Carver's Sight or is that Site: October 2008

Friday, October 31, 2008

Photohunters: Blue

The photohunter theme this week is blue. I live in North Carolina so I thought I'd show you the last blooms of my crepe myrtle tree which I shot against a Carolina Blue sky last month.

Forgive me, but I can't resist taking this opportunity to fly the colors of my political party, since we will be holding a presidential election in the U.S. next week. Three guesses who I'll be voting for.

Last but not least, I thought my uncarved pumpkin would look cute in a blue cap. I think I'm going to be lazy and not carve my pumpkin.

If you get a chance to visit Snap2Days, we have a duo PH post there. Happy Halloween and have a great weekend! To visit early bird photohunters you can browse technorati here -

photohunt and on Saturday at the Home of the Photohunt.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

More shots from my mountain weekend

At first I was disappointed that we delayed our weekend get-a-way and left Saturday morning instead of Friday due to the weather. As it turned out it was perfect.

We left home Saturday morning in the rain, and it was also raining where we were heading. It started clearing during the trip and it was perfect when we arrived.

It would have been too wet to have done any walking until around the time we got there so it worked out.

The lodge we stayed at was a few hundred yards from the entrance to parking for Linville Falls so it was easy to check in and head out. The path to the falls is easy which was good since there were a lot of puddles to avoid.

Sunday was a perfect day for hiking and soaking up the view. In addition to our long hike in the Pisgah National Forest, we also enjoyed the drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway and had a late afternoon lunch in Blowing Rock.

Even the easier parts of the primitive trail were tricky because it was all roots and rocks and they were wet.

The colors were magnificent. I love the way it looks like someone ran amuk with magic markers across the landscape.

I'll admit that by the time we reached our car and were heading out on the road, I was happy to be enjoying the view from a comfortable car seat.

I wouldn't have minded staying to see the snow flurries that were predicted for the next night, but I definitely got more than my quota of hiking in on Sunday. At least we did have a hard frost on the windshield Sunday morning. I love those first signs of winter.

I have barely scratched the surface of my photographs but I'm sure I'll work a few more into posts later on.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Weekend Snapshot: Number 60

I am back from a weekend trip to the NC Mountains and too tired to look through all my photographs so I'll put a couple up that seem to be ok.

I took the shot above at Linville Falls, NC on Saturday afternoon when we arrived. It rained Friday and Saturday morning so we delayed leaving on our trip until Saturday morning, but it cleared up for an afternoon walk to the falls when we arrived.

It was a beautiful day today (Sunday) and we went on a four hour hike on the Babel Tower Trail in the Piscah National Forest which is where I took the shot above. It was a stretch for me to do that hike especially since the trail was still wet and slippery, but we did see some beautiful views. Since I made it home alive, I'll say it was worth it.
Weekend Snapshot

Friday, October 24, 2008

Photohunt: Scary

The photohunter theme this week is scary. Hopefully I will be able to visit some early birds but I won't be able to do much weekend visiting so I'll probably be visiting photohunters late. The bird below finds the monster with the metal object very scary.

Don't be scared. I come in peace. I want to shoot your picture not you.

If you have time, SabineM and I have a scary parallel lives post at Snap2Days. You can visit other early birds at technorati

photohunt and on Saturday at the home of the hunt.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Surprises Abound

I was photographing the autumn leaves when this hawk surprised me as it went gliding overhead with such grace.

I'm assuming that I'm correct in identifying the glider as a hawk or maybe a falcon. The next surprise wasn't discovered until after I downloaded some shots I took yesterday.

I thought I'd catch the moon, along with the North Carolina Natural Science Museum's dome, which I did. You'll probably have to click inside and enlarge the shot to see the moon on the right. The big surprise was that you can see the dinosaur skeleton through the window. I knew he was there but had no idea that he showed in the photograph until after the fact.

The surprise in the shot above is that although the RBC Plaza in the background is Raleigh's newest and tallest landmark, when I took the shot of the Christ Church rooster, there is an illusion created of the rooster towering above the much taller building.

Now that the temperatures are dipping close to freezing at night I am continuing to be surprised by the roses which are hanging tough.

Although the fall leaves are seasonal in October, the site of a maple leaf against a blue sky catches me by surprise every time.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Fun Surprise and Mimi's Peace movement

I met a friend for lunch downtown today and imagine my surprise when I discovered that James Taylor was performing at an Obama rally around the corner from where we ate. I told my friend that I was going to slip behind the press and get a shot before he started singing but I'd move away from her so as not to be embarrassing. Not only wasn't she embarrassed she tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out a better place to get a clear shot. It worked out great as I finished my paparazzi moment in time to put up my camera and move back to where we could just listen. JT sounded great. In really good voice.

As an Obama supporter and someone who likes James Taylor's music it was a fun way to end a fun lunch. On another topic, Mimi the Queen of Blog Blast for Peace has decided to move the movement along by spreading the word via the internet tag system. What a great cause to see continue to move and grow. Since I don't tag individuals, if you read my blog and want to joing Blogblast for Peace, simply read below and consider yourself tagged by me.

From Mimi's Blog-
This meme is a movement.

Let's move it.

Tag at will!

**start copy**

Join The Revolution

Here are the rules and the story.

(1) Copy this into a post (2) ADD YOUR NAME to the bottom of the tag list
(3) Tag at as many people as you'd like.

The Peace Globe project began in the fall of 2006 with a simple post from one blog, Mimi Writes. The post ignited a flame in the blogosphere. The flame became a passion. The passion became a movement. It amazingly traveled from blog to blog to blog across the globe. Bloggers wrote passionate articles on what peace means to them, along with the promise of three Latin words scribbled on a globe - Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace) - branded with the integrity of their names or blog names. It was positively inspiring to watch. And it began to happen all over the world - from Singapore to China to Afghanistan to Brooklyn.

It was simple. And powerful.

In less than three weeks bloggers from all across the globe will blog for peace.
We will speak with one voice. One subject. One day.
Won't you join us?
November 6, 2008

How To Get Your Peace Globe In 4 easy steps!

1. Right CLICK and SAVE the peace globe below or choose from other designs here.
2. Sign the globe using Paint, Photoshop or a similar graphics tool. Decorate the globe anyway you wish. You can even include the name of your blog. Click here for hundreds of inspiring examples from previous BlogBlasts.
3. Return the peace globe to me via email ~ mimiwrites2005 at yahoo.com - Let me know your blog's name and url by leaving a comment here and signing the Mr. Linky. Your submission will be numbered and dated in the official gallery . Your globe and post will be listed on the Official BlogBlast For Peace website and The Peace Globe Posts page.

Here's the most important part.
4. On November 6, 2008 DISPLAY YOUR GLOBE IN A POST. Title your post "Dona Nobis Pacem". This is important. The goal is for all blog post titles to say the same thing on the same day. Write about peace or simply fly your globe.

Go HERE for the other 3 globe template choices!)

If you'd like to help spread the word, take this button to your site. The code is in my sidebar.

I, Mimi Queen of Memes, hereby royally tag the following.......

(Before you copy this list on your blogs, ADD YOUR OWN NAME to the bottom of the list. )

............................................................................................................YOUR NAME HERE.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE TAGGED TO PLAY.

Please passing this meme through the blogosphere. Peace + Power
This is Mimi Pencil Skirt reporting from the lovely land of the Peace Globes.
Memeing the Movement.

**End Copy**

That was the end of Mimi's post and this is Carver again, I hope you will consider joining the movement. I also posted about the upcoming blogblast for peace in this WS Post where I showed my new globe. You can visit the gallery to see what others have done. Everyone makes the globe their own.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Weekend Snapshot: Number 59

For my first weekend snapshots I thought I'd post some of the morning full moon shots I took on Thursday so they are actually pre-weekend snapshots.

I had intended to take some more moon shots over the weekend but it was rainy on Friday and Saturday so I couldn't see the moon. I may try tonight (Sunday) since it has cleared up again.

I almost like seeing the moon in daylight as much as I like seeing it at night.

Today I went outside to take some fall shots but was blown away by the reprise of summer.

This tomato was hiding in the plants which have been bare since I harvested the last of the tomatoes at the end of August. I couldn't believe it. Glad I spotted it since it's supposed to be close to freezing tonight.

The morning glories continue to bloom although not for much longer. They are started to show signs of being done for the year.

I still have late roses in bloom which I am enjoying a great deal. The trees are also continuing to change and give me lots of color.

It is as if all of the seasons are merging and putting their beauty out there all at once.

To find other weekend snapshots you can go to the home of WS where participants post on Monday or you can browse for early birds on technorati

weekend-snapshot.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Photohunt: Family

The photohunt theme this week is family. I decided to show you a photograph in my family flip album. Bill took this shot of me and our daughter in 1985, shortly after we got home from the hospital.

So many of the shots Bill took of our daughter as a newborn, with me, only show a part of my body. In one shot I won't use, all you see of me is my breast. In the shot above you only see my lap and torso as is shown above. I remember a time I was bothered by how I almost looked like furniture for the baby. Now I love these shots. You don't need to see my face to see a mother/child bonding. I have another shot from this album in the parallel lives photohunt on Snap2Days.

You can browse other early bird photohunters on technorati -

PhotoHunt and on Saturday at the home of the hunt here PhotoHunt

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Surprises in the sky and other shots

I was outside yesterday evening shooting the sunset when I caught the sounds of the birds flying out from the trees. You can see the beginning of their formation on the right hand side of the shot above and then the full group as they came out below.

There was no time to adjust the camera settings or to do anything but push the button as I tried to follow the birds before they disappeared behind the trees. Not the best shots but a pleasant surprise to capture those few seconds at all.

My lavender is about done for the year but I'm optimistic that it will be back in the spring. The lavender above has been coming back each year for 10 years since I started it by seed which I enjoy. I think plants I started from seed, that give me pleasure for decades are my favorites.

The morning glories have made a brief come back after being zapped by heat. I thought they were done for the year but as the rain came, and the weather cooled, they have made a brief come back before the frost will lay them to rest. The seeds they have dropped will bring out the new plants in the spring.

My storage building roses are continuing to soften the look of my utilitarian building. They tend to hang on even past the first few frosty evenings so hopefully they will do that for me this year.

I haven't used my outdoor shower in years, partly because of the need to conserve water. I suppose next spring if the drought conditions remain over I may turn that water back on. In the meantime it cracks me up how the shower head is surrounded by vines. Soon the leaves will drop off the vines and the shower will look lonely.

I guess I'll end with one of the cardinals which fake me out much of the year. I look up in the fall and at first I think they are a red leaf. I look up in the spring and summer and think they are a flower.

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