And then we strolled through the Henry Plant Museum that was all decorated for Christmas. A fellow photographer says that he has been to this event twice before, and it’s never the same thing twice. I would love to come back again next year…
Santa is there to greet you as you’re buying your tickets. It’s so overwhelming to see those lovely rooms, the carpets, the wall hangings, and the lovely pieces of furniture.Then you step into the hall, with doorways all along the length, and a beautiful tree to draw you in. Look at the carpet, and all the displays all along the way. I tend to think in terms of the pictures to take, which sometimes makes me miss the lovely details that I’m photographing.The beautiful Christmas tree sitting at the end of the hall was lovely.Now I don’t know what order the rooms were seen in. But if I remember correctly this room was first one I saw, and then I knew this event was something truly special.Just passing from room to room was a treat.Who wouldn’t love the bottle tree.My friend totally missed Santa’s elves in a display case in one of the rooms. Or was it in the hallway?A lovely bedroom display. A beautiful display of fans to decorate the tree.This doorway gave us a peek into the gift shop.I wonder if they got new hats for Christmas?Nutcrackers on display.Even the teddies got presents. I also took a picture of the tea set which is when I noticed the little lizard, or possibly it’s an alligator, on the teacup and decked out in a bow.One room was dedicated to Florida’s role in the Spanish American war…But Christmas was also represented here.This suggestion of a soldier writing home really got to me…This room was dedicated to women’s pastimes, which included accompanying their husbands at fishing or hunting. But also suggested relaxing with a cup of tea or listening to a concert out on the lawn.What a wonderful way to celebrate, and think of the Christmas traditions of long ago.
We decorated the tree with decorations that we each have accumulated over the years. A real collaboration. We spent the first Christmases of our lives in the same place, without ever meeting, and then life took us to different places through the years, but now we are spending Christmas in the same place again. But together this time. And I have to say that the Christmas spirit has found me again, and I’m very glad that it’s back.
The Blue Ridge Parkway offers more than just the fabulous scenery at their stops along the way. Sometimes you find a preserved example of an Appalachian Farm to explore. It was nice to get out of the car for more than a minute or two, to walk a little, and to think of what challenges people faced not too long ago, to make a living in this quiet place.
If you stop to think for just a moment you realize that each section of fence was the result of hard labor on someone’s part. The lovely tree we can attribute to God’s handiwork.Simple home for simple living.The barn, to shelter the animals who depend on you and also provide their labor as well as food.We didn’t talk with these photographers, though now I wish we would have. They had a nice camera/lens set up, and a tripod, and they seemed intent on the flowers behind the fence. Or was it something else?The root cellar, preserving the fruits of your labor for the long winter days.And the outhouse. We all know how necessary that is.
Yes, I already posted photos of flowers from this fun place to visit, but I held off on the cars because I took so many pictures, since there were so many cars, and it all seemed overwhelming to sort through and edit. So I decided to just post the pictures straight out of the phone, period. The easy way out. Since the cars are located in a beautiful Shaker barn, I knew the phone would handle the lower light better than I could with my camera.
Oh, the workmanship. I was alone the last time I was here. I admired the cars but somehow didn’t savor them. This time I slowed down and appreciated the details. Each of the old cars is a thing of beauty. Brass fittings. Wonderful details. The evolution of the windshield. And lastly, a car a friend may may have driven to school our senior year of 1966. Not me though, my family were Chevy people.
Do I have a clue what I’m looking at when I go to a car show? No, not at all. I just know what catches my eye for one reason or another. This was the first little local car show of the year and the organizer was hoping for maybe 10 cars or so. Forty or more showed up and he’s already planning to use the side parking lot for the one next week.
I think a Willys Jeepster caught my eye at the last car show I went to also.Shiny red paint jobs and funny license plates will catch my eye also.Okay, a car I probably saw in my childhood.And in the back seat a possible survivor of one of my road trips.I think the judging panel just arrived.I have a friend who always notices the details, I’m channeling her here.And here.Kathy’s daughter designed some tee shirts for the organizer and people wanted to buy them. I think she should take the hint.I hope he is telling this guy to park anywhere he wants to. If this car was a bug it would have a stinger!An entry from the local auto body shop.This was another blast from the past as it arrived.I have been saying that if VW starts selling their California model camper van in the US I’m going to buy one. This one doesn’t have the bells and whistles, and I confess that I’m a bells and whistles kind of gal these days.Sign in the back window dates this to 1949, so I might have ridden in it, and without a car seat. Funny how some men will lavish money and attention on an old classic, but when it comes to women they want them shiny and new.Just because.Dueling T-birds. I like the red one…
This was a fun event only minutes from home and at fun restaurant where we had dinner. Another nice day here in my adopted home state of New Hampshire.
To say that I was out of my element on Saturday is an understatement. There has long been a weekend ‘cars and coffee’ event offered with my Florida Center for Creative Photography group, but they haven’t always been located at Tampa’s Armature Works, which had recently landed on my radar screen as someplace I might like to go. Located along the Riverwalk, it’s a place I probably would have chosen to visit if I was a tourist here, so I told myself to go, and so I did. But I only know enough about cars to know that if the insignia says Lamborghini, or Ferrari, I ought to be impressed. And those were the cars displayed on the checkered inserts on the lawn, and there was much ‘ooing’ and ‘ahing’ among the crowd. Which I heard over the roaring of the engines as, one by one, these souped up cars made the drive up the road beside the venue, revving their motors to the max while the onlookers watched the parade.
Did these cars win a prize at the show……or was their prominent positioning a matter of money?This perfectly behaved dog is what started me off taking note of all the dogs at the event. I hope this dog feels more joy in his life than it appears to me in this photo, or is it’s behavior another status symbol? Okay, it is a nice insignia.Just now realizing that the point is the custom wrap.Are we supposed to see a cat face?Setting the scene a little more.
I’m not sure I was enjoying this day at this point. I was sure I was walking past all the truly notable cars and letting the flashier ones catch my attention. And then I saw this…
Okay, now I was having fun. If only the sky really was getting prettier, which is what I kept telling myself.I think this truck is how I noticed the water taxi, which I took note of for later.Who wouldn’t stop and look at this?No clue what the point of the airplane was.I learned to drive on a Chevy Bel Air that looked like this one’s poor second-cousin…Road Runner edition…If a photo is supposed to tell a story then feel free to create your own here…I should have found out what this is…I don’t know what that means either….I heard comments about how this is definitely their girlfriend’s ride…I wonder if you could convert this into a camper?This is the winner in my book! A Jeepster! I would have taken this one home…Since it doesn’t fit my current lifestyle I guess I’d have to adapt to fit the car…I swear to you I saw this car recently on Rt. 19 and couldn’t get my phone out fast enough to get a picture. Notice the message on the license plate. “It’s a financial mistake.” The car or the paint job?
Imagine for a second that you are living far into the future. And you are an archeologist. And you have unearthed this scene. What conclusions would you draw from the scene before you? What catastrophic event must have occurred to have caused the carnage implied by these images. It must have been tragic…
I will have 8 hours in the car tomorrow to work on pictures. In theory at least. I’ll really have as long as it takes for my laptop battery to leave me. There were six miles of trails lined with scenes like these. I can see why I was told that you can’t see it all in one day. What a fun place to visit.
A Snowbird's Life Through the Lens 