Old Barn in Black and White

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

An old barn sits full of hay near Mt. Shepherd in western Randolph County, North Carolina.

Clyde McManus

This weekend I found my neighbor Clyde McManus working on a fence with his son and grandson at their farm and game reserve on Old Liberty Road in Randolph County. Clyde is a retired ATF agent or "revenoor" and worked the western part of North Carolina during the heyday of moonshining.

(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Feeding the Chickens

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

A bird's eye view at feeding time in our barnyard in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

It Ain't Vermont, But It Sure Is Pretty

Vermont and the Blue Ridge Parkway are both famous for their Fall colors, and they are truly so, but I venture to say that the color around Greensboro and the rest of the Piedmont of North Carolina this year is just as spectacular.

(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

The Moon and Venus

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

A few weeks ago we had one of those surreal night skies you sometimes see in the fall. The Moon was full with Venus nearby. A layer of broken clouds streamed by giving an almost pseudo daylight effect.

John Foy Piano Restoration

The area of downtown Greensboro, North Carolina south of the railroad tracks is known locally as Old Greensboro. A center for antique shops, it is also a thriving hub of artists and artisans. Across the alley from my studio is John Foy Piano Restoration. Run by John Foy, they specialize in maintaining, repairing and rebuilding grand pianos, primarily those made by Steinway and Sons. John has been doing this for about 27 years. He was trained as a classical pianist but began tuning and maintaining instruments. Soon, the need for repairing pianos arose and since he was familiar with woodworking from his father, he trained at North Bennet Street School in Boston, MA in piano repair and rebuilding. He and his staff now perform complete piano restoration in their Elm Street shop. For info, go to his website at http://www.johnfoypiano.com.



Below, John P. Johanson, a member of John's staff, works on rebuilding a Steinway piano. While the technology in these instruments is old, the craftsmanship needed to work on these beautiful pianos is truly an art.





(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Sunflower Blooms

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

A cluster of sunflowers bloom in my neighbor's garden in Randolph County, North Carolina earlier this summer.

Orchestra Images, the Rehearsal

I enjoy shooting people in the act of doing what they really do. This includes musicians. While I shoot public performances, these photos are from an orchestra rehearsal, a time where a lot of the real work in music is done. From my files on the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina.



(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Apples

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Fresh picked apples wait for buyers at a roadside produce stand near Candor, North Carolina. Candor, in Montgomery County, about an hour south of Greensboro is a center for North Carolina fruit and vegetable production.

Weston's Feed and Seed

My son Tristan and I made a Saturday morning trip to a local landmark in Asheboro, North Carolina, Weston's Feed and Seed for a bee feeder and some winter rye seed. A third generation family business, Weston's has been in Asheboro for as long as I can remember. Just the place to go for plants, seed, fertilizer and other garden supplies as well as pet, livestock, chicken and beekeeping equipment and supplies. You can even buy dried beans and hard candy. The staff is helpful and always willing to discuss what your projects are, what you need and how to use it. Their website is http://www.westonsfeedandseed.com/.




(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Greensboro Headshot

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Recent portrait headshot of young Greensboro woman.

The Blue Door

(photograph copyright 2009)

A old doorway forms a still-life across the street from my photography studio on Elm Street in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina.

A Wild Horse Named Rienzi

My wife's wild horse Rienzi sprints from her corral to join the cows in the morning at our farm in Grays Chapel, North Carolina. Rienzi is a 28 year old wild Mustang mare my wife and I adopted from the BLM when she was a yearling. She came from near Lake Tahoe in California and is named for a famous horse ridden by Philip Sheridan during the Civil War (Sheridan had his Rienzi stuffed and placed on display at the Smithsonian Institute). Our Rienzi spends her days grazing with our cattle herd and her nights in her 100 year old stall originally built for mules (she comes in on her own every evening). She's in excellent shape and very docile. She was trained to ride, but we don't ride her anymore except for the occasional bareback jaunt by my son Devin. I think she really thinks she is a cow now; she is definitely a herd animal. Rienzi is lucky, but a lot of her cousins aren't. Right now there are thousands of Mustangs in BLM holding pens, removed from government land. Some will be adopted, but it seems that many are to be sold for meat. Most of this removal is unnecessary and pushed by big western cattle interests. Several groups are pushing the government to stop these removals. Information on supporting wild horses and their preservation is available at http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/. Go there. Wild horses need your help.


(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Shitake Mushrooms

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

I saw these mushrooms at the fall open house at Goat Lady Dairy. Several people were there demonstrating sustainable agriculture. These were grown in western North Carolina on red oak logs.

Track Images from the Files

I was going through some local Greensboro track and field file photographs on Friday trying to get things organized. Shown are a few selections from the group.





(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Facebook Revisited

(photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

For those readers who are not aware, I was banned by Facebook back in May for no apparent reason http://danrouthphotography.blogspot.com/2009/05/banned-from-facebook.html. I have tried repeatedly to contact them to find out what I did and to request that my account be reinstated, all to no avail. A friend of mine from our local ASMP luncheon group, Jennifer Westmoreland, has been kind enough to create a "Facebook Bring Back Dan Routh" group. The URL is http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=144586647668 for any of you that are interested. Your help by joining would be appreciated. I can always rejoin Facebook with a new email address, but I spent a lot of time building a group of friends that I would like to keep. Evidently I did something that Facebook didn't like, I did not spam, or post inappropriate items, etc, but I would like to at least be told by the folks at Facebook how and why I was disabled. In fact, the whole thing is pretty silly, because those that know me really well know that personality-wise, I'm not the type of person that gets banned from anything, ever.

Jennifer's website is at: http://www.jwestmorelandphoto.com/mp_includes/body.asp.
Please give it a visit.

Combining Corn

Yesterday, neighbor Earl York, Jr. was combining corn at Melancthon near Liberty, North Carolina. The York family runs a seed, fertilizer and farm supply business as well as growing corn, soybeans and small grains. This particular field of corn was yielding close to 130 bushels per acre, which is not anything close to a record, but really good for a year of partial drought. I've shot farmers and agriculture all over the country (one of my most favorite subjects) and although all farmers are busy and under all kinds of pressure to get things done, I have never met one that would not stop their machinery, get off and come over to shake your hand and talk briefly about their crop. Earl was no exception.








(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)