More from The Alston House

A few more photographs from the Alston House, aka the House in the Horseshoe from this past weekend. Notice the bullet holes in the porch above the Windsor chair.


(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Early Garden

My older son Tristan works on his early garden in Grays Chapel, North Carolina. It's funny how when you look at your children sometimes, you see your parents and grand-parents.

(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Rolex Grand Am Racing at VIR

I went up to Virginia International Raceway on Friday and caught practice for the Rolex Grand Am race. Both the DP (Daytona Prototype) and GT cars were on track. Above is the eventual race-winning Gainsco Pontiac.





(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Friday Portrait from Greensboro

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Portrait of my son's friend Cally.

Carousel

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

I was looking through my film archive and decided to post an image from years back that I still really like. Shot on film at a slow shutter speed with no real post-processing, the image is of my son on a carousel in Raleigh.

Goat Lady Balloon Ride

Friends and neighbors gathered Saturday afternoon at Goat Lady Dairy in Grays Chapel, south of Greensboro to watch as the original "Goat Lady", Ginnie Tate was surprised by her family with a first for her, a hot-air balloon ride. The group cheered as Ginnie took to the air. "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more."






Below is Ginnie's ground crew.



For more about Ginnie, see this article at http://www.news-record.com/content/2008/09/26/article/goat_lady_ginnie_tate_i_m_not_afraid_to_die

(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Farmyard Photo

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Misty the farm cat scrambles across a hay rake in the barnyard of our farm in Randolph County, North Carolina.

Raising Vegetables

My father's cousin Thomas Routh and his wife Lula Mae live just down the road from us in Grays Chapel. In their late eighties, Thomas and Lula Mae grow a large vegetable garden each year from which they sell fresh produce at the local farmer's market in Asheboro. Doing all the work themselves, they grow plants in their greenhouse from seed, prepare their ground, plant their plants, do all the harvesting, and sell the fresh vegetables at the market. I caught them Saturday morning as they were finishing up planting tomatoes. This year, they have about 750 tomato plants. That's a lot of tomatoes. Of course, they also will have squash, cucumbers, potatoes, lettuce, cabbage, corn, plants and canned goods too. Lula Mae said last year she kept track of the green beans they picked, and the total came to 2300 lbs.



(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Friday Fashion, Commercial Catalog Shoot

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Model photography from a workwear fashion catalog shoot in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Fishing Boats

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

This photograph should be filed under the heading, "Places I would like to be right now". Fishing boats sit tied up at the docks in Atlantic, North Carolina, a small coastal fishing village/town between Morehead City and Cedar Island, near the Outer Banks.

Elderly Lady

Photographs of 99 year-old Margie Wall of High Point, for a website redesign. She was being interviewed while these were being shot, and her life story was fascinating. Born at the base of Caraway Mountain in Randolph County, North Carolina, she developed polio as an infant. Her family moved to High Point when she was three because, "I got better". Never married, she "never met anyone I fell in love with". Though physically slow in body, her mind and sprit are clear and sharp, and she loves to entertain those around her by singing hymns.

(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Spring Photography in Greensboro

(image copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Spring and Easter in Greensboro, North Carolina signal an explosion of blooms in the gardens and parks of the city. In the photograph above, pink azaleas show off their color along North Elm Street in the old Fisher Park area.

Easter Eggs

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

The Easter Bunny didn't visit us yesterday, but the Easter Guinea did. My son Tristan was watching our guinea fowl when one of the hens ducked into a fence row. Tristan found this clutch of fresh eggs hidden in the hedge. The size of a bantum chicken egg, but with a thicker shell, they are very rich and are wonderful to cook with or eat plain.

Friday Photograph from the Files-Retired Couple

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Happy Easter everyone. Because it's Good Friday, I'm pulling a shot from my archives. This image was shot for an ad campaign for an insurance company. Print images ran alongside a TV campaign.

The Neighbor's Chicken

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

A portrait of one of my neighbor's Dominque chickens, also known locally as a "Dominecker", a very old-fashioned breed.

Scottish Highland Cattle, "Beasts"

A herd of highland cattle grazes just outside of Greensboro. Though I believe these particular cows are kept as pets, the Scottish breed is prized for it's lean meat. The shaggy hair acts as insulation against the cold, a necessity in the cool, damp Highlands of Scotland, so the animals have less fat than standard beef cattle. Smaller in stature than regular beef cows, they have a presence nonetheless.





And yes, both the males and the females have horns.

(photographs copyright by Dan Routh)

Horse and Buggy

Sometimes opportunities for photographs come to you. With the Spring weather Sunday, my neighbors were out for a late afternoon ride past my house in their Amish-built buggy. Very fuel efficient.

(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

ATV

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Photograph of model from an outdoor apparel catalog shoot near Greensboro.

Junk Yard Revisited

A few more images from my visit to the auto junk yard last weekend near Greensboro.


(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Greensboro Fashion Photograph for a Thursday

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Men's casual fashion photography from downtown Greensboro, North Carolina.

Smokey the Cat

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

It's been about a year since we lost our 15 year old cat Smokey. We've been lucky throughout the years to have a long line of very special long-lived pets. Smokey was no exception. She was prim and proper and totally regal in her pose. She was also one of the mouthiest cats I have ever known. In cold weather she would sit in front of the doors to the fireplace, stare at me and meow incessantly until I built a fire. Of course, then she would crawl into my lap and warm me for hours. I miss her. We are not alone, however. Currently on our farm we have 2 dogs and 6 cats to go along with a horse, 19 cows, 5 guinea fowl and 10 chickens. Each has their own special personality, but there will only be one Smokey.