Highway 116 Road to Nowhere

Almost all of my photography has shifted to food photography.  That's not a horrible thing because my food blog has opened up a lot of opportunities for me.  But I wanted to get back to practicing general photography so I went for a drive yesterday.  

I looked at the map and picked out a back road that I have never traveled, State Road or Highway 116, not really sure, it just showed "116" on the map.  This circuitous route when through some pretty desolate areas through coal mining country.   I definitely need to work on my photography again but this was a start.

The roads were some of the curviest I have seen, including  "The Dragon", the famed motorcycle route in TN.

With coal mines popping up and then leaving areas, there were lots of abandoned buildings to be found.

Fork Mountain Baptist Church, you have to cross a foot bridge to get to it.   Isolated and creepy.

This building might have been an old parsonage?  It's on the church grounds.  

Don't want to know what is under this pile of rocks.

Outhouse behind the church.  Used one of these plenty of times.

The satellite dish caught my eye.  Pretty sure it's not functional, ha ha.

 At this point, it was feeling very eerie.  There was not a soul around but I felt like we were being watched.  Alexis pointed the key fob at the car to lock it (not sure why since there was NO ONE around) and the horn barked, scaring me.

"Don't DO that!" I told her.

Puzzled, she asked, "Why not?"

"The sound will attract Walkers!" I said.  (Walking Dead fans will get that.)

If you veer off the road or hit ice, you can kiss your butt goodbye, it's a straight drop off most of the way.

It started off a nice sunny day and I kept joking that we "had to get off of the mountain before the snow hits" but just as we got home....

  

So no spectacular photography but it was a good way to get out of the house and it got my desire to shoot going again.

After the fire....

I took this shot from the fire pit after the boys started some twigs for a fire and then found the logs were soaked from all the rain.  I thought the pinkish grey ash and the burnt out circle just looked cool.

After the fire the fire still burns
The heart grows older but never ever learns
The memories smoulder and the soul always yearns
After the fire the fire still burns

~Roger Daltrey

Lost Shopping Cart

This cart caught my attention two weeks ago and it has been begging for me to take it's picture ever since then.  It is out in this huge grass field and it makes me so curious as to how it got there.  It's probably 100 feet out in the field and it couldn't have rolled here.  Someone had to carry it out there. 

Dock

I hope my ship comes in before my dock rots.

Alternative title:  "Otis Redding was here and his personal injury lawyer would like to have a word with you."

New Moon on Monday

Do you have any of those "things" that you never grew out of?   When I was a kid I was fascinated by the sight of the moon in the middle of the day.  Staring up at that bright white satellite up in the sky captured my imagination.   

But even as an adult, a daytime moon is magical to me.  I have to stop and look at it.  I contemplate the perfect balance of gravity keeping the huge rock from hurling off into space yet keeping it from crashing onto the earth.  I wonder why I can't see the whole thing, I should at least be able to see the shadow of the dark side.   Speaking of "the dark side", I think about how it looks like the partially rebuilt Death Star of The Empire Strikes Back [geek alert]. 

Yes, I know this is NOT a "new moon" but the title post sounded good and it IS Monday.  Just for calling me out on the technical aspects of this post, I inflict...errr..."share" with you this brilliant gem of the golden years of music videos.

Knoxville at night

1.29.2011

In case of fire, pull pin and uh...umm.....nevermind, run!

I have had the flu the past several days but just HAD to get out this morning.  Mother Nature is teasing us with an almost early Spring like weekend.  The skies are blue, critters are scurrying about, and people are out enjoying the break between snowy, icky weather patterns.  I went down the banks of the lake and the first shot I got was of that fire extinguisher buried in the floatsam that is exposed each winter when the TVA draws down the water of the lake systems.  

Self portrait - dayum I'm a tall feller.

Noisy little bird, a kingfisher I think.

Rocky shoreline exposed.