Thistle 2011

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Thistle from behind the barn.

For the Farmer's Market

A stop by neighbor and cousin Thomas Routh's farm on Friday found Thomas and his wife Lula Mae getting their produce ready for Saturday morning's Farmer's Market in Asheboro, North Carolina. 

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Juan Pablo

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

El gato.

Mule Portrait

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Mule portrait, Caldwell County, North Carolina.

Chesapeake Tug

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

While waiting to start a job in Chesapeake, Virginia yesterday morning, I watched the tug "Goose Creek" pull dredging pipe down the inland waterway.

Honeysuckle

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Honeysuckle from the barnyard. Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Pisgah Covered Bridge

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Pisgah covered bridge in Randolph County, North Carolina. One of two original covered bridges still left in the state.

Morning Tour

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Gorgeous morning for a bike ride, and they were out in the hundreds for the 2011 Grays Chapel Lions Club, Tour de Lions. I'll be posting more images next week.

Baling Hay

They say you have to make hay when the sun shines. Here in Grays Chapel, North Carolina, it hasn't shone much in the past couple of weeks. It did today, and my neighbor Mark Sexton was in the field hard at work.

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

37 Knucklehead

1937 Harley Davidson Knucklehead, antique rally, Denton, North Carolina.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Lanier's Store

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

I was down in the New Hope area of Randolph County, North Carolina the other day and took the opportunity to stop at a local establishment, Lanier's Grocery and Service. Jack and Ollie Lanier have run their store for 57 years and are still there every day.

Portrait with Motorcycle

Portraits of motorcycle collector Ramsey Allen, shot over the weekend at an antique bike meet in Denton, North Carolina.

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Cicada

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

I've heard a lot of news reports about cicadas in North Carolina recently, but I haven't seen or heard any of these 13 year "locusts" near my home. A trip to Denton on Sunday changed that. It was surreal as the woods around Denton Farm Park sounded alive with their drone. Thought for a moment I was in the Twilight Zone.

Plow Day in Black and White

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Black and white from Caldwell County, North Carolina.

Red Caboose

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Still-life photograph of an old railroad caboose from a local train museum in North Carolina.

Location Scouting

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Out-take from a location scouting trip.

Plover

I walked out into the newly planted part of our garden and ran into a plover, a small wading-type bird. The poor thing was obviously hurt, for it flapped it's damaged wing and called out in pain. All of this was a hoax of course, as the bird did everything in it's power to lure me away from four small eggs camouflaged in the recently planted soil. I marked the spot and we'll work around the nest till the eggs hatch and the young scurry away.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

James Tristan Routh, JD

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Occasionally I get the opportunity to make a purely personal blog post. Yesterday my wife and I had the pleasure of watching our older son Tristan receive his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. It's been a long journey and we are both very proud.

Corn Ground

It's that time of year when farmers and gardeners are getting things into the soil, and my neighbors are busy. Michael Williams works ground near my home in Grays Chapel, North Carolina. Michael and his family run a dairy farm nearby, and will plant corn on land where they have just cut small grains for silage. The corn too will be used for cattle feed.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Saturday Afternoon

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh.

My son Tristan's potatoes bloom in our garden in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

B&W Plow

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh.

B&W still life of an old International plow.

Iris

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

An old fashioned iris blooms at Goat Lady Dairy in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Plowing with Teams

Scenes from the annual Plow Day in Caldwell County, North Carolina. Folks bring their teams of horses, mules, and draft ponies to plow bottom ground along the Yadkin River.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Montagnard Backstrap Weavers

Sunday afternoon, the Goat Lady Dairy near my home in Grays Chapel, North Carolina, hosted their annual Spring open farm day. Folks came to see the goat dairy and gardens, to taste the cheese and meats, and were even able to try their hand at pottery making. This year there was a special opportunity to watch a group of Montagnard ladies demonstrate traditional spinning and weaving on backstrap looms. H-Tep Adrong (above) and Ju Nie (below) worked on weaving while Broih Fnu spun cotton into thread. It was absolutely fascinating to watch them work on these totally manual machines and produce their brightly colored woven fabrics.

Check out this blog at http://backstrapweavers.blogspot.com/.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Farm Dog

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh.

Farm dog, Caldwell County, North Carolina.