to come around the corner of a country road and find this winking back at you in the sunshine! We were lucky to catch him in his shop and after a brief chat he waved us off to the pasture to check out these amazing contraptions up close. We oohed and ahhed at the sights and clinky sounds of these huge spinners and jiggers doing their thing in the breeze.

It was just announced yesterday that several of Mr. Simpson's large whirligigs are now being restored and put up in the town of Wilson, NC's new Whirligig Park! Can't wait for our next chance to come back and visit again!

11.25.11: Elanor

2011-12-02T08:40:00.001-08:00

Friday afternoon we got the whole family together for a sail on my aunt and uncle's boat, newly restored and renamed Elanor. My Uncle John was the first one who introduced me as a kid to cool stuff like, Stark Trek, Star Wars, Tolkien and in effect can claim total responsibility for all of the nerdy tendencies I still cling to. It was no surprise that he found a way to keep the naming of his new ship something Elvish - Elanor is the name of Samwise Gamgee's daughter:

Elanor Gardner, also known as Elanor the Fair, is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth legendarium. She is the first child of Master Samwise Gamgee and his wife Rose Cotton.
She was born March 25th, S.R. 1421 (which would be T.A. 3021), the first day of the Fourth Age in Gondor. Elanor was the only one of Samwise's children known to the Ring-bearer, Frodo Baggins, and her name was a suggestion by him, a reference to the sun-star, a little golden flower blooming in the land of Lothlórien.^[1] -Wikipedia

It was a gorgeous day for a sail! The kids climbed all the ladders, opened all the hatches and did half a dozen runs on the Zodiac with their cousins in ever widening circles around her. The grown-ups ate and talked, laughed and lounged, relaxed and remembered the last times life had been this good. It surely was a precious time to be together! Thank you John, Terri, Michael and Steven! Thank you Elanor!

11.24.11: Thanksgiving!

2011-12-01T17:19:00.001-08:00

Whew! Here I am! Back from radio silence and trying to recover from a crazy-beautiful week of travel and work. The girls and I headed east last Wednesday afternoon to my parent's farm in Stokes, NC for the holiday weekend. We had an excellent and restful time that required my being intentionally unplugged from the "world" and enjoying the family. Truly thankful to be able to spend my Mom's birthday and Thanksgiving with my folks.

Soul Outreach

2011-11-22T18:40:00.001-08:00

Churches come in all shapes and sizes.

Blue Ridge Roller Girls: Frosted Skates

2011-11-21T11:33:00.001-08:00

Saturday just seemed to keep going. After a quick rest and a bite to eat after the 23 Skidoo show we headed back downtown to the Civic Center for the Blue Ridge Roller Girls Double Header. This was the last time they roll at the Civic Center and will begin doing their events out at the WNC Ag Center beginning next year. It was a big treat to attend this match with the kids, who had even more fun than I did!! Big thanks to Bill Rhodes, the Photo Finish-Her himself, and the Image Asheville Team who brought me in under the radar for the night. What a great time!!

More pictures at my Facebook page.

11.20.11: 23 Skidoo with the Booty Band

2011-11-21T05:16:00.001-08:00

Saturday morning got kicked off to a great start at the Orange Peel with 23 Skidoo and Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band doing a show together for a new live CD. Yay!!! The girls and I had a great time bouncing to the beats. More pics will be up on the Orange Peel's Facebook page soon and I'll post a direct link when it's available.

11.19.11: Asheville Holiday Parade

2011-11-20T12:34:00.001-08:00

Well, a glimpse of it anyway. Yesterday was so busy, I was photographing at the Orange Peel for the 23 Skidoo show with the Booty Band, and had to go right through the middle of the parade to get there. The kids were happy to have a look but were too excited to go to the 23 Skidoo show to hang out and watch for long. The one I liked most of the few we saw was Asheville Grown's entry with the Grinch holding a sign saying "I Stole Christmas" and behind him is the banker from Monopoly with a sign that says "I Stole Everything Else". Buy Local!

11.18.11: Liberty Street - Aretha Glyph

2011-11-19T11:14:00.001-08:00

Actually, I'm not sure if this is a stencil of Aretha from the early days or not but it sure reminded me of her so that's what I'm calling it. Could also be one of the Sisters Stone. . . Either way, love it!

11.17.11: John Hiatt at the Orange Peel

2011-11-19T05:25:00.001-08:00

Wednesday night I went to see John Hiatt at the Orange Peel. Pics are up on the Orange Peel's Facebook page soon.

Orange Peel Facebook Album

11.16.11: 1st Anniversary

2011-11-18T16:21:00.001-08:00

No, not mine! Theirs, Scott and Jennifer. We took a lovely walk in the woods and made some beautiful pictures to help them celebrate their first anniversary. Everybody say "Awwww..."

11.15.11: TEDxAVL Session 3: Engaging the World

2011-11-18T13:35:00.001-08:00

So is your head spinning yet from all of the amazing TED talks so far? Mine was a bit too and there was STILL more to talk about.

When we returned from a second break of engaging each other we were introduced to the Urban Arts Institute run by Michael Hayes. This amazing organization reaches out to many under served kids in our community and gives them a place to be and something to devote their energy to. The UAI is a free youth program that offers dance, drama, video and music programs as well as mentorship. UAI gives these kids a safe place to express themselves artistically and in return they meet 5 times a week for 3 hour practice periods. The kids create and choreograph their performance and Mr. Hayes keeps them on track. They are expected to maintain a passing grade point average to participate. Oh, and once you see these kids kick their groove - you can't help but cheer!

Then we met Justin Purnell who is teaching the world English on-line using Skype. He runs a the charitable volunteer organization called Teach the World On-Line. He is also one of the teachers, along with several UNCA students teaching English as interns. They have classrooms in Haiti, Nepal, Cambodia and Columbia. During his presentation Justin gave a brief English lesson to his class in Haiti.

We watched the last TED Talk, which was a video by Birke Baehr entitled "What's Wrong With Out Food System?" This talk dealt with the hard core problems facing the American and even global food systems. The best part about this talk? Birke was 11 years old when he gave it live last year at TED Next Generation. And he wasn't led to these questions, he asked them, researched them himself and this is what he found out. Now he wants to grow up to be an organic farmer and he's put the spotlight directly on agribusiness. As a wonderful bonus to his inspiring and well reasoned talk, Birke came out in person and spoke about how much impact that one talk has had on his life and how it has inspired thousands of people to consider organic.

And finally we reach the last talk of the day, Leah Quintal who gave her talk Beyond Handouts in Haiti. After the earthquakes in Haiti, she felt moved to join an aid action team and go there to help in some way. What touched me most about her talk was her deep consideration and concern for in what way she could help. When she traveled to Haiti with her group American Green International, they brought along with them a variety of sustainable technologies that would help on the most basic levels. One of those technologies was a Nokero solar light bulb. This one small gift changed people's lives in Haiti in a real and immediate way. Saving them money from needing to buy expensive and dangerous kerosene, providing extended time in the day. The gift of light. Now that's something I can totally understand!!! And then, at the end of her talk the lights were put out and everyone had been handed a light to try and we, all together, lit the room. It was magic! It was beautiful! Real help for developing communities world wide.

See all of the pictures from TEDxAVL on my facebook page!

11.14.11: TEDxAVL Session 2: Engaging the Community

2011-11-17T13:22:00.001-08:00

After a half hour intermission in which the audience is charged to mingle and engage with each other, we return to our seats to absorb Session 2 of TEDx AVL in which we look beyond ourselves to engaging our community. This segment, I felt, was focused on perspective.

First, we had a musical performance by the lovely and talented Mariam Matossian and her band of Armenian folk musicians. She related the story of how she discovered Armenian folk music, through her grandmother for whom she is named. She related how, as young children, her grandparents were forced to march in the death marches of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. She also spoke of how much hope it gives her to sing the songs of her family and heritage and to teach it to her children so that their history can continue to live.

Next was Chris Yura, CEO of SustainU who is attempting to change the way clothes are made by taking an environmental approach to the process, beginning with recycled materials and eliminating harmful practices, making it in America and educating the world about how clothing choices affect us and our environment.

Amie Tracey introduced us to PonderWell a collaborative community journalism page that integrates the concepts of social networking into real time relative news streaming. Effectively connecting the dots of all of this related information to make a cognitive larger picture.

Then we watched an amazing TED Talk from Hugh Herr on the amazing progress being made in the field of bionics and it's applications that can make humans stronger, faster and more agile. He uses himself as an example. . .

Lastly in this session, we heard from Jeff Kluger, senior editor of TIME magazines science and technology reporting. He has recently written a book called "The Sibling Effect" which analyzes from parental observation and scientific research the effect of birth place on an individual.

See all of the pictures from TEDxAVL on my facebook page!

11.13.11: TEDx Asheville Session 1: Engaging the Self

2011-11-17T11:02:00.001-08:00

Then it was Sunday, it was time to Engage! and I was swept away in a flood of big ideas. I'm talking about TEDx Asheville, a whole day's worth of conversations about big ideas in technology, entertainment and design.

The first session of TEDxAVL was dedicated to engaging in ourselves. We were first treated to a brief performance by Sam Haywood, world renown concert pianist who had performed in a concert with Joshua Bell at the Asheville Civic Center the night before. Incredible performance and I'm going to confess to a rare thing here. There came a moment during the second piece that I realized I had done all I can do. I put the camera down, turned away from the stage, closed my eyes and listened with all of my ears. Folks, I'm a concert photographer by preference and by profession, I get my eyes and ears confused all of the time when I'm at shows, but I never put the camera down! My husband almost fainted when I told him. His contribution, aside from profoundly beautiful music was that he now uses his iPad and a wireless pedal page turning system to turn the pages of his music while he is playing. Then he played a wickedly complicated piece to demonstrate.

For the next experience we heard from Adam Baker who, with his young wife and baby, sold everything they owned down to two backpacks and hiked across Australia for a year. His message. Un-leverage yourselves from the template script of American life. His question to everyone, "What does Freedom mean to you?" His answer to taking the steps toward that freedom, however you define it: "Sell your crap. Pay your debt. Do what you love." I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him and applaud his perseverance but can't say that this is a new idea in and of itself. This was certainly the way all of my Grandparents lived with a few additions, "Fix What's Broken" and "Hold on to What Works".

There was an excellent video from a previous TED talk by Simon Sinek entitled "How Great Leaders Inspire Action".

And then the emotional and transforming talk given by Joyce Roush, "The Power of One". In her talk she discusses how she has lived her life helping others as a nurse. First as an emergency room triage RN, then at a hospice, then as a procurment and transplant cooordinator for organ donations. She personally has witnessed over 1000 of her patients die. In 1999 Joyce was the first person ever in known medical history to donate one of her kidneys to a complete stranger. Her story touched everyone in the audience including one person, who, because of her talk at TEDxAVL, has pledged to do the same, along with thousands of others who followed her example since 1999. She was not even aware of the importance of her act of leadership and courage unitl a month before she spoke at TEDxAVL when she discovered that literally thousands of people now participate in this procedure dubbed the "Good Samaritan" living kidney donation.

See all of the pictures from TEDxAVL on my facebook page!

11.12.11: Sticky Fingers

2011-11-17T09:11:00.001-08:00

I bet you thought I was being lazy! I bet you thought I was on vacation someplace warm! I bet you thought I forgot all about this little project and had just wandered off. Brace yourself. I am about to unleash a flood of Photos of the Day. I know that's not how it's supposed to work, but I have been photographing everyday, in fact to the exclusion of all else including editing and posting. I have walked out to the edge and curled my toes over the side, but now I'm back and I've got the pics to prove it.

So, when last we left this blog it was Saturday. . .

I went to the Orange Peel for Karl Denson's Tiny Universe with guest Anders Osborne performing the Rolling Stones album "Sticky Fingers" . It was epic! Great performances from all the players with cameos from local flavors like Kelly Jo and Debrissa McKinney. Just an awesome night of music and you could tell the band was having as much fun with it as the crowd, of course that may have been because it was the last night of the tour. Fantastic show! If you missed it you missed out, but you can still see pictures at the Orange Peel's Facebook Page!

Wishing

2011-11-11T15:27:00.001-08:00

For the Veterans:

Thank you for your service and sacrifice. Thank you for putting your wishes and dreams on hold for the sake of our country and our freedom. I add my wishes to the ones of those waiting at home tonight, already wishing, every day, for your safe return. You are remembered, appreciated and wished for!

For Everyone:

When you think about it abstractly, wishing is ridiculous. To whom are you wishing? What are you investing your motivation in? I mean, it's not exactly a prayer, or is it? How do you expect these emotional outbursts of "if only" to come true without arms and legs? From my point of view - wishing is essential. How can anyone have something to further aspire to if they have not wished and dreamed it so?

Here's the formula as I see it:
Wishing + Actualization = Validation

Personally for me, this morning is a good example of making the wish real:

I woke up early for a job to make sure eveything was packed and ready and completely forgot the kids were off school today. Like clockwork I went in at 6 to wake-up MJ to get ready for school. Oops! No school. Dang! And I KNEW that too. And once she's up, she's up. So afer a yawn and stretch she asks if we can go downtown, and take Scooby for an early walk and check out the gargoyles on the Jackson building. 'You can bring your camera', she tempts.

Well. . . I do want to go down and get a sunrise pic. of the Veteran's Memorial for the POD. . . Ding! Wish granted! So we bundle up, leash the big dog and head off to downtown.

It was FREEZING COLD this morning but the simultaneous moonset and sunrise were well worth the trip. A brief but excellent explore to the gargoyles, happiest of all was the unspoken wish of Dog who got a surprise outing. Afterwards I built a cozy fire and we shared a coffee - coco moment before I headed out to work. More wishes to be actualized as the day goes on but just thought I'd share what's working already.

"Uncharted Waters" Show at the Phil Mechanic

2011-11-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

Stopped in at the Phil Mechanic this afternoon to check out the Flood Gallery's latest exhibition presented by Bold Life Magazine. Nine artists from Western North Carolina displaying a wide array of contemporary art from ceramic to paint to sculpture to interactive. An exciting and thought provoking show, going on now, see it before it's gone.

From the Phil Mechanic:

Please join the Flood Gallery for a gallery talk with the artists from the show titled "Uncharted Waters" featured in Bold Life Magazine. The talk is next Tuesday, the 15th, from 7-8pm. The talk is going to be an informal discussion between the artists and the public about art, and about how the visual arts can be used as a positive compass entering an uncertain future. We’ll be serving light refreshments. (Coffee, wine, finger food).

Statue created from binding with ropes crates and wood struts.
Video from the film: The World According to Monsanto
was played across the face of the icon during the opening.
The bound figure represents the American Farmer.

Moog's AHA AVL: Kovacs and the Polar Bear

2011-11-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

My first venture down to the Moog Museum/Factory tonight to catch Kovacs and the Polar Bear as the Moog AHA AVL feature band. Fantastic new venue, super terrific band, awesome sound, what's not to love!?! Click here to see video from the show on you tube.

The Top of the Pack

2011-11-08T16:56:00.000-08:00

I attended the Asheville Wedding Industry Networking Event sponsored by the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau showcasing Biltmore Catering's delicious food, exclusive Biltmore beverages (beer and wine brewed on the estate) and their newest event space in the very center of downtown, One North Pack. Biltmore Catering is the latest effort to bring the Biltmore level of excellence to events beyond the gates of the estate.

Fantastic to meet and connect with many new people and explore the space. Thrilled that Dorothy took a small but adventurous group of us to the roof to experience the view first hand. Wow! Great event! Thanks for inviting me!

More pictures at CLicKs Facebook Page.

Plastic Torso

2011-11-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

*Warning - Implied Plastic Nudity*

I've got the home studio set up today. Checking out what still works, dusting off props and backdrops, testing lights, taking test shots with my old friend "Taylor the Plastic Torso" and geeking out on my contrast and tonality. . .

Caught you peeking!

The End of Saving Daylight

2011-11-06T15:12:00.000-08:00

What a gorgeous weekend! I hope you spent some of it outside. Personally, I was knee deep in editing at the computer in the basement when the family forced me out to Carrier Park to practice the roller skating and the scootering and revel in the daylight while it was here.

Tonight, the darkness falls early and in earnest; my poor old dog just cannot fathom the idea that dinner time has slipped back an hour. For the rest of us, unless you want to be super early for work tomorrow (and if you haven't already), roll your clock back and prepare for winter; the days are getting shorter.

11.5.11: The City Bakery Cafe

2011-11-06T08:32:00.000-08:00

As an extra bonus to attending the Blind Pig event, I got to watch the talented bakers at the City Bakery working their craft and baking tomorrow's bread the night before. I love beautiful breads! But just take a look in the dessert cases, those cakes are pretty spectacular too!

11.4.11: Blind Pig: Offal Experience

2011-11-06T06:50:00.000-08:00

Friday night I had the pleasure of attending the 3rd Blind Pig dinner, this time at the City Bakery Cafe downtown. This dinner was all about showcasing the overlooked and left beind parts of an animal that are often thrown out instead of used in cooking. That's right, let your mind wander. . .

A fantastic event to witness and participate in; the food and chefs, Matt Dawes and Jeremy Hardcastle, are the stars of the show with music by Kovacs and the Polar Bear and art by Dustin Spagnola, while the kitchen and wait staff do their intricate dance of plates on plates off, with delicious dishes in tight spaces.

Lots more pictures are up at Blind Pig's website and facebook page! Go ogle the offal now!

Alley off E. Walnut: Revolution Glyph

2011-11-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

Not sure if tagging small back alleys is the path to revolution or not but I did like the sense of depth and emotion on the face of this glyph. I think it looks pretty good for a stencil job.

11.2.11: Early in Enka

2011-11-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

Sunrise color glows between the trees and hills of Enka, NC. I've learned to appreciate sunrises in a whole new way lately. Of course I think regularly being up for a few hours before it happens may have a lot to do with it.

11.1.11: Blue Ridge Parkway in the Fall

2011-11-02T09:50:00.000-07:00

Took a little roll or the BRP this weekend. Went to the top of Mount Pisgah and poked around Buck Spring Gap. Had fun playing with the camera in all the tunnels up there too. I also had a chance to pull out the big 500mm lens and got a pretty good look at Asheville and the Biltmore from the Parkway. I love being able to look around from up here and see all of these big, grand things like mountains, cities, and mansions, dwarfed to toy size miniatures by the distance.

10.31.11: Halloween on a Monday

2011-11-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

Halloween on a Monday, it always messes me up, I haven't been able to get the day right all week! Busy as usual Cass and I spent the evening driving back and forth to drop kids off and pick kids up and bring them a thing and go back to get the thing I forgot and, and, and. . . The house was well spookified but no trick or treaters this year. We're going to have to put up some neon over the welcome mat next year.

North Buncombe Blackhawk Classic

2011-10-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

Had a whole lot of fun watching the North Buncombe Blackhawk Classic Marching Band Competition. Flashback for me! I did MB all four years of high school and I well remember standing in the cold, waiting to march the show and hoping to run over a few field judges that get caught in our line.

We were rooting for the North Henderson Knights, who took firsts in Music and Presentation as well as Grand Champions for their class. Way to go Knights!! They also got 2nd for Drum Major! The kids were cold but happy. And why not? There were fried oreos and hot chocolate, warm blankets in lots of layers and some amazing bands to watch strut their stuff on the field! All the bands put on beautiful shows; the effort and pride was visible. Great job everyone!!!

Crypto Car

2011-10-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

Spotted this really cool art car, (a Subaru) covered in all of these intricate hand drawn designs. Dude, whoever you are, nice job!

Hood Piece

Side Detail

10.28.11: The Dalek Sticker Glyph

2011-10-29T04:09:00.000-07:00

That may not be what it's called, but I've seen this little guy hanging around before and I smell an invasion. . . .

Where Go the Boats?

2011-10-27T13:50:00.001-07:00

Where Go The Boats?
by Robert Louis Stevenson

Dark brown is the river,
Golden is the sand
It flows along forever,
With trees on either hand.

Green leaves a-floating,
Castles of the foam,
Boats of mine a-boating
Where with all come home?

On goes the river
And out past the mill,
Away down the valley,
Away down the hill.

Away down the river,
A hundred miles or more,
Other little children
Shall bring my boats ashore.

Sequoyah Lake, Highlands, NC

2011-10-26T08:01:00.000-07:00

I was visiting in Highlands yesterday and ended up driving along the shore line ofLake Sequoyah just before the dam's spill over. Did you think I could drive past a place called Lake Sequouyah with a big, trickly, curtain of a waterfall underneath and just go on my way without stopping for a quick peek? Nope, neither did I!

[Image Inverted] CLicK to enlarge view.

Participating in the Illusion

2011-10-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

Had the big light just right and the kids in position so we decided to take our turn and participate in the perspctive illusion mural painted at the intersection of Walnut and Boadway. for the Futon Design shop.

Harvest

2011-10-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

Where better to recognize the bounty of your local harvest than at your local farmer's markets. WNC is lucky because we not only have the weekly tailgate markets but we also have the very permanent WNC Farmer's Market a 7 day a week 9-5 style place where you can get your fresh local everything! We went up there to get some of the prettiest little pumpkins, not to mention crafts, cheese, meats, nuts, honey, fruits, veggies, fudge, jams, jellies, pickles and ciders. The girls are outside sawing away at their "soon to be beautiful Jack-o-laterns" on the porch, right now!

10.23.11: Bywater By the Fire

2011-10-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

Now that fall is really here to stay it's nice to get all bundled up in our woolies and blankets to go spend an evening at the Bywater with their multiple firepits. Bring your marshmallows! Plenty of places to snuggle up, get cozy, maybe catch some music or play a board game by the fire. Tonight we brought the friends and burgers. Miriam and the Passionistas were performing beautiful blends of American and Hispanic folk music while somehere close by oysters were steaming; outward, meteorites, inward, pearly shells, waiting to be gleaned.

The Dead Are Coming Back To Life Tonight. . .

2011-10-22T23:14:00.000-07:00

It's a magical time of year! The leaves have changed color, the frost has arrived in the early mornings and tonight there are zombies everywhere!

We had a great time shambling around with the rest of the undead at the Biltmore Square Mall tonight for the Zombie Walk. It was, in some aspects, an homage to the Romero classic "Dawn of the Dead" by staging this year's Zombie Walk at the mall. They were also playing a Zombie Movie Fest at the Cinnebar: DotD, RHPS and Zombieland.

The kids had a total blast! We went to the Goodwill outlet store and found some clothes we didn't mind dying in then headed off to the Maul. Once we got there the ladies got into character and had their makeup applied by some wonderful volunteer make-up artists. So how did my kids "die"? MJ froze in a pond after walking out on the thin ice. Harmony had a king size hoofprint applied to the side of her head where the zombie horse who zombified her tried to kick her brains out. (In case you're wondering, apparently horses can be zombies too!) Then we shuffled around the mall checking out the others of our ilk. So many great make-up jobs, clever costumes and back stories! There were several groups of zombie hunters too. After all, you can't have true dramatic impact without conflict.

Secret Agent 23 Skidoo did a performance for everyone and many of the undead were recruited to assist in the making of his new music video for his ultimate Halloween Ode to the Zombie song "Shambles", released last year on the Monkey Wrench album. The girls can't wait to see the video, they're just sure they managed to get into it. After the show it was time for the Zombiewalk. What a sight! We bumped into lots of other kids we knew and were able to attack 3 "Victims" and a car during the walk. Everybody had lots of fun, highlights galore and they are upstairs now, no doubt dreaming of their costumes for next year. At the end of the night though the best part, for me, was getting the make up washed off, the kids tucked in bed, and listening to them re-tell all of their favorite parts of the evening. That and their cute little zombie growls as the drop off to sleep.
Ughnnnnnnnnn. . . . .

More zombie pics on my facebook page. . . .

Peeking at the Keyhole of the Gnomon

2011-10-21T17:20:00.000-07:00

gnomon |ˈnōmän|noun1 the projecting piece on a sundial that shows the time by the position of its shadow.2 Geometry the part of a parallelogram left when a similar parallelogram has been taken from its corner.
Peeking through some hollowed tree trunk slabs into the center piece of the Gnomon. Fall has come and so has the changing of the light.

10.20.11: Fall Color Study - Indigo/Violet

2011-10-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

Sweet peas!!!!
For real!!

10.19.11: Fall Color Study Blue

2011-10-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

I bet you thought I forgot, didn't you! Nope! Just knew that I would have to visit a very special Asheville spot to get the BIV part of this mini project just right. The schedule has been tight this month but I finally grabbed an hour to roam the Gnomon. Christopher's garden in West Asheville is specialized in a certain color tree which is cultivated most prolifically in this particular garden. I'm referring to the blue bottle trees, which may be a Southern ward to protect against haints and evil spirits, they are always a sure trap for Cindys.

Forgotten Forest

2011-10-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

Now this is a good story! I was searching craig's list for a music stand for my daughter, and happened to find the perfect one listed the day before out in Candler. After calling on it I headed out to the foot of Mt. Pisgah to pick it up. I met a lovely lady named Laurie who happily sold me the stand and I was about to leave when I started looking over the fence at the pretty little stream just beyond. I commented that this was a beautiful spot to live in and she mentioned that the stream cut through an old park. She takes regular walks there with her dog Emily and invited me along on an impromptu hike to show me some trails so off we went.

As we entered the park I noticed that there were cairn piles everywhere. Big ones, little ones, every few feet there was another and another. Benches, picnic tables, logs, in fact there were very few exposed rocks that did not have another rock on top of it. It looked like someone was trying to put a paperweight on everything in sight! Laurie observed that the park itself had apparently been a beautiful one at one time but had fallen into disrepair and the rock piles went on through the forest for another mile or two. She led me on a magical little hike to all of her favorite spots and we "oohed" and "ahhed" over the many arrangements along the trail. She thought it could have been a neighbor or a local artist that just created one every time they came to the woods but acknowledged it was a small mystery.

Well I am positively in love with this place by the time we leave and I stop to look closely at a small bronze sign attached to a boulder just as you walk in. This plaque is basically the dedication stone for the donation of this section of Pisgah Forest from the Vanderbilt family to the United States. Well now I'm intrigued, something that has a plaque on a bolder must have a history to go with it, but an afternoon of trolling the net and UNCA archives came up zilch. Plenty of references to the Cradle of Forestry site but nothing about this place, and no reference on a map that I can find, even though I know it's there. Then I notice a little note about the original Biltmore Forestry School that mentions a field school at the foot of Mt. Pisgah. Ding! It fits the profile and the field school was closed after Dr. Schenke left in 1913 because of land transfer to a national forest. The buildings are more or less correct for the time period, as is the deactivated hand pump water fountain. But mostly it explains all of the rock cairns, they must have been a demonstration of how to build them and where to use them. Once you look at it from that perspective the place looks like a small trail laboratory! So cool to fall into this precious little piece of local history!

Pisgah National Forest
This portion 83398 Acres was formerly Pisgah Forest
Established by George Vanderbilt in 1891 and the earliest example of
forestry on a large scale on private lands in America.
Acquired by the United States on May 21, 1914.

Shine!

2011-10-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

Sesantion wise it is deeply akin to rinsing your mouth with a lit sparkler without all the bother of soot, smoke and third degree burns.

10.16.11: The View From Rumbling Bald

2011-10-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

Had a great opportunity to hike to the top of Rumbling Bald Mountain! What an amazing view of a glorious peak autumn day. You could see for 100 miles! Our friend and guide David was able to point out the beaky tip of Grandfather mountain in the far distance. When we came back down from the top Kaye showed me an article about why the mountain was re-named Rumbling Bald. This is a close version of the story she shared with me: A Rumble in the Mountains

CLicK to enlarge.

10.15.11: Judaculla Rock Petroglyphs

2011-10-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

I finally kept a promise to myself and headed out to find the great-grandaddy of glyphs in the area, Judaculla Rock. Not only is the site beautiful but the rock has a deck that was installed around it so you can get a slightly elevated view and a better sense of the whole surface. It is the largest petroglyph in the south east and it's got a great legend that goes along with it:

James Mooney, a researcher at the Smithsonian Institution, recorded the Cherokee legend of Judaculla Rock in the 1880s. According to Mooney’s story, a being named Judaculla (called by the Cherokee Tsul-ka-lu or Tsu’ Kalu— the Great Slant-eyed Giant) was the greatest of all the Cherokee mythical characters, a giant hunter who lived on the southwestern slope of Richland Balsam Mountain at the head of the Tuckaseegee River in Jackson County.

Judaculla was very powerful and could control the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. He was known to drink whole streams down in a single gulp and stomp from mountain to mountain as one might over ant hills. (In fact, according to Sequoyah’s Cherokee translation of the Bible, the word ‘Goliath’ was renamed Judaculla.)
One legend claims that the markings are hunting laws that Judaculla ordered. Another has it that Judaculla jumped from his mountaintop farm and landed partially on the rock, producing scratches, while running a band of American Indians off his land. The seven-toed foot at the lower right hand side of the boulder is said to depict Judaculla’s footprint.

I inverted this image in an effort to get more detail out of the carving.

For this 1930s photo, the cryptic markings were filled with chalk. Since this valuable picture was made, the rock has continued to erode, making serious study increasingly difficult.
Photo courtesy Jerry Parker.

Viewing area around the rock.

10.14.11:Work, Work, Work

2011-10-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

Trying to catch up on editing work from the week, chained to a computer and chair on a fantastic peak fall morning. And yet the mind wanders, at play in the garden of my dyslexic brain. . . . . OK, back to work.

Shocktop Radiant