Paul Tombleson

Thanks giving is a special time here in the USA. The busiest travel time of the year. The one time all the family gathers to break bread and catch up. Followed by black Friday the biggest shopping day of the year. So for me to be invited to a family gathering with those not directly related to me (yet) was an honor. As you know I’m not from around here and where I come from Christmas day is the big family gathering day and the day after Christmas is called boxing day and there is nothing “Black” about that.  

So off to the North Carolina Mountains I went where winter has shown it’s face and the landscape reflects it. I must admit I don’t like the winter months with the deciduous trees standing bare and stark. But it is surprising what happens when you take the lens cap off and look through the viewer finder at a new isolated world.

Two mornings in a row Titus (my son’s very affectionate Boxer) and I walked the gravel roads and pathways through the woods. I should rephrase that to read… I walked and Titus bounded like a deer and managed to take  swipes at my camera as he whizzed by me on a regular basis. It was hard to know if he was excited or trying hard to stay warm in the 23 degrees (-5C) or both!

We found a few hold outs to the onset of winter in the form of fluffy little flowers that would sparkle in the rising sun and an apple tree with a small bounty of apples all solid as rocks as they shivered in the wind.

It was invigorating to take these early morning walks with an enthusiastic partner such as Titus. It made coming back to a warm house, a hot drink and the great company of Steve and Donna a pleasure while Titus would wake up the kids who if left to their own wants would sleep all day.

The food was great and beautifully cooked, the company and hospitality warm and welcoming like the blazing fire set every night. I give thanks for sure.

This entry was posted on December 1, 2010 at 7:53 pm and is filed under Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.