Merlefest 09 (part 1)

This past weekend Adam and I had the luxury of going to Merlefest with photo passes to see (and of course photograph) lots of amazing musicians. We did two shoots off the stage, David Holt and the Greencards. The photo above is from the David Holt shoot. David was kind enough to come straight from playing a set to hang out for a few photos. David explained to me how when he was in his early twenties he moved from California to Asheville, NC to learn how to play music and utilize his teaching degree. Forty years later as Holt was picking on stage with Doc Watson at Merlefest, it is clear he made the right move. David couldn't have been kinder or more of a joy to work with, even being willing to go along with our crazy idea of shooting while standing in the creek. To see the rest of the photo set, check out the Flickr Page.

Acorn Hat

Yesterday when I read the forecast I wasn't convinced that it would really flurry overnight, it felt too warm outside. Last night when my roomate told me it had been flurrying and I went outside to see the stars shining, I thought yeah, right... Well good morning snow! As much as I thought it wasn't going to snow I was hoping it would and am glad it did. I'm assuming this will be the last one of the season, but who knows in these mountains. Sweet acorn hat Frosty is rockin' eh?

A lingering sunset

Tate and I headed out to the parkway to throw a little frisbee and then stop at Ravens Rock overlook to take some photos of the sunset. Due to the rainy weather we have had lately, we haven't really noticed how late the sunset has gotten and were out there far too early. Oh well, we hung our for awhile, then headed to Woodlands to eat some BBQ pork. Mmm Woodlands.

St. John Episcopal

Consecrated in 1862, St. John Baptist Episcopal Church sits overlooking Valle Crucis, N.C. Valle Crucis is Latin meaning "Valley of the Cross", and the area is named as such due to the cross formed by three streams converging in the area. St. John's was designed by the founder of Valle Crucis, William West Skiles.

Shrimp Shrimp

Easter Sunday we grilled up some shrimp my Uncle brought over to the house as an appetizer. The shrimp was marinated in Sherry Wine, Butter, Olive Oil, Garlic, Salt, Pepper, Basil, and Rosemary. Tonight I continued on a shrimp kick with a Garlic Shrimp Pasta. For the pasta I used Rotini noodles with carrots, broccoli and corn. It was cooked in a sauce made of milk, garlic, sugar and olive oil. Mmmm mmmm shrimp.

Cherokee

Yesterday was Diversity Day on campus where all sorts of different music, dance and art was on display. I spent most of my time watching members of the Cherokee nation dance, drum, and play flute in the Solarium. The young man in the top photo is doing what is known as the sneak-up dance.

April showers bring May ?!?!??

Not in this town. The snow that started yesterday afternoon killed off the few flowers that had a chance to bloom so far this spring. We received 2-3 inches of snow with low temperatures reaching the high teens late last night. Maybe spring will finally arrive in May!

Brush Strokes

I stopped by the Nth gallery downtown as Jonathan was finishing up a few paintings for his upcoming show. Excess paint from each day has been used to create the awesome mural on his wall. Jonathan is an Appalachian State University alumni, holding a degree in Studio Art. The gallery, displaying over 100 paintings will be held the first weekend in June at the Nth Studio, 683 W King St, as part of the monthly Art Crawl.

Worship

Preacher Dereck Wilson was kind enough to invite me his worship service at Timbered Ridge Missionary Baptist church this Sunday morning. The service was certainly different than any I had ever been to, at two and a half hours and with members coming to the altar to pray their sins and hopes aloud. At one point a member felt the spirit, stood up and sang an A Capella solo. I certainly appreciate the congregation being so welcoming and will be back to visit again sometime.