home again, home again, jiggity-jig!

post #37

        With this week's THIS IS APPALACHIA NOW photo, I give a shout out to Bradley, with his young chicken and their matching outfits.  I call this photo feathers and threads, with thanks to George Ella and our on-going brainstorming.  It is always inspiring to see Bradley's skills with any kind of creature.



      Then, to share a new favorite photo, here is one from my recent trip.  It was fun to get to meet one of my first cousins twice removed!  Such wonderful eyes.  Between her being one and one half years old and my having been driving most of the day, however, I was lucky to get this photo.  It happened very fast.

     
      I also want to share a long-term favorite, my photo of this cow.  It's important to point out that cows are harder to photograph than you might think, certainly than I ever thought they would be.  Like chickens, they move.  They don't situate themselves in just the right light.  And they certainly don't usually stand surrounded by blooming weeds!!  Take it when you can get it, I say.
      I call this photo black and white in color.  I took it with film, and I have scanned a print for use here and for my note cards.

     Note: this morning I took a walk in our woods, and the moss areas were richly green.  It made me remember how wonderful the slow Velvia slide film was with greens, and I do miss that.  I also remembered how I have wanted to encourage us all to make prints as we go along.  I am fortunate to have access to a person who makes great prints (thank you, Catherine!) while I keep planning to learn how to do it well myself.  In the meantime, technical stuff is always changing, and how horrible to lose access to special photos just because no one got around to making some prints for that shoebox or album.  (This includes allowing enough pixels on whatever card you use in your digital camera to print out a decent photo.)
    I know the folks in Joplin, MO are dealing with the loss of irreplaceable photos, so no system is perfect.  That tragic tornado experience should give us all incentives to think about how best to keep our treasured images for the long haul. 

today's treasure, in honor of the stages we humans also go through....

away from home, carrying the hills within me

post #36
      The beauty of this past April at home has spoiled me entirely, even surrounded as I am today by the rushing streams and stunning azaleas and crabapple trees of another spring, here in western Massachusetts, where I am hanging out this week with our mellow-even-at-two-weeks granddaughter!  The fact that these rushing streams are partly due to the constant rainy weather -- every day! -- may be, excuse me, dampening my enthusiasm for them....

       

       But first, here is this week's THIS IS APPALACHIA NOW.  See the paragraph above to understand why I chose this photo for today.  As mentioned in earlier posts, I have photographed this house, from a variety of angles, in all four seasons.

Appalachian spring, along Mauk Ridge (Route 504)

       However, to be an equal opportunity gawker, I want to show some of that New England rushing water.  Location above: behind the Bookmill, in Montague, whose motto states that they have books you don't need in a place you can't find.

also, above, along the Connecticut River, from the French King Bridge, and, below, an ordinary house with an extraordinary azalea

     I am ending with a photo I took as a slide when John Flavell and I were photographing an amazing rhododendron display, down on Carter's Ford, several years ago, in my pre-digital times.  I recently scanned the slide so the image is now available digitally, joining the "makes me happy" collection.  I love seeing this kind of natural light, which I might not even notice were I not out wherever with a camera.  
    

Note: I use the Epson 4990 scanner, which was top of the line at one point.  These days I have to make sure my computer doesn't get ahead of it.  Good luck to all of us in making it possible for the components of our equipment to continue their invaluable working relationships!

still wet, still May, still me

post #35
     I finally realized that all my recent thinking about what images speak for Appalachia is so interesting to me that I could start a weekly feature: one photo each week -- chosen from ones already shown on this blog or ones already taken or ones to be taken in the future.  Along with the story that is part of the photo.

                                                             

So, here goes!  THIS IS APPALACHIA NOW:

I've chosen this photo to go first because it happens only in Appalachia.  Almost 500 mountaintops gone.  Water sources -- streams, wells -- damaged.  Communities disrupted.  All for profit for a few.  All leading to a price for electricity that does not reflect its true cost.  The story to remember: WE ALL LIVE DOWNSTREAM.  We are all affected by this travesty.

       Next, a few more photos from my recent gathering of the Kentucky Women's Photography Network.   This one by Libby shows the lay of the land, near Frankfort, KY, and how the rich carpet of blue-eyed Marys surrounded us.

This is my close-up of the blue-eyed Marys.  Our timing was spectacular, or was it their timing that was awesome.....

For the record, this is the Kentucky River on the edge of Dobree's land.  It can be no surprise to note that their road and fields are sometimes flooded!

Meanwhile, back on the ridge, this is how the trees work together to show off every shade of spring green.

    

the day after the Derby - post #34

           No bluegrass here, and neither horses nor Derby, but we do have some Wild Turkey on hand!

      Today I have promised a few photos from the Kentucky Women Photographer's network meeting/outing Sunday 4/17 in Franklin County (near Frankfort).  Each member provides different skills and interests -- for example, Mary likes any hands-on photo process, Melissa knows her computer stuff, Libby is a poet as well as a photographer, I am centered on Appalachia, etc.   Here are a few photos, more next week.

Melissa shows Ann, Mary, and Dobree in action.  We were at Dobree's farm.

      Mary says about the box she's trying out that "basically I’m shooting a digital camera through the view finder of an old twin lens camera…it makes for a different perspective..."  She caught me in my "making like a tripod" position.

Melissa shares another of the places we walked to and another photo skill!        

 

Mary sees the llama through the inside of the box.

I'm adding my llama photo in honor of Mother's Day today....but which one is the mother??

 

Me again, this time looking up the wooded hillside.  I'll have some more photos from this outing next week.

     Last but not least, there's happy news to report: our daughter's baby finally decided to come out and see the world!  WELCOME to THEA FIONA, born May 3, 2011!!

re-imaging the day's offering

post #33
      Something has happened to the day, as in "disappeared," so I am postponing the photos from our Kentucky Women Photography Network day until next weekend with hopes of receiving a few more images by then.  In any case, I wanted to tell that the photo here is what I plan to submit tomorrow for the UK Appalachian Center's Re-imaging Appalachia contest.  (For clarity's sake, that is UK as in University of Kentucky and not UK as in wedding mania.)  Thank you to those who shared your preferences after Thursday's blog request!

hills with hay rows, northeastern Kentucky

        
     Here is an additional photo that I meant to include Thursday as a contest choice.  It was taken in July 2009 close to the above photo's location, only one shot, since we were in a hurry, but the light was compelling.   I call it scanned by sun.

     The view is from the home of some nearby friends.  They enjoy some fine sunsets!  Perhaps I am drawn to sharing this sunny photo today also because of all the rain we have been having. 

   

      But today is the first of May, so in honor of the day, here is a mayapple in bloom.  As a child in Connecticut, I grew up on Mayapple Road, but I never knew what a mayapple actually looked like until moving to eastern Kentucky -- I had made the assumption they were early blooming apple trees.  (This is always an embarrassing tale to tell.)    

       I can't help ending on a happy personal note -- around here we are busy waiting for another grandbaby to arrive.  When I call anyone these days, I have to announce myself by saying "This-is-Ann-no-baby-yet."  Luckily there are no problems; both mom and babe seem very fine.

Mid-Week, Extra Post, on re-imaging Appalachia

post #32
      I am posting an extra entry this week because of an approaching May 2 deadline.  (I meant to have this discussion earlier this month, but there were all those flowers to share....)

     The Appalachian Center at the University of Kentucky is running a contest to locate a fresh take on images that describe or signal Appalachia.  No banjos or coal miners need be submitted.  And while my body of work consists of a multitude of images from this area, that doesn't mean that a single image screams Appalachia.  My mules-plowing-the-tobacco photos were taken because the occasion was unusual, not because it represents anything.   (It was, simply, exhilarating to be there with my camera!  All those greens, the rounded mule rumps, and the straight rows of dark, moist earth!)

     There is no fee to enter this contest though there are money prizes.  But each photographer is limited to THREE photos!   This is where I'd appreciate your help.

#2 - big wheel

#1 - mountaintop removal mining

I plan to submit big wheel and my mountaintop removal photo.  And one of the following -- 1, 2, 3, or 4.  Please let me know if one of the images below OR another of my images speak to you for this purpose. Thanks!

      Actually, on Tuesday my monthly writers group came up with their clear choice.  Also, so far, I haven't located the guys with the sign so I wouldn't get to use the photo unless someone can identify them by Monday.  But I love the photo.  What can I say.  I have been thinking about all this for weeks and I have no idea how anyone would make a choice for what is Appalachian and what is Anywhere.  I will be interested in the results, and I hope as many people as possible send in their treasures to UK.  We do need to get unstuck about what images come to mind when we think "Appalachia."

Big Wet Sunday, special edition

post #31
       I have been wanting to share the photo my friend George Ella Lyon took earlier this month for her newsletter.  It features her favorite poetry book from childhood (in Harlan, Kentucky.)  I love how she reveals her emotions with this image, like she does again and again with her words.  (The title is hers as well.)

Pansies and Poems, by George Ella Lyon

     It's always wonderful to be home all of an April to watch the beauty of an Appalachian spring.  This year's has been wet and cool enough for the flowers to last longer than sometimes.   Redbuds, dogwoods, and the light greens, pale yellows and reds of new leaves on other trees have also been stretched.  The severe tornadoes haven't passed here as yet; some may show up this week.  Again today we just have heavy rains from passing thunderstorms.

              So, first a reprise and a follow-up, as promised --  this photo, I believe, is an emerging Erect Trillium, which I photographed in central Kentucky (see blog #29).  Then during my outing with the art students a week later, I saw this same species just past its prime.  The shape of the leaves doesn't look exactly alike -- is that just due to variation in the eastern part of the state?

   

pink lady's slipper

       Last week, during that same outing, I broke the rule about "avoid the washed-out look and do not shoot nature midday."   We were just lucky to be there -- and without rain -- so I gave it a try.  What I ended up with, almost by accident, were shadows from within an emerging lady's slipper (an orchid). Not your usual view!   Luckily four days later I was able to return to that very same spot, by myself this time, where I tried to replicate the angle of the earlier photo.  

   I am sharing this photo as is, even though the color isn't quite right.  I am sure I just got too excited about being back and seeing the change in four days.  I then simply forgot to pay enough attention to my camera!  However, I did better with the other photos I took in that orchid patch.

another hooded "about to bloom"

the original plant, this time from the side

     I realize, dear viewers, that I'm subjecting you to many more photos than I usually do.  Think of it as a kind of spring celebration!  Here are six final images I am unwilling to hold over until next weekend:

flora and flooding in Laurel Gorge

  

Solomon's Seal (a lily) with hanging buds -- see three of these plants in this photo

two nearby Jack in the Pulpit, at Laurel Gorge  

 

It was thanks to these students that I was at Laurel Gorge!  They took some fine photos themselves.

delicious lettuce my husband is growing at home

a goldfinch -- now "golder" and wetter -- in the maple

 Note:  Sometimes clicking on a photo within the blog can make it larger -- but other times that doesn't happen.  Have not yet figured out how to set it up so that any of the photos can be enlarged.  Thanks so much for visiting today's post!
    
    
   

Finishing last weekend's photos and some more signs of spring

post #30  

      First, I want to touch on those mountain scars I mentioned in post #29 and show what I passed while driving to and from Pine Mountain.  The cemetery with its nearby coal tipple is on a back route going north from Pine Mountain; I purposely obscured the name and dates on the coal miner's tombstone, since I am never clear if I first need to ask the family's permission to use the photo.  I am sorry the strong afternoon light makes the photos look more washed out than they should be.  I find these small family cemeteries to be one of the rich treasures of Appalachia.

 

 

I was asked not to come any closer to this major coal project, even though I tried out my innocent granny hobby photographer look for the guard on duty.  He was actually very polite and apologetic when he indicated there were just too many environmentalists....(a.k.a. troublemakers?)... and they have to be careful.  The next photo is to the right of this one.

A nearby sign tells this is the Arch Coal Blue Ridge Complex, and I think I was in Leslie County, on the drive  from Pikeville to Harlan

another coal mining view, in Perry or Leslie County     

Then, at home, signs of spring, such as this goldfinch slowly turning last week from winter gray to summer gold,

 while the blossoms on our ancient apple tree shine under the moon.  The miracle in part was that we could actually see the moon ~~  there has been so much rain! 

     Today, in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, I saw this lovely plant, and I was told it was an erect trillium, not fully in bloom.  I read that this type of trillium is not very common in the eastern part of Kentucky.  (As always, corrections are welcome!)  It was sunny and breezy where I was, so I am pleased that even so this photo is sharp despite the wind.  
     Since it seems I often have to leave some parts unfinished in my posts, it won't surprise anyone that I look forward to sharing more about today's excursion -- next week.