I decided to step a little bit out of my “norms” for this week’s (really last week’s) photo-of-the-week assignment. I wanted to walk around Washington’s historic Harbor District and find some interesting windows. Some of the buildings date back to the 18th century, and almost all of them have an interesting character about them. This week’s photo is of the Fowle Warehouse.
The Fowle Warehouse was built in the early-to-mid 1800s and survived a brutal Civil War battle. Washington, NC
Posted in Photo of the Week
Tagged america, architecture, history, north carolina, photography
Looking west over Lily Lake in the Desolation Wilderness
While Hurricane Irene was battering my home and the sailboat I’m waiting to take ownership of (which is soon to become my home; they both survived), I was out on a short day-hike in the Glen Alpine Springs area near South Lake Tahoe on a beautiful day. Waterfalls, lakes, mountains, and old cabins can all be experienced in just a matter of a few miles. John Muir even wrote, “The Glen Alpine Springs Resort seems to me one of the most delightful places in all the famous Tahoe region. From no other valley, as far as I know, may excursions be made in a single day to so many peaks, wild gardens, glacier lakes, glacier meadows, and alpine groves, cascades and the like.” Hike as long as you want; if you have a few hours like I did, go up to the Glen Alpine Springs resort site (ran from 1884-1960). If you have days or weeks, you can spend it all continuing deeper into the Desolation Wilderness and its many trails & lakes. My last trip into the Desolation Wilderness was in the neighborhood of fifteen years ago while I was living in Tahoe, and it was great to be back. Continue reading
Wetlands near Mark's Creek, North Carolina.
A couple of months ago I approached the Triangle Land Conservancy about any potential photographic projects they might have. I needed something to keep my creativity going and keep me from thinking about real work! I was referred to the Turnipseed Tract in the Marks Creek conservation area, just a few minutes from my house (bonus!). Looking at a map, it didn’t look like much. The area sat between two suburban subdivisions and had a large powerline cutting through the west side of the land. I didn’t think there’d be much to photograph, but between the deer, wild lupine, and exotic aquatic plants, I had to bite my tongue after going through 2 – 8MB memory cards during three separate trips.
Posted in Destinations
Tagged america, conservation, hiking, nature, north carolina
The Philip Alston House, 1772, still bearing bullet holes from the American Revolution.
This old house earned its name from the “horseshoe” shape of the Deep River that the house is near. This house is one of North Carolina’s State Historic Sites. Sure, it’s not one of those obscure little unknown places that I usually pursue, but it is in the middle of nowhere and has a lot of history. The house was constructed in 1772 on the site that it still sits on today. One can see bullet holes in the walls from a 1781 skirmish, and the grave of one of North Carolina’s first governors who later lived in the house.
Posted in Destinations
Tagged america, military, north carolina, revolutionary war, travel
I like to think that I know a lot of little random, relatively useless facts about history. One thing I know zilch about is NASCAR. Quite frankly because I don’t care. That’s right, I live in North Carolina, and I don’t care about NASCAR. I’d rather watch paint dry. However, I was pretty surprised to learn that the only surviving racetrack from NASCAR’s inaugural 1949 season is hidden in the woods just southeast of old Hillsborough, 20 miles from Raleigh. I’ll admit that it got my interest.
The cement seats still sit on the hill overlooking the final stretch of the speedway
UPDATE – 8 July 2011. NASA decided to give Atlantis one last go today on STS-135, making my photos NOT the last photos of Atlantis. Thanks for raining on my parade, NASA! I’m just glad they got one more launch in – Godspeed to the crew and the memory of the shuttle program.
Last Friday I had the honor of sending off the Atlantis on its final mission, while flying a patrol around Cape Canaveral. As a part of Operation Noble Eagle, we flew our F-15Es down from North Carolina to enforce the FAA’s Temporary Flight Restriction put in place before and during the launch. For a guy who grew up following all the shuttle missions as a kid and wanting to be an astronaut, this was a surreal experience. Good thing I like to take pictures. The sampling below represents a small number of the dozens of good pictures that came out.
After 31 flights and 115.8 million miles, Atlantis is going to wrap things up. I recently spent some time reading about the various things Atlantis participated in during its time serving NASA, and found some interesting facts.
Atlantis accelerates over the Atlantic
Posted in Stories
Tagged america, atlantis, aviation, cape canaveral, florida, military, space shuttle
Featured in Wikipedia's Top 25 Photos of 2010!
