Tag Archives: 2013

Still Here

May 4, 2013 Tom Dills 6 Comments

Wandering around downtown Waynesville, NC on a weekend perfect for a wanton disregard of critical obligations.

I thought I had better post a few words and some pictures just to prove that I am still alive and kicking. Things have been a little hectic lately around The House of Dills.

After about 5 years of preparations, Kathy & I decided in February that this seemed like the right time to put our house on the market. We began working with a Realtor to get things finalized so we would be ready for the spring sales market, which we expected would be a good one. It’s amazing how much there is to do to a house to get it ready to sell – things you haven’t thought about or had just put off because you just hadn’t gotten around to it. Despite having been “getting ready” for the last couple of years, there was still a last-minute rush to get things done.

In true Tom & Kathy fashion, we did the sensible thing and immediately headed out of town for a quick rest-up before we got started. That was the weekend in February when we headed to Charleston, SC. When we returned, we dove head-first into a 6-week period of repairs, staging and primping. I also took photos for the listing, which I’ll probably share in another post. By the end of March, we were ready.

Kathy & I had decided that we didn’t care to be hanging around the house for the first weekend that the house was on the market, figuring that most of our traffic would come that first weekend and we likely wouldn’t spend much time in the house anyway. Another excuse to travel! The listing hit the MLS on a Wednesday, and we immediately started getting calls for showings. We went to work on Friday packed and ready for a weekend in Waynesville, NC, one of our favorite weekend getaway destinations. By the time we were ready to come home on Sunday, our Realtor called to tell us that we had “multiple offers.” Amazing.

So we came home, settled on the offer that looked the best and seemed like it would have the best chance of closing, and signed. Now we’re waiting. In NC the buyers have a period of time – the Due Diligence period – when they can pretty much just change their minds and walk with minimal consequence, and that period expires next week. We have every indication that the buyers really want the house and that we will get through with no issues, but you just can’t be 100% certain. You really can’t start heavy-duty packing just in case the house has to go back on the market. In the mean time we have been organizing and getting ready to pack and move, so we’re ready to go once we get the green light that the deal is going to go through. It’s a frustrating process, but one that I suppose will benefit us when we decide it is time to buy.

Here are a few photos from our weekend to Waynesville. Just so you’ll know I’m still around and doing a little photography. We’re planning to move to an apartment on May 23, and we’ve already got plans to head out of town on May 25 for another getaway weekend, so all is good here!

Photography

For The Birds

March 24, 2013 Tom Dills 8 Comments

Luke, a Bald Eagle at PhotoWild! at Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte, North Carolina

This past Saturday, I met up with Paul and Earl at the Carolina Raptor Center for a session of their twice-yearly PhotoWild! Event, where, usually in four sessions over a weekend, the Raptor Center staff show some of their birds in several photography-oriented sessions, limited to a relatively small number of photographers. This was the first time I had attended such an event. And despite the fact that the Raptor Center is only about two miles from my house, it was only the second time I had ever been there. I travel to Latta Planation Park, where the Raptor Center is located, on a regular basis, but don’t generally think of stopping there.

Dudley, a Great Horned Owl at PhotoWild! at Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte, North Carolina

PhotoWild! is one of the Raptor Center’s major fundraising events for the year, and they do good work there, so I didn’t mind paying to attend.

I generally shy away from outings to places like zoos and gardens, as I don’t find such places conducive to the more contemplative type of photography I prefer. There are certainly many things to photograph at the Raptor Center, and this outing certainly provided plenty of material. I see shooting at a place like the Raptor Center more of an “objective” type of photography, where I’m presented with a subject not of my choosing and I generally shoot what I see, taking a bunch of pictures and hoping to end up with something I like at the end.

Skoshi, a Red-Tailed Hawk at PhotoWild! at Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte, North Carolina

In an environment where a subject is a wild animal, can be easily spooked and is being shared by as many as 20-30 other photographers, there aren’t a lot of choices in how to photograph. As a result it can be a little tough to be creative, and can prove difficult to get a shot that reflects something other than a simple documentary photograph. Sometimes I just sat and watched, admiring a creature that only a few people can see at such a close range. They are truly beautiful creatures and worthy of our respect.

Zlaty, a Golden Eagle at PhotoWild! at Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte, North Carolina

All that said, however, it was a lot of fun. I was astonished to realize that, over the course of about 4 hours, I created over 1200 files. I’d like to say that I took over 1200 photographs, but that would be overly generous. Between the blurry shots with moving wings or heads, or the many out-of-focus motion shots, I ended up with far fewer “photographs.” My initial pass through the frames – while admittedly very cursory and perhaps overly critical, resulted in only 38 “keepers.” I’ll probably end up with more once I go back through them, but that’s a pretty low success rate. I’m glad it wasn’t film!

Estrella, a Spectacled Owl, at PhotoWild! at Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte, North Carolina

Even though it wasn’t necessarily a “successful” outing photographically, there is always a lot to learn every time I pick up a camera. I found that I have a lot to learn about photographing birds in flight, and just having a camera with a purportedly excellent focusing ability doesn’t guarantee good shots! Exposing dark or light birds against a dark or light background is an opportunity to practice good exposure. And after identifying the birds in 1200+ frames, I know a lot more than I did before about owls, hawks and falcons!

Aletta, a Rough-Legged Hawk at PhotoWild! at Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte, North Carolina

All in all, I’d have to say that I enjoyed it and would do it again. I’ll have to think about my “opportunities” from this first session and try to figure out how to do it differently, and perhaps better, the next time.

Paul Lester at PhotoWild! at Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte, North Carolina

Photography, Travel

The “Other” Charleston

March 12, 2013 Tom Dills 6 Comments

Along a street in Charleston, West Virginia — A Few of My Favorite Things!

Kathy & I spent this past weekend in Charleston, West Virginia. Why Charleston? We met up with friends from Ohio with whom we are planning a vacation this summer, and it is roughly half-way for both of us. It was a planning weekend for us, easier than trying to talk on the phone, or Skype, or send e-mails back and forth. A friend of Kathy’s remarked that “only we would take a vacation to plan a vacation.” Well, duh! 🙂

It wasn’t really a photography weekend, but I did take a camera. I almost always have at least one camera with me, and although I didn’t carry it to dinner, when we went out for breakfast or lunch, or just for a stretch, I took it along just in case I saw something interesting. I don’t think I came back with any prize-winning shots, but it was good exercise.

Random photos while walking around Charleston, West Virginia

I’ll eventually get around to writing more about it, but I’ve been on sort of a “one camera, one lens” kick the last couple of months. I bought one of the Canon 50mm 1.4 lenses a few months ago, and I don’t think I’ve taken it off my camera! I just love the simplicity of the single focal length, and have really enjoyed the discipline of having to work a little bit to refine a composition, rather than just twist the zoom ring. It really makes me think about what I am shooting and what I’m trying to show. At first I was afraid the 50 would be a little wide, but I’ve gotten used to it.

Sculpture at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences, Charleston, West Virginia

I think I could have represented Charleston in a more favorable light had I gone a few weeks later, but things were still pretty brown there. The trees were just starting to show some buds and the grass – what little we could see downtown – was still pretty brown. And the whole place had that “could stand a good rainstorm” look that cities get when the snow has just finished melting. Not that they’ve had a lot of snow, but that was sort of the look it reminded me of.

Close-up of the sculpture at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences, Charleston, West Virginia

In just a little over a week, Earl and Paul & I are going to go shoot some birds at the Carolina Raptor Center. I suppose I’ll have to take the 50 off for that, but I’ll probably put it back on as soon as I’m done!

Photography, Travel

Oh. And There Was Food!

March 10, 2013 Tom Dills 2 Comments

In the comments to my last post, Paul gently chided me about the fact that, in a post about our visit to Charleston that I didn’t talk about the food. Sorry! It was one of the most important things we did that weekend, but frankly I had been planning to write more than one post about our weekend, and one of them – this one, in fact – would be to talk about the food.

Juanita Greenberg’s Nacho Royale

Our visit to this place was rather a fluke, as the day we arrived it was pouring rain, the town was full of people attending the Southeastern Wildlife Expo, which we knew was happening but had no idea it was such a big deal. It’s a big deal.

Anyway, the bellman at our hotel told us that we needed to go to a place called Bubba Slyes Deli, located right around the corner on King Street. So off we went, only to find that Bubba had called it quits just the day before and the place is now closed. Practically next door to Bubba’s is a place called Juanita Greenberg’s Nacho Royale, which sounded like an impossibly interesting name. They didn’t have a wait, so we went in. Overall it was decent faux southwestern food, but it hit the spot and the beer was cold, so mission accomplished.

Hall’s Chop House

This was the real reason we ventured to Charleston in the first place. Long-time food & wine buddy Stefan Stanton, formerly a manager at Dressler’s Restaurant in Charlotte – our favorite hometown restaurant – is now a full-time surfer dude and occasional waiter at Hall’s Chop House, reputed to be one of Charleston’s top restaurants. And what a place! It was partly due to the anticipation of seeing Stefan again (it had been a year since he left Dressler’s), but from the moment we walked in the door, the people at Hall’s – including it seemed most of the Hall family – made a point of welcoming us, introducing themselves and basically making us feel like the most important people who had ever showed up at their place for dinner. And what a nice feeling after too many less-than-enthusiastic chain restaurant experiences.

The service from everyone from the bartender to the bus boys – and most especially our waiter – was superb. Stefan introduced us to their sommelier, who recommended a couple of excellent wines, making it easy to choose from their enormous and outstanding selection. Hall’s specialty is dry-aged beef, and while I have had it before, I have never had dry-aged beef like THAT before! It is fairly rare to find a restaurant that dry-ages their own beef, knows how to pick it and – most importantly – knows how to cook it. I had a dry-aged Ribeye that was easily the best restaurant steak I’ve ever had. Kathy had a filet that she could have cut with her fork, and it was delicious. And the dessert – let’s just say that you can’t go wrong with any of the desserts!

Stefan is clearly loving life, and it was great to connect with him and experience Hall’s. He seems right at home there, and I swear that if I could find a way to marry into the family he might just have a job for life! Overall, Kathy & I agree that our dinner there was probably the best restaurant experience ever. We don’t have the resume for that to mean very much, but we’ve been around enough to know what’s good, and Hall’s Chop House is beyond good. It was truly fabulous.

Caviar & Bananas

Another unlikely-sounding place, this is officially a gourmet market and café, and is located just a little out of the way from the tourist traffic, near the College of Charleston. We went there for a late breakfast on Sunday, which explains why I don’t write about my Sunday lunch – we didn’t have any! Their signature dessert – which I did not have but should have – is Caviar & Bananas. It’s described on their menu as “Bruleed Bananas, Sweet Tapioca, Local Honey, Brown Sugar, Marscapone & Almond Tuile. Yummy!

Basil

Recommended by our buddy Jon Dressler, we visited Basil, a Thai restaurant just up King Street from Hall’s, for dinner on Sunday night. Believe it or not, neither Kathy nor I had ever eaten Thai food before. So, trusting Dressler, we went. It was great! I know that I am probably very inaccurate to say that it is a lot like Chinese, but I thought it was a lot like Chinese, with some different spices and flavors. The wait – even on a Sunday night – was over an hour, which we passed across the street in the bar at The MacIntosh, which looks like a nice restaurant itself. Next time!

There is a Basil restaurant in Charlotte, also. We’re going to have to ‘give Thai another try.’ We really did like it!

Jack’s Café

Practically next door to Caviar & Bananas on George Street, is this Monday-Friday, breakfast-lunch only place called Jack’s Café. It’s nothing fancy, but Jack himself has been running the grill for nearly 40 years. Good, fast diner food, served with a smile at a reasonable price, it’s sometimes just the ticket. The cheeseburgers are supposed to be excellent, so we’ll probably need to go back for lunch. Next time!

So there are the highlights of our Tour de Food in Charleston. Every person who goes as their favorite places, and we now have a few more of our own. The next time we go, we’ll definitely make room for a return visit to Hall’s. And some day (Paul) I’ll get to Hyman Seafood! 🙂

Travel

Sidetracked

March 6, 2013 Tom Dills 6 Comments

Barista at Caviar & Bananas in Charleston, South Carolina

I’ve been away, but I haven’t gone far. We’ve had a few things going on over the last couple of months that disrupted the little bit of posting momentum that I had back in January. I forced myself to spend a little time on the computer to process a few photos and throw a few words onto the blog so everyone knows I still love them!

Tree and brick wall, Charleston, South Carolina

A few weeks ago – seems like months – Kathy & I visited Charleston, SC for a weekend. February probably isn’t the ideal time to visit Charleston, and the particular weekend that we went was cold and windy. We spent a lot of time dashing from shop to shop, looking for shelter from the cold, and even dodged a little rain & snow on the first day there.

Charleston County Courthouse, Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is a photogenic town whenever you visit. I did some photographing while we were there, and while I certainly didn’t capture the “classic” Charleston, I feel like I captured what I saw and felt while we were there. Add some color from a few flowers and trees, a little warmer weather and the results would be totally different.

Stairs and shadows, Charleston, South Carolina

One of the things that has kept me off the computer is a little “reading project” that I got myself into. When we took our cruise in January, I decided that I wanted to read the Harry Potter series. I had never read any of the books, never saw the movies, and our kids were too old by the time the books became popular for them to bring “Potter-itis” into our home. So I got the first volume as an e-book from the library before we left, started in on it, and I got hooked. I quickly finished the first book while onboard, and quickly downloaded the second volume. I just finished #5 of 7 and decided it was time for a little break. It’s great reading, but it sucked me in and wouldn’t let go!

Wrought iron shadows, Charleston, South Carolina

We’re headed to “The Other Charleston” this coming weekend – Charleston, West Virginia. We’re meeting Bill & Cathy, our friends from Ohio, there to make some travel plans for this coming summer. I’ll definitely have a camera with me and hope to have some time to wander around, so I’ll be interested to see what that Charleston has to offer.

A B C D - Door bells, Charleston, South Carolina — A B C D – Door bells, Charleston, South Carolina

Photography

Around Town

February 3, 2013 Tom Dills 7 Comments

Frozen fountain in front of the Charlotte Plaza Building

It’s a nice quiet Sunday night, perfect for working on some photos. I heard something about some kind of game, but whatever.

Reflections on the Charlotte Plaza parking garage

Kathy & I have developed this idea of being “tourists in our own town” and are starting to play around with that idea. Not Charlotte specifically, but all of the small towns around. Too often we head to the mountains or the beach looking for something to do, when there is a lot to do in our own back yard.

We had occasion to be in Charlotte yesterday, so we spent some time walking around downtown. It was a little chilly, but we managed to stay warm enough, we had lunch in a new (for me) restaurant, and got some fresh air. Not a bad way to spend Groundhog Day.

Tree shadow at the Charlotte Convention Center

Now, about that game. It’s probably on TV, right? Never mind. 🙂

Photography

February Wallpaper

January 31, 2013 Tom Dills 2 Comments

Sunset over the Bahamas aboard Celebrity Equinox sailing toward Fort Lauderdale

I’m a few hours early, but here is my wallpaper for February. I generally shy away from sunrises and sunsets for my wallpaper, but this one looked pretty nice and I thought it was a photo someone wouldn’t mind looking at for a month, so here it is.

This photo was taken on the last night of our recent cruise. The land is one (or more – it’s hard to tell) of the Bahamas islands. I don’t often get to include land in the foreground when we’re on a ship, and while it doesn’t add a lot it is an extra element of interest. Great sunbeams and color make this a special sunset.

Here in the south we’ve survived our 72 hours of “winter” and will be soon looking forward to spring flowers and buds on the trees. For those of you in the colder climes – sorry! 🙂 I hope everyone has a wonderful February, wherever you might be!

Photography

Shooting in the Dark

January 27, 2013 Tom Dills 8 Comments

Downtown Davidson, North Carolina under a nearly full moon and some amazing clouds. 5D Mark III w/50mm 1.4. Hand-held at 1/30 @f1.4, ISO 6400. — Downtown Davidson, North Carolina under a nearly full moon and some amazing clouds.
5D Mark III w/50mm 1.4. Hand-held at 1/30 @f1.4, ISO 6400.

Kathy & I went to Davidson for dinner last night, and decided to get there early to have a little time to walk around town so I took my camera along. The clouds and moon were quite dramatic, and I thought this was a decent result. I’m playing with a B&W version but haven’t struck on one I like yet.

Uncategorized

Peer Pressure

January 26, 2013 Tom Dills 7 Comments

Winter morning on the Torrence Creek Greenway, Huntersville, North Carolina

I love mornings, I just wish they didn’t come so darned early! Especially on weekends, the last thing I want to do is set an alarm. But I’ve been preaching for years that the landscape photographer’s most important tool is the alarm clock. Lately, I haven’t been so good about practicing what I preach. This time of year though, sunrise is late – about 7:30 – so I can actually sleep later than I do during the week and still get up and photograph. It’s possible, I said!

We got a little bit of ice yesterday. Hardly anything to get excited about, but with the forecast of clearing skies overnight, I went to bed with visions of sunbeams and dramatic clouds and frozen grass lighting up like diamonds in the morning light. The possibility of dramatic conditions gave me enough reason to plan to get up. I should have set my alarm, though, but I didn’t. So when I woke up at 5:00 I couldn’t go back to sleep because I had sorta committed to getting up. But I stayed awake, and I got up.

I get a lot of inspiration from a small circle of friends who have photo blogs. Monte Stevens is The Man when it comes to getting up and out for sunrise. I should do so well. Usually I don’t, but today I did. Monte posted the other day about getting up for sunrise, and he, Paul & I had a friendly little exchange about getting up for sunrise, and I kinda sorta committed to getting up this morning. So I had to, right?

The transition that occurs when I go out with a camera always amazes me. It really doesn’t matter what the conditions are, there is always something to shoot. The results aren’t always something I would hang on the wall, and I doubt any of this morning’s photos will be. But you never know. And the main thing is, I need to get my sorry self out the door in order to take any pictures. And if all I accomplish is getting my ass out the door, using the camera and getting a little practice once I do, that is nothing to complain about. And if I come back with some decent photographs, that’s a bonus!

The amazing conditions that I had pictured in my mind’s eye didn’t materialize. But we did have a little fog, the air was still and it was very quiet – some of my favorite conditions for making photographs. So I made my way across the icy street and down the frozen steps to the Greenway, taking care to not fall on my butt – or worse, on top of the camera slung over my shoulder. It was slick, but I had good boots and was careful.

I got out about 7:00, 30 minutes or so before sunrise, and figured on staying out for an hour or so, and that’s about what I did. I went to a section of the Greenway that would have a good view of the sun if I actually saw it, but it didn’t make an appearance. And as of 10:00 this morning I’m still waiting. But I’m back in the house now with my coffee and warm slippers sitting at the computer, so life is good!

But Monte and Paul, I did get out! And here are the photos to prove it! Enjoy!

Travel

Snow Day

January 25, 2013 Tom Dills

Random photos in St Thomas USVI from our cruise aboard Celebrity Equinox

Considering that last Friday I was enjoying a sunny and warm day in St. Martin, I didn’t have much hope that today would be a better day. But with the forecast of impending inclement weather, my office closed at noon. What a deal!

One of the things that is interesting – and sometimes frustrating – about living in a place where it hardly ever snows, is that no one really knows what to do when the weather gets “bad.” Those of us from up North, at least for a few years after moving here, scoff at the locals who run out for milk and bread and prepare to hibernate until the temperature gets above freezing. After a few years we realize that we also don’t remember how to drive on ice and decide it’s a good excuse to stay home, or go home if we are out.

The difficult decisions are for the schools and for the parents who have kids in school. I hadn’t been at work for 5 minutes this morning when I heard a couple of Mommies wringing their hands about how bad the weather was going to be. Then at about 8:00 we got a little bit of sleet and freezing drizzle, and the brave talk about hanging around until noon was gone. The schools went from dismissing 2 hours early, to dismissing at noon and then “we’re closing NOW!” And the roads weren’t even bad, although they look a little slimy out there as I write this.

Rope shadows on Celebrity Equinox in St Thomas, USVI

I’ll take a little time off however I can get it. And I’m obviously putting it to good use – writing a blog post and processing a few photos. Some of my favorite activities!

I hope everyone has an excellent last weekend of January. Spring is right around the corner – sunny and warmer tomorrow!

Tom Dills Photography Blog

Tag Archives: 2013

Still Here

For The Birds

The “Other” Charleston

Oh. And There Was Food!

Sidetracked

Around Town

February Wallpaper

Shooting in the Dark

Peer Pressure

Snow Day

Photographs and stuff!