Edith J Carrier Arboretum @ JMU

The Edith J. Carrier Arboretum is located on the James Madison University campus in Harrisonburg, Virginia about 15 miles from our location at the Harrisonburg/Shenandoah Valley KOA RV Park.

This arboretum is a public urban garden and forested greenspace that preserves native plants species, provides opportunities for research, and promotes knowledge of the botanical and natural world for people of all ages. (from their blog page)

The 125 acre arboretum includes 16 gardens dedicated to native oak-hickory forest, and many species of shrubs and flowering plants native to the Mid-Appalachians. The grounds include lots of trails yet to be explored and is dog friendly. Additionally, the arboretum offers a variety of art classes to the general public. And it is a great place to get lost with a camera. Hope you enjoy my quick tour of –

well manicured landscape,

cool critters,

fluttering butterflies,

plenty of benches for resting,

entertaining ducks,

and peaceful naps.

I will come back to this place and will bring our fur babies so they can enjoy a day out and I can get some great shots. Thanks for stopping by, y’all come back now.

Cee’s Odd Ball Challenge

As I was catching up on my blog reading, I hit a road blog on Cee Nuner’s blog. A good road block. She posted a photo of her new heat pump in her weekly Odd Ball Photo Challenge section. How odd indeed.

Since I was in a blog funk, I thought about some strange photos I had that would fit her Odd Ball Challenge.

In October 2012, we were in Boerne, Texas and had stopped at the Dodging Duck Brewhaus and Restaurant for lunch. Before we left the restaurant, I thought it would be best to make a visit to the bathroom. I am not sure why, but I was captivated by the hand painted tiles on the walls in the men’s bathroom.

An expression of amazement

Something you say when teaching someone. Usually to encourage or indicate they have done something right.

Fixin to:
Vernacular peculiar to Texas and other southern locations in the US, means one is about to do something or it is in the process of being done.

It is not every day that you step into a public bathroom and find some photo worthy items(s) that are captivating. Not only does the Dodging Duck Brewhaus and Restaurant have cool tiles in their bathroom, they have pretty good food and brews from their micro-brewery also.

Thanks for stopping by, y’all come back now.

Photography101 – Day Twenty: Triumph & Contrast

What an exciting finish for Photography101.  And a hardy Thank You for the Happiness Engineers at WordPress for moderating this and other wonderful courses.

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Triumph & Contrast

It was a dark Friday, so many years ago. The Roman Government had just arrested Jesus of Nazareth. They considered him a radical and a threat to their control over the people, especial those impacted by the teachings of Jesus.

On that dark day, Jesus was mocked, scourged and nailed to an old rugged cross. He was about to be crucified – a sentence reserved for criminals who commented heinous crimes.

The Cross at Groom, Texas

For several hours, Jesus hung on that cross, writhing in pain. Shortly before sundown, he gave up his spirit and breathe his last.

The Cross at Groom, Texas

Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb. The Romans got rid of the problem; they were triumphant or so they thought.

There is more to this story than meets the eye. To be continued…

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Photography 101 – Day Nineteen: Double & Rotation

There are many ways to interpret ‘double’ and just as many to interpret ‘rotation’. The other day, I visited the Amarillo Botanical Garden (ABG) looking for some willing subjects to photograph. Spring has not arrived yet so the outside garden was still dormant.

However, the Mary E. Bivins Tropical Conservatory at ABG provides a year-round tropical environment. That is where I found this double Chinese Lantern (Abutilon ‘Tiger Eye’).

Look at the flower petals. Can you see them in rotation?

FYI – Next week, we pack up the RV and head 1500 miles East to Broadway, VA. We will be on the road for 6 days. I will be posting from places like Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Fort Smith, Arkansas; Memphis and Bluff City, Tennessee; then Roanoke and Broadway, VA. I hope you come along for the trip.

Thanks for stopping by, y’all come back now.

Photography 101 – Day Eighteen: Edge & Alignment

Today’s assignment is to show an edge — a straight line, a narrow ridge, a precipice. A narrow ridge is a long, narrow, elevated strip of land or any raised strip or band. A precipice is a very steep rock face or cliff, typically a tall one. And an edge can be a transition from one surface to another – i.e., a shore line, or a cloud bank, or the horizon.

This was my first choice for the assignment. I did not like the clutter of highway signs at the bottom of the image. I did not want to just crop the bottom off and I am not adept at photo editing the ‘junk’ out of the photo. That is for another day. The photo would have been titled –  “The Edge Of Night”.

The Edge of Night

Second choice for this assignment was a Southerly view from Interstate 40 about 5 miles West of Amarillo, Texas. The horizon in the Texas Panhandle is pretty flat, thus creating an edge. The cars seen in the photo is an iconic landmark on I-40 better known as the Cadillac Ranch. Click that link to read an earlier post that tells more about that.

Cadillac Ranch
Amarillo, Texas

Searching for a more unique POV on the assignment, I walked to the South side of the 4th car from the right. Do you see that small splash of fuchsia in the following photo? There is a purple circle around it.

Let’s get closer. Do you see it yet?

That splash of fuchsia points to the object that is my focus for our assignment: Edge and Alignment. I just about had to stand on my head to get this shot to work. The sunshine was great but I stood behind my right shoulder. After a little creative staging and minor cropping, I am happy with the results. I present The Edge of Paint.

The Edge of Paint

Thanks for stopping by, y’all come back now.