From Warmer Days

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

From a local farmer's fields during warmer times last summer.

Horse Harness

Horse harness hangs on a neighbor's farm in Grays Chapel, North Carolina. The harness above is leather, while the antique collar below is made of zinc. The zinc was supposed to act medicinally to prevent the horse or mule's shoulders from getting sore and raw.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

World Traveler

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Among the family visitors we had over the holidays was Brown Teddy, my son Devin's childhood companion. Teddy has been living in New Hampshire the last couple of years with Devin and recently had the opportunity to be the traveling companion of Dartmouth student Jocelyn Powelson on a trip to China, where the globe-hopping bear had a chance to view the Great Wall and take a ride on a camel in the Gobi Desert. After the New Year, his adventures continue. Next stop, New Zealand, and a chance to view the Southern Cross.

(Photographs courtesy Jocelyn Powelson)

Jocelyn

Portrait, Jocelyn Powelson. On a visit to Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Farmall M Plow

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Old Farmall M plow in B&W.

Mowing

Brothers Matthew (above) and Michael Walker (below) work to make one more cutting of hay before winter sets in near my home in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Merry Christmas from the Routh Family

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Merry Christmas from my family in Grays Chapel.

The Key to My Grandfather's House

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Another still-life study from the green table in my den.

Portrait

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh.

Gary Mac. Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Chevy in the Vines

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

An old Chevy cab-over truck (1941?) emerges from the vines in Lineberry, North Carolina. During the summer it disappears.

I Saw Esau

Esau is a ram at Rising Meadow Farm near my home in Grays Chapel, North Carolina. Farm owner Ann Fay said he was named for an old playground ditty. For those that don't remember the rhyme, it goes in one version:

I saw Esau, sitting on a see-saw,
I saw Esau, he saw me.
I saw Esau, sitting on a see-saw,
I saw Esau, he saw me.
I saw Esau, he saw me, and she saw I saw Esau.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Shiloh Decorations

Natural Christmas decorations at Shiloh Church in Troy, North Carolina.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Roosting Guinea

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

A guinea fowl roosts in a walnut tree at dusk at my home in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

At the Stockyard

On Friday morning my son I took a load of yearling calves to Carolina Stockyards in Siler City, North Carolina. I went back by later in the afternoon and watched the auction for a while as I waited for my sale to be processed. There were a lot of cattle to be sold and the buyers in the auction arena were quite active. It's one of those places where if you scratch your head at the wrong time, you might end up buying a cow. I picked up my check, and while I was at the counter, I met a couple of young cattle barons making their very first sale.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Old Ford Truck

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

An old Ford farm truck near my home in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Seaweed

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Kelp lies on the rocks at low tide near the Marginal Way in Ogunquit, Maine.

Marco Polo, RIP

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

The crow is gone, but not forgotten.

Loading Shavings in the Afternoon

Neighbor Greg Williams loads shavings and sawdust on his family's dairy in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Work Horse in the Morning

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

A Belgian work horse in my neighbor's pasture in Grays Chapel, North Carolina. Yesterday morning.

Devin Beside the Barn

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Portrait of my son Devin at my grandfather's barn.

Red Doorway

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh.

Red door, Woodstock, Vermont.

Asheboro Municipal Building

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Another Randolph County, North Carolina historical landmark, the 1938 art-deco Asheboro Municipal Building.

Portrait with a Toothpick

(photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Portrait of a young man with toothpick.

Linney's Mill

Linney's Mill in Union Grove, North Carolina is a working water powered grist mill producing stone ground corn meal and grits daily. Run by Billy "Smiley" Linney, the mill was built by his grandfather W.L. Linney in 1937 on Rocky Creek, north of Statesville, and was run by his father William beginning in 1954. Mills have stood on the site since 1790.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)