Green Beans

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

When the garden starts coming in, the work begins. My wife Dedra and her mother have spent the last week picking, stringing and canning a Southern staple, green beans. The fruits (or in this case, vegetables) of their labors line up on our kitchen table ready to be stored for our enjoyment next winter.

Planting Soybeans

Farmer Frank White of Liberty, North Carolina sod-plants soybeans on a rye field near Lineberry late one afternoon last week. Mr. White raises several hundred acres of beans, corn, and small grains in the Liberty area each year. He uses big equipment, something we don't get to see often around here these days.

(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Friday Still-Life. Guinea Eggs.

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

A clutch of guinea eggs fresh off a nest. Guinea eggs are very rich and are very good to eat. The birds, however, like to nest outside in hard to reach places, so finding their eggs can be an adventure.

On the Road to New Hampshire. The adventure begins.

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

This morning my wife Dedra and I dropped our younger son Devin at the train station in Greensboro to catch a train to Boston. Devin is on his way to Hanover, New Hampshire for a job and graduate school at Dartmouth College, which is a long way from Grays Chapel, North Carolina. We will miss him profoundly, but a new adventure in life awaits him. Godspeed Son, we love you.

Play Time in the Nursery

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

A two day old baby calf flexes it's muscles in our farm pasture in Randolph County, North Carolina.

"Make Hay While the Sun Shines"

Farming is many times a exercise in compromise. Abundant rain means a lot of grass and a lot of hay. Overabundant rain means a lot of grass and the lack of good weather to harvest hay. Our area has fallen into the later category this year. We have a tremendous amount of hay, but we haven't had a lot of good weather up until now to make it, and nothing upsets a farmer more than wet hay. Greg Williams of Williams Dairy, south of Greensboro works late in the afternoon to catch up on his baling.

(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Day-lilies

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Wild day-lilies bloom beside a corn field along a road near Millboro in rural Randolph County, North Carolina. I say wild, because even though the original stock probably started from garden plants at old homeplaces, day-lilies have spread along the roads and fields in our area, and during this time of year create a splash of color everywhere.

Willys Jeep

Odell Routh of Lineberry, North Carolina, south of Greensboro works on replacing the brake master cylinder of his 1946 Willys CJ2A Jeep in his garage at Routh Oil Co.. The vehicle is actually an "Agri-Jeep", a post war, civilian model of the famous World War II military vehicle. Odell has long been a vehicle restorer, and currently has several he has restored and is working on, including another Willys, a 1948 four wheel drive pickup.


(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Cousin Sarah

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

I went up to Virginia Beach a couple of weeks ago to teach a digital camera workshop. While I was there, my cousin Sarah graciously allowed me to stay at her and her husband Don's home. Sarah and I grew up together in Grays Chapel, North Carolina. Her family lived just a half mile or so down the road and all of us kids were like one family. I enjoyed our short visit. She is a gorgeous lady and a great hostess.

Garden Guardians

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Farm cats Misty and Scamp survey the goings on in our garden from their picnic table perch at our home in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Beekeeper

I went with my son Tristan and his wife Christine this weekend to pick up a hive of young bees to place near our garden. We got the bees from master beekeeper Wally Swaim (seen below) of Level Cross, just south of Greensboro. Wally keeps hives, sells bee equipment and gathers wild bee swarms from trees and buildings. If you have a bee problem, he is the man to call. Bees in our area have suffered lately, and it's not exactly clear as to why. It may be disease or parasites or even a genetic problem, but the bee population has dropped, which is not good for the pollination of fruits and vegetables. Tristan is hoping he can help, and maybe take a little honey as well.



Wally checks the health of a hive above, sans veil and only with the protection of a little smoke.

(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Magnolia

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

My Great-Grandmother's 100 year old magnolia tree is in full bloom now in our front yard in Grays Chapel, North Carolina. We are fortunate to have several original plants and trees from when our house was built around 1880. This particular magnolia is huge and measures about 60 feet in height. It is the perfect climbing tree as 3 generations of kids will attest. Now it's the perfect spot for our chickens to scratch for bugs.

Organic Farmer Portrait

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Organic gardener and master cheese maker Steve Tate on his family's farm, Goat Lady Dairy, in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Baby Calf

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

One thing that is demonstrated by being on a farm is the continuous renewal of life. This baby calf rests in tall grass probably an hour or so after it was born. Mom was close by to offer her care.

Digital Photography Workshop

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of teaching a basic digital photography workshop in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The workshop was sponsored by my cousin Cory Routh who besides working for the State of Virginia as a marine biologist doing water quality work, runs a kayak fishing service in the Tidewater area called Ruthless Fishing. I hope the students enjoyed and learned something from the Saturday class. I know I enjoyed it. The workshop was held at First Landing/Seashore State Park on Cape Henry, a nice natural area with cypress swamp.

For more info on Cory's company and kayak fishing, go to http://www.ruthlessfishing.com/.

(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Black and White Floral Portrait, Yucca

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Black and white floral photograph of a yucca plant growing on Cape Henry, Virginia.

Mabry Mill

A few weeks ago I was up in Virginia shooting a commercial photography job, so on the way back to Greensboro we drove down part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a foggy day and we passed Mabry Mill, an iconic spot on the Parkway and on of the most photographed spots in America; a virtual photographic cliche. So did I stop and shoot. You betcha. I was there, and it is undoubtedly a beautiful place. Above is the mill and below a detail from one of the buildings.

(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

High School Graduation Congratulations

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Congratulations are in order for my son's friend Cally Womick who graduates this evening from Gray Stone Day School, a charter school located on the campus of Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, North Carolina. An Honor student at Gray Stone, Cally will be attending Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire in the Fall on a full academic scholarship. Cally is the daughter of Chip and Sharon Womick of Ramseur, North Carolina.

Squash Flower

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

A summer straight neck squash plant blooms in our vegetable garden in Grays Chapel, south of Greensboro. The weather has been pretty favorable this year for gardens, and we are beginning to see vegetable production begin. Pretty soon it's going to be a busy time keeping up with all the fresh produce. Less photography and more picking.

Horse and Rider

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

A rider exercises her 14 year old Danish Warm-Blood in this photograph taken Sunday afternoon on my neighbor's horse farm in Grays Chapel, south of Greensboro. It was a beautiful afternoon for a ride.

Loading Feed

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Photograph of a model working during a denim casual clothing shoot at an old feed mill south of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Farmall Super A Tractor

A 1948 Super A Farmall tractor sits at the end of a row of corn in my garden in Randolph County, North Carolina. This is a very special piece of machinery to me. My Grandfather bought it new in 1948 and it has been in use on our farm by him, my Father, me and my sons ever since. As a kid, I literally spent days in the seat plowing (cultivating) corn. This tractor is perfect for that, because the engine is offset and you can look straight down and see the rows of corn pass under you. We don't raise a lot of corn anymore, but we continue to use the tractor in our garden to cultivate and lay off rows. The old guy just keeps on going.


The inset is a self portrait of the "A" and me.

(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)