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I captured this at a wedding that I attended recently in Virginia. The ceremony took place in a Shenandoah meadow in soft evening light, and this young lady was playing classical pieces on the violin while we waited for the ceremony to begin. I just love the photo, so here it is.

God bless you Dad. I love you.

This was what the view was reduced to as a result of wildfires that are blazing in Southeast Georgia. The sun was completely obliterated by the smoke. I’m also posting this photo of Leigh and Matt taken last night.

South of Charleston, just past Gardens Corner there is a wonderful scene of marsh and creeks, with dead trees standing like sentries at random intervals. I have wanted to stop and photograph this scene for years, but I’ve either been in a hurry to arrive somewhere else, or the light has been less than optimum. I headed down there after work the other day, knowing it would be high tide and hoping for some good light. Well, the light wasn’t great, but I still like the shot. I think I will try it first thing in the morning when next the tides oblige.

Last evening I was on a mission to capture the moon rising over the lowcountry creeks and I sat and waited, swatting at the ubiquitous bugs who seemed intent on devouring me, perplexed as to why the moon was not rising on schedule. I finally realized that the level of haze on the horizon was totally obliterating any possibility of a moonrise sighting close to the horizon, which was what I was after. Finally I packed up my stuff and headed home, disappointed, but telling myself that if every planned shoot yielded a home run, it wouldn’t be such a challenge, and I won’t appreciate the special shots when I am lucky enough to nail them. This is what it should have looked like …

This is probably one of the most iconic, most widely photographed pieces of Americana in the country, so it’s hard to do anything different with it. It’s quaint, very picturesque, very historic, but hard to photograph because of its location relative to the light. Probably the best light is an overcast sky or even rain, which would saturate colors. The predominate colors (except during the fall) are green and brown – a tad blah, so I gave it a different look – another different look.

On my way back from Winchester, Virginia, I detoured off the 11S through a small town called Raphine (they have a winery) to find the historic Wade’s flour mill. I stopped to photograph this old pick-up sitting in the middle of a field on the way. Yes, I had some fun with it in Photoshop 🙂

I guess I must really enjoy road trips because I seem to spend a lot of time driving. This last leg of my journey down the parkway started at Blowing Rock and ended at Asheville when I jumped back on the I-26 and headed for home around noon. This morning was a very early rise, 4:30 to be exact. I had a half hour drive to get to Beacon Heights, my staked out sunrise location, and another half an hour’s hike to get to the top of the trail. I hadn’t thought about the fact that I would be hiking in the dark, so it was by the grace of God that I got there safely, but the view from the top was absolutely worth it. After awhile, I turned back and got a couple of shots of the Linn Cove Viaduct. The parks people do a great job of maintaining this parkway, and all without any kind of toll to access these treasures. I don’t know how they do it in this climate of aggressive budget cuts, but kudos to them.

Ethan and Sansanee’s wedding was awesome and I will post a few pics soon. I haven’t had time to do any sorting or editing because I have been working my way steadily down the entire Blue Ridge Parkway and making the most of all available light, which entails very early rising and falling asleep exhausted. Last night I stayed at the Woodberry Inn at Meadows of Dan in Virginia, and tonight (my last night away) I am staying at The Homestead Inn in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Early tomorrow morning I will start the final home stretch for Charleston. In the meantime, here are a couple more scenes from the journey before I head out for the last time today to catch the evening light.Sunrise near the Saddle/Rocky Knob outlook this morningMeem’s Covered Bridge just of 11S near Mount Jackson in VirginiaWildflowers growing by the side of the roadHistoric Trails cabin at Smart View (MP153 approx.)