The 4th of July on Tillery

I was out for a good walk first thing this morning, deciding the Woodrun docks would be a nice detour for the morning of the 4th.  Striding at a fast pace along the docks, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the latest addition to the lines of boats.  What has come to be a bit of a signature image of mine, the hand-crafted sailboat, "Sailing into Morning", flashed in my mind as I was standing by its replacement - another hand-crafted motorized, "tugboat/shrimpboat-like" vintage-looking and gorgeous wooden boat.

The owner and I immediately recognized one another and he (Steve Cycotte) began to tell me about his new beauty.  His brother, Tim, mostly constructed the boat by hand, using mahogany, white oak, teak and cherry. The Smilebox here, are are few shots I grabbed this morning, but Steve offered to let me take more in better lighting on a weekday late afternnoon.   When I happened back down on the docks later in the morning, Steve and his two brothers were just getting back from a cruise up past the Uwharrie River into about 3 feet of water and rocks.  The other shots are ones I took while goofing around later on the docks.

So, the Smilebox is 2 little vignettes of a 4th of July morning at Woodrun on Tillery.  Enjoy.

This digital slideshow customized with Smilebox

The Gift of the Lake - Thank You's

GREATGIFT  ....coupon code for Blurb.com good til Dec. 31,2009

Thanks to all who have viewed my book online and to those who have purchased a copy.  Special thanks to Sonja Simmons of Reflections on Main in Albemarle, NC for her support and willingness to display not only my books, but selected large prints from the book.  I also want to thank Dorothea Theus, Jackie Smith, LaDonna Greene and Jean Thompson for their permission to publish their very kind and thoughtful comments.   I also thank neighbors in Woodrun who allowed me access to their beautiful views, and to the Woodrun board members and office staff who supported a joint sales venture to benefit our quiet and special subdivision by the lake.  I can't fail to mention Don Bullock of Bullock Pro Labs, who is one of my "unofficial business managers and marketing directors".  I say "one" because I've received so many marketing ideas and so much support in general from old friends and new friends,and I want to acknowledge them. Being a self-described "hermit", much of the promotional aspects of the book have been challenging, so I am most appreciative of all the help.

I will also be taking into consideration those suggestions from residents of other lakes along the Yadkin-Pee Dee River system that I make "their" special lake the focus, or at least part, of my next book.  When I commented to Sonja that "would be a very big project", she shot back, "well, you better get busy!" 

Another May Sunset by the Docks

An older fellow fishing on the docks when I arrived greeted me with "looks like it's too cloudy for pictures, eh?" He left about 45 minutes later...too soon to see the show. I'm playing with my new CS3 and trial versions of NIK Efex (filters) and NIK Dfine 2.0 (noise reduction). Adobe Bridge is a powerful editing tool and I love the ease with which I can now view, move and edit files.

A short show.

April - Lake Tillery sparkles

I finally got a few shots of Morrow Mountain from the Swift Island Bridge. I was passing over it in my pickup truck with my dog, Scout, when the afternoon's gorgeous light, spring leaves and clouds were too much to resist. I shot a preliminary image while driving, generally aiming blindly in the direction of the mountain (slideshow image #33). When I saw the result, I went back across the bridge, parked and made a few short ventures onto the bridge on foot. #'s 52 and 53 are HDRs while the final several images are early morning on a farm near the lake. I'll have more of that series in a show to itself later.

Thanks Giving

Woodrun on Tillery - Fall Color 2008

Sailing into Morning

HDR version above

I've decided I prefer the non-HDR version below.

The major elements stand out better and the

eye isn't tangled up in too much foreground detail,

making the speeding bass boat stand out even more

in it's glowing fog cloud. I may try to tweak the foreground shadow areas

a bit, but for now it's OK.

I drifted down to the new Woodrun docks this past Sunday morning and found

my fix of fog, light and water.