Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Meadows of Dan, Virginia
Kathy & I just returned from an abbreviated version of our somewhat annual “Friends and Family Tour.” ‘Somewhat annual’ because it hasn’t been continuous, ‘abbreviated’ because we only saw a few of our friends and didn’t take quite as much time as we have in the past several years. But we saw some good friends, met a long-time friend in person for the first time, and generally had a nice week.
Sewing and weaving exhibit. Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Meadows of Dan, VirginiaSewing and weaving exhibit. Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Meadows of Dan, VirginiaCheckerboard and chairs. Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Meadows of Dan, Virginia
The first stop on our journey was Mabry Mill, a landmark on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. For good reason, the mill is one of the most-visited and most-photographed spot on the Parkway. We were fortunate to have visited on a weekday morning, so things were not too crowded, and the weather was a refreshing 70 degrees. Quite a departure from the upper 90s we were experiencing in Charlotte!
Blacksmith shop at Mabry Mill, on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Meadows of Dan, VirginiaBlacksmith shop at Mabry Mill, on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Meadows of Dan, VirginiaMill powered woodworking band saw. Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Meadows of Dan, VirginiaMill powered woodworking band saw. Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Meadows of Dan, Virginia
We’ve visited Mabry Mill dozens of times, and I have photographed the mill in all seasons. This time it was mostly snapshots, but I still ended up with a few interesting shots.
Rhododendron at Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Meadows of Dan, VirginiaFlowers at Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Meadows of Dan, Virginia
I’ll have more words and photos to post as I get through the week’s files.
I’ve been feeling incredibly lazy and uninspired lately. Must be the heat. I thought I would break the posting drought with a few more photos from our last outing. We’ve got a couple more things planned over the next few weeks, hopefully to cooler and photogenic places.
Working harder than me – construction crew in CharlotteThe Atrium at Two Wells Fargo CenterFin and Fino Restaurant in CharlotteFin and Fino Restaurant in CharlotteThe bar at Fin and Fino Restaurant in CharlotteBuildings in CharlotteBuildings in CharlotteDuke Energy Center building in CharlotteBuildings in CharlotteSometimes you just need it.NOT the oblisk from 2001: A Space Odyssey
Cloud reflections in the Lendingtree Building in Charlotte
More from our walking around town a few weekends ago. Perhaps channeling Kirk Tuck here with the pointy-uppy building shots. The clouds were pretty nice that morning.
Cloud reflections in the Lendingtree Building in CharlotteCloud reflections in the Lendingtree Building in Charlotte
Photography exhibition ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte
One of the items on our agenda for our time in Charlotte was a photography show titled ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. (link)
Photography exhibition ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in CharlottePhotography exhibition ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte
Schwarzenbach was a Swiss writer, journalist and photographer with an interesting history. Her lifestyle would probably fit in pretty well today, but between that and her anti-Fascist campaigning made her an outcast forced her into exile. As a result she spent much of her time traveling the world, writing and photographing. Her work as a journalist, coupled with her upper-class background and her status as the wife of French diplomat Claude Clarac granted her extraordinary freedom of travel for the period.
Photography exhibition ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in CharlottePhotography exhibition ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in CharlottePhotography exhibition ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in CharlottePhotography exhibition ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte
The Bechtler exhibit represents work from her travels throughout the world, including the southeastern US in 1936-1938 and features archival material, film, and 200 photographs drawn from the approximately 7,000 photographs in the Schwarzenbach’s estate, which is held in the Swiss Literary Archives in Bern, Switzerland.
“I only ask myself – and every day it becomes more urgent – if people actually realize the significance of what is taking place – namely, that not only a hateful tendency is gaining the upper hand here but also that an entire people, and in spite of it all a highly telented one that cannot be erased from the history of Eurorpean culture – is committed to this path […] for years to come. […] Oppositiion would not take the form of escape or renunciation […], but rather the cultivation of the intellectual and spiritual values in which one believes, until a better hour.” Letter from Annemarie Schwarzenbach to Klaus Mann, April 8, 1933
I had never heard of Schwarzenbach before learning about this show, and found it to a fascinating look at the world of her time. The show runs through 7/31/22.
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in CharlotteBechtler Museum of Modern Art in CharlotteBechtler Museum of Modern Art in CharlotteBechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte
Deans Italian Steakhouse at the JW Marriott in Charlotte
Earlier this week, Kathy & I celebrated the ’44th anniversary of her 21st birthday” with a couple of nights in The Big City (Charlotte) with some jazz, dinners with friends, an art museum and lots of walking around. We had a great time, I took a few photos and we are now back on our diets for a few more weeks! 😉
“Major” – Durham Bull Bronze Sculpture in downtown Durham, North Carolina
Kathy & I fulfilled one of our goals yesterday – we rode the Amtrak “Piedmont” to Durham, North Carolina for lunch. It was our first-ever Amtrak trip, and while not exactly an epic journey, it was something we have wanted to do for a while.
Riding the Amtrak “Piedmont” from Charlotte to Durham, North CarolinaRiding the Amtrak “Piedmont” from Charlotte to Durham, North Carolina
We were impressed. Parking at the Charlotte station was free and convenient, the people were friendly and there is no arduous “security theatre” screening process. The train was on time, boarding was quick and orderly, and even though the seats were not reserved, everyone had a row to themselves (it helped that the Piedmont originates in Charlotte so the train was empty when we boarded). The seats were comfortable, comparable to first class airplane seats with plenty of leg (and butt) room. Bottled water and pretty decent coffee were available for free in the cafe car, and there were vending machines for those needing to buy a snack. The two rest rooms in our car were clean and roomy.
Downtown Durham, North Carolina
We arrived in Durham at 1:00 and had about 2 1/2 hours until the Piedmont returned from Raleigh to take us back to Charlotte. So we explored the downtown area a bit. Durham is known as the Bull City, and there were bull themes prevalent everywhere. We found a lunch spot that specializes in craft beer and burgers made from pasture-raised beef (the burgers, not the beer 😉 ), called, appropriately enough, Bull City Burger and Brewery. A good find for lunch!
Bull City Burger and Brewery in downtown Durham, North CarolinaBull City Burger and Brewery in downtown Durham, North CarolinaBull City Burger and Brewery in downtown Durham, North Carolina
As with most downtowns these days, there are not too many retail businesses, but lots of bars and restaurants. Many of the former tobacco warehouses have been or are being converted to residential buildings with street level commercial, which makes for an interesting vibe. I don’t know where all the people work, but Duke University is nearby, and Durham is the county seat, so those would be sources of employment.
It was kind of a dark and gloomy day in Durham, a little on the cool side. But it didn’t rain so that was a plus! Most of my photos are processed as black & white since there wasn’t much color to get excited about.
Downtown Durham, North Carolina
The return trip to Charlotte was uneventful. Since the train originated in Raleigh it was already pretty full when it got to us. We scored seats together, although they were facing backward. Not a problem but a little weird. We boarded at 3:30 and arrived back in Charlotte at 6:00, in time to be home for dinner. It was a long way to go and kind of an expensive lunch when including the cost of transportation. But it was a fun day! We’re glad we took the plunge and look forward to planning a longer trip in the near future. Perhaps to DC or NYC.
We photographers all spend a certain amount of time looking over the lenses we don’t own, sort of in an “ask your doctor if this lens is right for you” way. 😉 Yesterday’s surfing took me down the rabbit hole of the recently introduced Tamron 18-300mm zoom lens. I’ve been thinking of renting a copy of this lens to evaluate its suitability as a do-everything lens for travel and wanted to check out some reviews. I was amused by a couple of the comments that seemed especially contradictory:
“Not as sharp as my Fuji lenses, but perfect for travel photos.” So…travel photos don’t need to be sharp?
“If you’re an amateur/occasional photographer maybe it won’t make much difference but if you shoot on a frequent basis, I highly recommend looking at other options.” I don’t take a lot of photos so I won’t know if the lens is good or not?
“A great Kit lens, but image quality and focus are lacking. The edges and corners are soft at most focal lengths, and it focuses poorly at the longer focal lengths, 200mm to 300mm. I was never able to get an image in focus of birds on a rock. The focus seems to be behind the subject. I even shot at 1/1000 of a second to make sure there was no camera movement. It’s a great kit and travel lens if image quality and critical focus at the higher mm lengths aren’t important to you.” Hmmmm. No.
Mural on a building in the North Davidson (NoDa) area of Charlotte
This is the first of what I plan to be a series of posts under the category “Tourist In My Own Town!
Kathy & I paid a visit to the area of Charlotte near the intersection of North Davidson Street and East 36th Street, known to locals as “NoDa” as in North Davidson. Clever, huh? We went primarily to visit a wine bar and retail wine shop recently opened by a friend of ours, but decided to make an afternoon of it. It was a nice day, a little warm for spring with highs in the mid-80s, but the humidity was low and there was a nice breeze.
Mural on a building in the North Davidson (NoDa) area of CharlotteMural on a building in the North Davidson (NoDa) area of Charlotte
NoDa is packed with bars and restaurants, with a few retail stores and tattoo parlors mixed in for good measure. Kathy & I avoided the tattoo parlors! During the day it is pretty quiet, but I understand that things get cranking in the evening. We did our thing early and got out before the masses arrived!
The North Davidson (NoDa) area of CharlottePublic art in the form of bicycle storage at the 36th Street transit station. The North Davidson (NoDa) area of Charlotte.
We walked around a bit and I took some pictures. Then with time to kill we hopped on the light rail, took it out to UNC Charlotte, wandered around there then got back in time for our destination to open at 4:00. We filled up on wine and snacks, bought a few bottles for souvenirs, and headed home in time to enjoy the sunset from our porch.
Shadows cast by the Mikyoung Kim’s Nexus Project – public art installation at the UNC Charlotte Main Station for the Lynx Blue Line
