Memorial Day

To her we drink, for her we pray,
Our voices silent never;
For her we'll fight, come what come may,
The Stars and Stripes forever!

She did it!

My oldest just graduated from Wake Forest University today with a major in Cultural Anthropology and an Environmental Studies minor. My wife and I could not more proud. She is the young person I wish I could have been; dynamic, caring, passionate and adventurous. I cannot wait to see what she does next. I am convinced that she will make her mark on this world and will end up leaving it a better place for her having been here. Saying we love her is an insufficient comment to express how we feel. Well done Alex.

I should mention that she is setting a fine example for our youngest!

Click here for photo album of the day (two pages).

1967 Jeepster - left behind

This is a bit different than my previous "left behind" posts as this was left at the restoration shop that is working on my old BMW. The owner dropped it off, asked to have a good basic restoration done, when it was complete he walked away from the bill and left the car. If you are interested in this recently restored seriously cool car, call Daran Thomas at 919-363-8589.

******SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD********

OBX Lighthouses: Ocracoke, Bodie & Hatteras

How often do we look at lighthouses and are so impressed with the structure itself that we fail to notice the details such as the windows. I'd love to get inside and take some pictures. I expect that the extremes between the sun pouring in through any possible entrance and the shadows created by the thick concrete walls would be great fodder for some black and white. Anyway, the more I look at these, the more I am feeling the need to go back.

The Lighthouse
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The rocky ledge runs far into the sea,
and on its outer point, some miles away,
the lighthouse lifts its massive masonry,
A pillar of fire by night, of cloud by day.

Even at this distance I can see the tides,
Upheaving, break unheard along its base,
A speechless wrath, that rises and subsides
in the white tip and tremor of the face.

And as the evening darkens, lo! how bright,
through the deep purple of the twilight air,
Beams forth the sudden radiance of its light,
with strange, unearthly splendor in the glare!

No one alone: from each projecting cape
And perilous reef along the ocean’s verge,
Starts into life a dim, gigantic shape,
Holding its lantern o’er the restless surge.

Like the great giant Christopher it stands
Upon the brink of the tempestuous wave,
Wading far out among the rocks and sands,
The night o’er taken mariner to save.

And the great ships sail outward and return
Bending and bowing o’er the billowy swells,
And ever joyful, as they see it burn
They wave their silent welcome and farewells.

They come forth from the darkness, and their sails
Gleam for a moment only in the blaze,
And eager faces, as the light unveils
Gaze at the tower, and vanish while they gaze.

The mariner remembers when a child,
on his first voyage, he saw it fade and sink
And when returning from adventures wild,
He saw it rise again o’er ocean’s brink.

Steadfast, serene, immovable, the same,
Year after year, through all the silent night
Burns on forevermore that quenchless flame,
Shines on that inextinguishable light!

It sees the ocean to its bosom clasp
The rocks and sea-sand with the kiss of peace:
It sees the wild winds lift it in their grasp,
And hold it up, and shake it like a fleece.

The startled waves leap over it; the storm
Smites it with all the scourges of the rain,
And steadily against its solid form
press the great shoulders of the hurricane.

The sea-bird wheeling round it, with the din
of wings and winds and solitary cries,
Blinded and maddened by the light within,
Dashes himself against the glare, and dies.

A new Prometheus, chained upon the rock,
Still grasping in his hand the fire of love,
it does not hear the cry, nor heed the shock,
but hails the mariner with words of love.

“Sail on!” it says: “sail on, ye stately ships!”
And with your floating bridge the ocean span;
Be mine to guard this light from all eclipse.
Be yours to bring man nearer unto man.

This is just really cool.

Audrey III?

OK so it's just an innocent little Peony about to blossom out at The Farm, but for a second, it reminded my of Audrey II from The Little Shop of Horrors. Have a look and see what you think -

Storms a comin'

We are presently under a tornado watch until 9 tonight. I love watching these spring and summer time storms roll in. All seems quiet, the wind stills to the point where it seems that the world has stopped turning and all at once with a deep rumble, the temperature drops and the wind seems to sprint out of the woods followed by rain drops like large glass marbles that pound on roof tops and pavement shattering into that thin layer of mist over the ground.......then the light show.

********Update - all is well, we did not wake up in OZ. Hopefully we will get some sunshine today to allow the garden (see previous post) to make use of all the moisture.***********

Digging in the dirt part duex

OK, installation is done per my previous post, although I have a bit of real estate left. I am thinking that I may go heavy on the flowers with the left over space. So far we have used about 50 bags of mulch and will use the remaining 20 when everything has grown up enough to cover the base of each. Just an FYI, I discovered that you can actually put 50 bags of mulch into a Suburban with the third row out. If you are wondering about the photo with what look like green berries, that is actually a pear tree - a great distraction for the deer - they prefer pears to everything else we are growing.

I should mention that after having been at it for about 7 hours today - I should sleep well.

***Update - my friend Lucy has offered to pawn off some strawberry plants that have overtaken her garden to fill in my left over areas. This is a really nice gesture as these were originally my Grandmother's gardens and she planted a TON of strawberries. So, thanks Lucy, nostalgia is where I live.****

Wishing I could sail into the fog of sleep

Its about 1:45 AM and I am pie eyed and certainly not happy about it. I go through these little bouts of insomnia periodically usually brought on by life's little issues. I am usually able to close my eyes and visualize a time or place that I associate with peace and relaxation. So this time I am allowing my mind to wonder back to Maine, Blue Hill specifically. The cool humid air, the fog chasing the sail boats back to the harbor and only the sound of the breeze pushing through pines carrying that amazing blend of salt air and forest with it.

To Sleep by John Keats

O soft embalmer of the still midnight,
Shutting, with careful fingers and benign,
Our gloom-pleas'd eyes, embower'd from the light,
Enshaded in forgetfulness divine:
O soothest Sleep! if so it please thee, close
In midst of this thine hymn my willing eyes,
Or wait the "Amen," ere thy poppy throws
Around my bed its lulling charities.
Then save me, or the passed day will shine
Upon my pillow, breeding many woes,--
Save me from curious Conscience, that still lords
Its strength for darkness, burrowing like a mole;
Turn the key deftly in the oiled wards,
And seal the hushed Casket of my Soul.



Previous sleepless night's post - click here.

Digging In The Dirt

Well, we got about 90% of the plants and seeds in the ground at The Farm on Sunday. I need to offer a million thanks to Heinz, Jim and Noah (pictured here with me). They brought a willing effort and a ton of mulch that I will spread once I finish seeding maybe tomorrow afternoon. This is a group effort designed not only to produce some wonderful vegetables and flowers, but a chance to decompress and relax with good friends. I believe my son Daniel plans on having a vegetable stand in Reynolda Village to help supplement his lawn mowing income this summer - Ill keep you posted.

Yarddawg: please take note of the freshly planted Nicotiana at our feet.

***Update - Noah and I finished planting (still have some real estate left however) or I so I thought until I reached into my pocket while sitting with some friends last night to find a pack of seeds I intended to plant in the cutting garden. Well, we need to get more mulch anyway (about 60 bags), so I will have to dig a little more before I can claim complete installation of the Brookberry Garden 2009.***

Goodbye Solo

I just saw this at the River Run Film Festival - you must go. Filmed here in Winston-Salem.

Clip from the movie -



Official trailer Click Here.

Release dates Click Here.


"On the lonely roads of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, two men forge an improbable friendship that will change both of their lives forever. Solo is a Senegalese cab driver working to provide a better life for his young family. William is a tough Southern good ol‘ boy with a lifetime of regrets. One man‘s American dream is just beginning, while the other‘s is quickly winding down. But despite their differences, both men soon realize they need each other more than either is willing to admit. Through this unlikely but unforgettable friendship, GOODBYE SOLO deftly explores the passing of a generation as well as the rapidly changing face of America."

Winner of the Venice Film Festival’s prestigious FIPRESCI International Critics Prize, ‘Goodbye Solo’ is the latest film from internationally-acclaimed filmmaker Ramin Bahrani (‘Chop Shop,’ ‘Man Push Cart’). 'Solo' has been hailed as “A force of nature!” by Roger Ebert. And The New York Times’ A.O. Scott says it has “an uncanny ability to enlarge your perception of the world.”

Lonesome Road

This is Highway 12 on the way to Cape Hatteras (looking north, Hatteras is south of where I am standing). Something really wonderful about being the only one on this road with huge sand dunes on either side. Sand blows whimsically across the asphalt and the roar of the ocean falls over top the seaward side. The smell of the salt reduces blood pressure and for a moment I, like the landscape, could care less that the market and economy are in bad shape. I envy the fact that when I left this place, it still had no clue about our condition.

Click Here:
Maybe these will inspire you to head down to the outer banks of NC.

Reynolda Gardens

I mentioned in my previous post about Reynolda Village, that I would take some pictures*** in the Gardens. If you are looking for a good place to decompress, this is it.

My Garden
By Emily Dickinson

New feet within my garden go,

New fingers stir the sod;

A troubadour upon the elm

Betrays the solitude.



New children play upon the green,

New weary sleep below;

And still the pensive spring returns,

And still the punctual snow!

***I need to mention that I had to get special permission to take these and was only able to acquire it due to the fact that I am a tenant and I was taking pictures to be used in an ad - this opportunity is not open to everyone, although ignored by some, photography in the gardens is generally prohibited for commercial use***.

If you do decide to visit, please stop by my wife's new shop Karen Gray Design.

We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat....

Well, maybe not. However, I suspect that if Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss had one of these bad boys, I think the movie would have ended a little sooner and with everyone giving high fives making the announcement that they were headed to Disney Land.....

Through The Woods To Grandmother's House? Where Does It Take You?

It's been a bit, but I wanted to continue with my "Paths and Roads" series. I am always curious to see what may be around the next bend. Better yet, I am more interested in what peoples' imaginations tell them is around the next bend, or maybe it reminds you of some place. Like life, the expectation of what is to come is always more fantastic than what is actually found. Sometimes I'd rather live with the expectation, other times I am glad that it was not realized.

Link to older posts on "Roads".

OBX = Roanoke, Bodie, Hatteras, Ocracoke & Cedar Islands in 24 hours

As promised in my blog back in February, I did make it to the coast, only not in winter. Daniel and I took off Friday evening, spent the night in Rocky Mount and hit Roanoke Island by about 9:45 AM on Saturday. We took tons of pictures, explored light houses, ate at local haunts (I recommend the Froggy Dog Cafe in Avon, NC for lunch - I had the Froggy's revenge). We rode the ferries from Hatteras to Ocracoke and then to Cedar Island. Lots of good shots for the "Where does this lead you" series and just some good landscapes of the dunes and whatnot. I really think everyone should take a weekend and make this drive, you will not be disappointed. It was wonderful to see so many large sections of the coast undeveloped. I expect much of the thanks for that belongs to the North Carolina Coastal Federation. Anyway, I am planning on making the trip again, but scheduling in about four days so we may take our time.

Click here to see the slide show of all my pictures from the coast set to music.

To Your Health, Again

Related to my previous post on Algaen. And yes, I am the stiff in the suit.

To The Lake Once More

I know all of you have read or seen "Charlotte's Web" or "Stuart Little" by E.B. White. However, if you have not, you must read his collection of essays. "To The Lake Once More"(click to read it) is possibly my favorite. He, like me, seems to live in nostalgia. I hope to create the same kind of memories for my children.

The pictures are of Lake Katherine, mentioned below in the post about Reynolda Village. It was man made almost 100 years ago and was allowed to fill in due to the high cost of maintenance and to allow for wetland restoration. If you look closely in the old photo you can see the boathouse on the right and of course the condition of both as of this last Saturday.

Reynolda Village

As most of you know by now, not only do I maintain an office in Reynolda Village, but my wife also now has a small boutique there as well. I finally got the chance to wander around a take some pictures today. It really becomes a whole new place when you look at it from all points. I could have spent and probably will spend several more hours taking additional pictures. I will also then include the grounds up around Reynolda House and Gardens. This place is a real treasure. While walking around, there were young families parked on blankets, students either sunning themselves or studying and the occasional solo napper all laid out on the hill by Lake Katherine (or what's left of it). This is a true community asset and I consider myself lucky to show up there each day for work. Incidentally, that's my son Daniel who got to spend all afternoon running around without a care with the other children in the Village.

More pictures of the Village.

Bethania, NC Settled 1759

Do you remember my post "Local History Mystery" about Nathaniel and Aggee Brooks Lash? Well the answer is that the Lash family settled in Bethania from Berks County Pennsylvania. Thanks to Bev H. for solving the mystery and inviting me to be part of her research into Bethania. Below is a link to a slide show of some of my pictures, set to music, from that day. You will have to wait until Bev's book comes out to get the details on the where, what and who. What I will say is that the tobacco barn is on what was the old Conrad plantation as are the collapsing slave quarters. This was a moving experience and I am really looking forward to the book.

THE BOOK HAS BEEN PUBLISHED! CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS!
Bethania slide show (music by The Boys Choir of Harlem)