Eaglesbrother's Gourds and Art

Experiments with Lenses and Birds

2012-01-21T10:20:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I borrowed Elisabeths' Sigma 150-500 mm lens and attached my 2x adaptor to it for an experiment with lenses and distance ( with the 2x adaptor it gives me a 1000mm lens ) on my Nikon D50 DSLR Camera..here are some of the results in that endeavor to capture small objects from a longer distance and still get clarity.

As Always you can click on any photograph to enlarge for a much better view.

The first 4 photographs are of a cute little Carolina Chickadee that came to our feeder and I shot his photo from about 300 ft. away..he is very tiny and only about 4 1/2" long.

The next photographs ( 3 ) are of an Eastern Pewee ( a Sparrow sized Flycatcher )
Taken from around 1000 ft. away with the same lens set up as previous photographs.

Looks like a "Bad Hair Day" for this little fellow.. ( Humor injected here )

This next photograph is of a White Crowned Sparrow that stopped at our feeder to have his photo taken...great pose..thank you

This Bird also stopped at our feeder..but as of yet I haven't figured out what species he is..he stopped by the feeder along with the above bird, but I do not think he is of same species...still researching..if you know the answer..please email me.

Thank you for stopping by my blog..all comments are greatly appreciated.

A day with my friend the Red Tail Hawk

2012-01-14T11:36:00.000-05:00

My Post today is of my afternoon spent with my long time friend the Red Tail Hawk.

I walked out to the garden on the hill behind cabin and noticed my friend sitting in a tree,so I went back into the house and grabbed my camera with my faithful 70-300 VR lens on it and proceeded to photograph my friend who so decided to cooperate with me and pose for me for a while before flying off to a more distant tree about 500 ft. farther away and then posing there.

The first photographs were taken just about 1000 ft. away from where I was standing.

As usual you may click on the photographs to enlarge for a better view.

The start of the shoot

Next..zooming up a bit closer

Caught him in flight just as he was leaving the first tree to one farther down the field

Still in flight..just as he was making the turn to land in the other tree.

Landing in the Pine tree

Taking a look around just after he landed

Adjusting his stance in preparation to turn around

Getting ready to turn

A bit hard not to fall off while turning

Getting his balance while turning

Finally turned and facing me now and continued to hunt for his lunch.

Glorious Sunrise

2011-11-13T10:28:00.000-05:00

I looked out the windows this morning as I opened the curtains and just had to go out and shoot the Spectacular Sunrise and decided to share this great experience with you.

As usual you may click on any image to enlarge for a better view.

Super Sunrise in the East

Sunrise in the NE

Sunrise in the North

Panoramic view of Sunrise in the South

Sunrise in the South East

Sunrise in the South

Sunrise in the South West

Sunrise in the West

Sunrise in the North East

I hope you enjoyed this wonderful Sunrise as I did

New Fall Colors

2011-11-02T04:18:00.000-04:00

Today I am posting some more photographs of some of our wonderful Fall Colors we get here in the Mountains of Western North Carolina.

Feel Free to click on any Photo for a larger view.

View of Bald Rock Mtn. to our South East

Another View of Bald Rock Mtn. just to the left where Students once left their mark.

View of Sugar Loaf Mtn. to our South West.

A view to the South where the Mtn. Top was clear cut to develop as new housing site( now not allowed to ruin the Mtn. top ridge profile)

Just across the road from us..a view to the SW

Hibiscus Flowers

2011-10-23T09:32:00.000-04:00

I am going to post a few photos of some Hibiscus flowers that I took just outside of my friends Machine shop the other day with my IPhone camera.

Please feel free to click on any image to enlarge for a better view.

Balloons in Virginia

2011-10-23T07:03:00.000-04:00

I recently made a trip to New York and back and on the way I stopped at a rest stop in Virginia, as I was getting ready to leave I stopped on the exit drive to get out and have a cigarette, Suddenly I noticed some Balloons in the sky and got in the truck and grabbed my camera to take some photographs.

As you can see they are in the distance and I was pleased that I had on the 70-300MM VR lens on my Nikon D50 SLR camera so I could bring them in closer.

You can click on any Photo for a bigger better view.

First sighting, only 3 balloons seen

As I photographed I noticed one balloon getting very low into the trees

Here the balloon is getting way down into the trees and the operator is turning on the fire to raise it.

After that one came up, I see the 4th balloon appear in the sky

Balloon number 1

Balloon number 2

Balloon number 3

Balloon number 4

When Morning Glorys Take Over

2011-10-13T07:12:00.000-04:00

I decided today to bring you a view of the invasion of the Morning Glorys that take over the garden as the crops wind down in early fall and we let them grow as most of the crop of veggies etc. is gone.

You may click on any image to enlarge for a better view.

Morning Glorys come in a plethora of colors and just grow wild, I think they may come from some of the straw I place around the plants in the garden, otherwise I have no idea where the seeds come from.

I am putting in just a few photographs of the different colors that appear in our garden.

First photo showing how they take over.

A Beautiful White one with Purple star center

A Pale Powder Blue one with Purple Star center

A very Pale Pink one with Redish Pink Star center

Another Blue one, slightly darker Blue, with Purple Star center

Just had to photograph this Bumble Bee on the Pale Blue one

Another variety of Giant White Morning Glory

New Fall Colors

2011-10-10T08:50:00.010-04:00

Fall is officialy just around the corner..already the leaves are starting to turn and peek leaf season is just around the corner by about two weeks to 4 weeks...depending on when we get a hard frost here in the mountains.

See below a few photographs I took the other day of the beginning of leaf turning here in the Western Mountains of NC.

You may click on any photograph to enlarge for a life sized view.

Long distance view of North Mountains

Same view..slightly different angle

Closer view

Neighbors big Maple tree turning nice Red color.

View of Sugar Loaf Mountain in the South West

I will add more photographs in a future post of more Fall Colors as the leaves turn to their

"Peek Colors"...come back and visit occasionaly to see.

Sky Watch Friday

2011-09-15T03:35:00.008-04:00

Thank you Sky Watch Team for your efforts each week to bring us Skies from all over the World.

To view Skies or to participate...just click on the Logo above.

As usual you may click on any Image to enlarge for a better view.

My post today is a bit different than my usual post in that it consists mainly of spectacular cloud formations and not the usual Sunrises or Sunsets that I usualy post.

The clouds you will view today are from the Hurricaine that went up along the Eastern coast and brought so much flooding and devistation...but here in the mountains didn't even bring us rain.

Strange cloud formations in the South West

Clouds in the West

Clouds over Sugar Loaf Mountain in the South SouthWest

Clouds in the North

Clouds NorthEast

Last , but not least, Clouds in the East

I have been having trouble for quite some time with Posts on my blog, something is broken, and I can not make the font in bold or change from Left Align to Center Align and many other issues..and as of yet..not been able to get any answers to the problem.

Thank you for stopping by to view my Blog, and I do appreciate all of your comments.

Well what do you know..I hit some key next to a lteer I was typing and "Walla" Bold presented it's self.....lol

Gold Finch

2011-09-09T05:52:00.003-04:00

Just one of many Gold Finches at and around our Birdfeeder.

You may click on the image to enlarge for a better view.

He is so handsome.

Same Gold Finch...He sure does like to pose for me.

Sky Watch Friday

2011-09-08T06:48:00.009-04:00

Thank you once again to our tireless sponsers who bring us Great Skies from all over the world

To view these wonderful Skies..just click on the Logo above.

My post today consists of some wonderful examples of Creators awesome painting of the evening skies.

Sunset in the East

Sunset in the North East

Sunset in the North with cloud over the mountains

Sunset in the South sky

Sunset in the West...wish they would take down that tower..spoils the view.

Sunset in the North West

This concludes our tour of the Sunset Skies in the NC Mountains

Sky Watch Friday

2011-08-25T07:45:00.010-04:00

To view skies from all over the world..just click on the Logo above.

I wish to thank the Sky Watch Team for their efforts each week to bring us Great Views of skies worldwide.

My Post today will be a bit different from my usual post...a mixture of skies at home and on my recent trip to Miami Florida.

A hole in the clouds with Sunlight pouring through, as seen from a different location here near Home.

A long distance view of the Sunset near home taken with my IPhone camera.

Again, a sunset shot taken at home with my IPhone camera. Please forgive the wires, someone put them in my way.

Now we come to the Florida version, photo of gathering storm clouds near Miami, my destination on my trip, again taken with my IPhone Camera.

A sunset shot at a rest stop where I stopped to take a short nap upon leaving my Florida destination..still in Florida and taken with my Iphone Camera.

A final shot taken out of the Truck Window I was driving..I just held up the IPhone and shot it..no aiming involved..just pure luck on the shot with the IPhone Camera.

This concludes this weeks post, I hope you enjoyed the trip along wiht me to Florida and back.

Sky Watch Friday

2011-08-18T13:44:00.015-04:00

Thank you to our Sky Watch Team for their efforts each week to bring us Skies Worldwide.

You may click on any image to enlarge for a better view.

My post today is of a Spectacular Sunset we had on the 14 th of this month..it was very hard to choose which photographs to put in, because the Sunset kept changing rapidly in all directions.

Start of Sunset in the West

Sunset West..notice the Hawk flying home towards the SW

Sunset West South West

Sunset as seen from the South West

Changing Sunset in the South

Yet another shot of Sunset in the South

A shot of the changing scene in the North East

Spectacular Sky in the North

Distant shot of Sunset in the North

Sunset North East

Sunset East over Bald Rock Mountain

A final Shot of Sunset East

Sky Watch Friday

2011-08-11T05:45:00.012-04:00

Thank you SkyWatch team for your efforts to bring us Skies from all over the World each week.

Lately we have been again having some great skies to watch..awesome clouds and awesome Sunsets.

You may click on any image to enlarge for a better view.

Very Early Sunset in the West

Sunset in the West about 30 minutes later

Sunset North West

Sunset in the East

Sunset North East

Close up of Sunset in North East

Sunset in Distant North

Sky Watch Friday

2011-08-04T06:39:00.009-04:00

To view skies from all over the world, just click on the Logo above.

Thank you Sky Watch Team for your efforts to bring us fantastic skies each week.

It has been quite a while since I have posted on Sky Watch due to the fact that I have been very busy with Gardening and Fower Beds here as well as work in my workshop, and creating and posting my work up on my Ebay Store Front and Auctions. If you have the time or wish...you can see my work on Ebay under Seller Name-- Eaglesbrother2otz .

Now , on with the show of sky that I captured last evening..click on any image to enlarge for a better view.

As clouds roll in the evening Sunset begins in the West

Looking just slightly North of West, a hole in the clouds with awesome display of color.

Another shot of the tall clouds in the West just above the trees, but no rain to relieve us of the heat.

As I was shooting the Sunset I turned and noticed this wonderful Moon shot, so I decided to share it with you.

Nearing the end of the Sunset in the South West Portion of the sky, through the Trees.

A bit of a Close Up shot through the trees..great way to end a day.

The Chase-Red Winged Blackbirds VS Red Tailed Hawk

2011-07-05T23:23:00.013-04:00

Today i would like to share with you a chase I witnessed the other day while sitting on our front porch and watching and photographing birds at our feeder.

I noticed two Red Winged Blackbirds chasing my friend the Red Tailed Hawk about 1/4 mile away up high in the sky...so I grabbed my camera with the 70-300VR lens on it and began to record the chase....see photo's below and watch as the dramma unfolds...you can click on any image to enlarge for a better view.

The start of the chase..the Hawks soars and dives to elude those pesky Blackbirds.

Turning again and again...Blackbirds pecking at His tail.

Still , the chase continues, those pesky birds just will not quit.

Here they come again...screeching and diving, ever closer.

Now they are getting closer..but....do you notice the Hawk does not seem very worried about His ability to elude them?

Notice the bird at the top...coming in on a dive to try to pester the Hawk?

Well...I guess you can't blame a Bird for trying...but you have to admit that those Red Winged Blackbirds have alot of Gumption...trying to attack a Hawk that could eat them any time He so desires....but in the end...even they have to give up and surrender to the Superior flying ability of a Red Tailed Hawk...so the chase ends.....

Free at last, and as if to say thank you for recording that crazy attempt by the Blackbirds to try to chase me away....my friend the Red Tailed Hawk comes over towards me and circles above and calls back to me as I call to him.

Closer and closer overhead He comes as we converse in Hawk calls.

As a Pilot does in a Victory Roll with his plane...my Hawk Friend circles directly over my head calling out his Victory Song..."Free at Last"..as I respond with "Fly in Peace my friend"

Experiments in Digital Macro Photography

2011-06-04T04:15:00.013-04:00

I decided to do a bit of experimenting with photographing some Wild Flowers at the back of our yard here behind the log cabin that I had planted in a 75 ft. long bed last year.

I chose the 105 Macro Nikon lens that I have for this experiment.

Below please view the results.....you may click on any image to enlarge to get a better view.

A strange combination of Red and White blooms all in the same small flower cluster, the size of a silver dollar.

A very tiny cluster of orange blooms..about the size of a Quarter

A loney little bloom with two dead blooms above it which I should have taken off before shooting

A fantastic Yellow bloom on tall stalks of deep green

I do not know the name of this Wild Flower, but it sure is beautiful

Same type of flower as above, only in White

Same White version of the flower above, except in shadow with sun light streaming through.

Cute , colorful Bachelor Button

This little bloom is the size of my little finger nail, proof..."good things come in small packages"

Now this one isn't a Wild Flower..it is a Day Lilly

This one also isn't a Wild Flower..I do not know the name of it..but it is planted just at the corner of our porch.

Fog Bank Morning

2011-04-23T07:30:00.004-04:00

Click on the image to enlarge for a better view.

I wanted to share with you a sight I saw when I looked out of the living room window this morning.
The above picture is what I saw...a strange cloud bank of fog, appearing as if it were a mountain, arising in front of Sugar Loaf Mountain.

Sky Watch Friday

2011-03-24T05:41:00.009-04:00

Thank you sky watch Team for bringing us great skies to look at each week.

To participate or to view..just click on the Logo above.

I haven't posted for a few weeks ..mainly because I have been very busy and also forgot about posting until it was too late.

Today's post will start with a nice Spring Sunset we had the other day and progress to the following Morning Spring Sunrise.

Click on any photograph to enlarge for a better view.

Spring Sunset

Spring Sunrise in the East

Spring Sunrise in the North

Spring Sunrise in the South

Spring Sunrise in the North East

Spring Sunrise in the West..yes the Sun also rises in the West...lol

Sky Watch Friday

2011-02-24T07:11:00.008-05:00

Thank you again Sky Watch Team for you efforts to bring us great skies for our viewing.

To view these great skies or to participate..just click on the pretty Logo above.

What a fantastic day it was the other day for viewing surrealistic clouds at the beginning of Sunrise ..even through out the day..the best cloud watching day I ever saw.

Click on any photograph to enlarge for a better view....it was as if an Artist took a giant brush and painted the skies this day....Thank you Creator for creating such an awesome Sunrise and cloud filled day.

Sunrise in the East

Sunrise over in the South West

Sunrise in the West

Sunrise over to the North West

Sky Watch Friday

2011-02-17T06:05:00.010-05:00

Thank you Sky Watch Team for once again bringing us skies from around the world to view.

To participate or to view skies..just click on the Logo above.

You may click on any image to enlarge for a better view.

This week I am going to give you just a bit of a different view of some of our spectacular Sunrises we have been having...I have gone to a few different places in the area to get a different view of the Sunrise.

Sunrise East from down near the orchard

Sunrise over our garden

Sunrise North..from a view in the hay field

Sunrise South East over Gilliam Mountain

Sunrise over Sugar Loaf Mountain

Sunrise West..shooting over the apple orchard

Sunrise South West

Sky Watch Friday

2011-02-03T06:56:00.007-05:00

Thank you Sky Watch Team for your time in bringing fantastic skies for our viewing pleasure each week.

To view skies or to participate...just click on the pretty Logo above.

While most of the rest of the West and North East part of the nation was having record snow storms we here in the mountains of Western NC had mostly rain.

After a day of rain and a night of rain, I went out early the other morning and decided to get a couple of photo's of the Foggy Sunrise before the clouds again moved in to erase the wonderful colors in the sky above the rising fog on the ground level.

You may click on any photo to enlarge for a better view.

Start of Sunrise in the South

About 5 minutes later in the South

I turned the camera towards the South West

The Hawks tree in the fog in the South West

Five minutes later...the clouds moved in once again erasing the Sunrise colors and replacing them with dark Blue/Grey rain clouds.

Sky Watch Friday

2011-01-27T07:19:00.007-05:00

Thank you once again Sky Watch Team for bringing us skies from around the World for our viewing pleasure.

To view skies or to participate..just click on the Logo above.

We recently had a trip to Pa. and while there had a couple of down days from business..so we went down to the Conowingo Dam in Md. to take some pictures of Eagles there...we arrived early and got a chance to photograph some of the Sunrise at the Dam.

Click on images to enlarge for a better view.

The Dam at beginning of Sunrise

Off in the distance...sunrise around the power lines

Power Towers surround the area

We didn't know it..but the Eagles don't usually arrive till around 9 AM or 10 AM so we just waited and watched the Gulls fishing in the water.

You can also skip on down to the two posts below to view some of the Eagles that we photographed.

Conowingo Dam Eagles-Part one

2011-01-25T02:50:00.009-05:00

We recently returned from a trip to Pa. and while there we had a couple of down days from business.

We had heard of a Dam in Md. where you could see Eagles ..so we drove down to the Conowingo Dam in Md. which is right on route 1 going down from Pa.

Following are some photographs of Eagles that I took there..it will be in two seperate posts because of so many photo's.

Please click on each image to get a larger view:

Conowingo Dam

Eagle in Flight

Isn't this fella just handsome !

"Where did it Go?"

"If I hold this pose any longer I will be crosseyed"

Two Eagles in their nest

A closer look at the Nesting Eagles

Please continue on to the next post for more Eagle Photographs

Conowingo Dam Eagles-Continued

2011-01-25T02:31:00.010-05:00

Part Two Continued:
Please click on each image to enlarge for a better view.

Two Eagles in the nest

Ain't I cute?

Looking for Food

Is this my best side?

Who is that nut down there with the camera?

Watch as I fly away with a branch for my nest

Make it quick buster..I can't hang around much longer.

Continuing Hawk- Photo Experiments

2010-12-30T11:15:00.009-05:00

To view skies or to participate click on the Logo above.

In the further pursuit of better photographs of my friend the Red Tailed Hawk.

I spotted my friend in the Tulip Popular Tree down the road about a 1/4 mile away and decided to again try to get some better photo's of him.

I grabbed the camera with the 70-300VR lens with the 2X adapter and headed down the road to a church parking lot just across the road from the tree..I pulled in there in my truck and parked parallel to the tree and rolled down the window and stuck the camera out the partly open window..resting the log lens on the window edge and started to photograph my elusive friend.

I was still at some distance from the tree across the road...I would say maybe about 1500 ft. away ...so the long lens was a big help in capturing some of the awesome beauty of my friend.

Click on the photographs to enlarge and get a life sized view of my friend.

There He is ..what a tease He is.

Turned his head looking for lunch..feathers blowing in the wind.

A bit of a closer look

He decided to fly off for a new hunting place.flying directly towards me

Zooming in for a closer shot.

Turning South West just before again turning back towards me.

I hope you enjoyed watching my friend along with me in my endeavours to better capture his awesome beauty with my camera..I hope he forgives me for disturbing his hunting..but I don't think he really minded.

Hawk Experiments/Photography

2010-12-28T16:16:00.007-05:00

After being closed up in the cabin for 3 days due to snow, when the Sun came out today, I decided it was time to get out and do some photography.

I have been trying to get closer pictures of the Red Tailed Hawk that sits in a Tulip Popular Tree just about 1/4 mile down the road so I decided to try an experiment.

I grabbed a 2x adapter and attached it to my camera and then put on the 70-300VR lens , now you can't use Auto Focus with the 2x adapter that I have, so I set the VR to be ON and clicked it to Manual Focus.

Next I grabbed the Tripod and mounted the camera on it and set the camera to Manual Settings and played with settings till I got what I felt would make for good shots.

It was a very bright sunny day so I had to be careful when shooting not to let the Sun hit directly in the lens while shooting.

Click on any photo to enlarge for a better view.

This shot taken from our front porch

Zooming in to 300 with the 2x adapter

Cropping and editing

Moved down the driveway a bit for a closer look

After putting in Photo Shop, cropping and zooming in.

I hope you enjoyed my experiments and efforts to get better and closer Photographs of my Friend ..The Red Tailed Hawk.

Sky Watch Friday

2010-12-23T10:20:00.012-05:00

Thank you Sky Watch Team for your efforts to bring us Great skies from around the World.

To view skies or to participate...just click on the Logo above.

I am going to again try to post on Sky Watch as I did last week..but alas I could not post there as the page just came up blank when trying several times, and I see only one person came and looked at my post on my blog..thank you Sylvia.

Here we go again..trying again this week...as usual just click on any photo to get a life sized view.

Sky Watch is all about sky and clouds..so this week I am concentrating on clouds mostly...there is always an awesome array of clouds here in Western NC.

Sunrise in the East

Sunrise in the North

Sunrise in the SW

Sunrise in the NE

Now I want to take you along on a journey that I recently took down East of here and on the way back approaching the mountains again saw some awesome cloud formations that I would like to share with you as seem from my truck window.

I took all the following photo's with a point and shoot camera through the windshield of my truck.

Approaching the mountains

What a view and awesome cloud formations

Great clouds seen from the truck window

More cloud formations

Churning,Swiriling clouds

We hope you enjoyed our tour of the skies this week...please come again for a visit.

Sky Watch Friday

2010-12-16T12:53:00.011-05:00

Thank you once again Sky Watch Sponsors for bringing us great skies from all over the world each week for our viewing pleasure.

To view skies or to participate...just click on the pretty Logo above.

Once again it is time for us to post our best of skies that we observed this week and share with all our participants the beauty of the of a sky in our area.

See below my contribution for this week...I will start with a Sunrise and end with the Sunset.

The Sunrise isn't as colorful as some I have posted, but I just love the cloud patterns we got this week, and want to share them with you.

Click on any image to enlarge and get a life sized view.

Sunrise in the East

Sunrise in the NE

Sunrise in the North

Sunrise in the NW

Sunrise in the South with valley fog.

Now I want to show you just a bit of the Sunset we had that same evening, we started with a great setting sun in the West, then I noticed Two Sun Dogs ( count them ) I was totally surprised...for this doesn't happen very often...I grabbed the camera once again and captured them in all their awesome beauty...one was at about 45 degrees to the South West of the setting sun , the other was about 45 degrees to the North West of the setting sun.

Sunset in the West

An Awesome Sun Dog in the South West

The other Sun Dog in the North West

Sky Watch Friday

2010-12-02T10:34:00.015-05:00

Thank you to our sponsors for their tireless efforts to bring us skies from all over the world for our viewing pleasure.

To view these skies or to participate..just click on the Logo above.

My post today is of Sunrise and Sunset on the same day,after a very rainy previous day.

I will start with the great Sunrise and follow it with the awesome Sunset at the end of the day.

Sunrise over Bald Rock Mt. (East)

Just a bit more SE..wish i could have spliced the two together for a panoramic view,
something I will have to explore.

Sunrise over the Garden in the East

Sunrise in the West

Sunrise NW

Sunrise North

Sunrise NE..now who put that pole in my way?

We now move to the end of the day and the glorious Sunset photo's

Sunset in the West

Sunset NW

Sunset NE..I know it is grainy, but didn't have my camera setting quite right, but this is straight out of the camera, wanted you to see it just as I saw it.

Sunset South

Sunset SW

Sky Watch Friday

2010-11-18T06:11:00.008-05:00

Thanks to our Sponsors for their efforts to bring us great skies to see each week.

To View these skies or to participate, just click on the Logo above.

My post today is a bit different than last week, in that we had two days of mostly bland skies and rain, at times torrential rain, especially the day I took these photos.

The particular evening( Wednesday ) as the sun was setting I noticed some awesome clouds stacking up in the West and South West, like big stacks of cotton, highlighted by the setting Sun.

I grabbed the camera and put on the 55-200mm lens and went outside to see if I could capture some of Creators awesome creations.

Following are some of the results of that endeavor...click on any image to enlarge and view at your leisure.

Starting Sunset in the West

Awesome Beauty in the South West

A Sun Dog appears in the far South West

Just as I was coming back in the house..I noticed this great " Promise of new things to come."

Sky Watch Friday

2010-11-11T06:39:00.010-05:00

Once again, Thank you Sponsors for your efforts to bring us Great skies from all over the world.

To View these skies or to participate, Just click on the pretty Logo above.

I know I have been a bit lax in my posting here, but I have been very busy cutting new gemstones and creating an Ebay Store front to display and sell them on and also put some up for auction..this store will give me a place to display more of my Art and creations..and hopefully even sell some.

Well on with the show...today's post is of a great Sunset we had last evening here in the Western Mountains of North Carolina.

Please feel free to click on any phot to enlarge for a better view.

Sunset in the West

Awesome..a Sun Dog in the South West

Sunset over Sugar Loaf Mountain SW

Sunset SSW

Sunset South- Gilliam Mountain

Sunset Cloud

Sunset NW

Sunset North

Sky Watch Friday

2010-10-28T05:42:00.016-04:00

Thanks to all our sponsors who tirelessly each week bring us wonderful skies from all over the World.

To view these awesome skies or to participate..just click on the Logo above.

This week I am bringing you a new view of our small piece of Creators wonderful creations of mountain scenery and fabulous skies.

I went to a different location ..up higher on a hill in the big field next to us to get these photographs..what a view there is from up there..following are some photographs I took there...starting with daylight photos..followed by sunset photographs later that evening.

Please feel free to click on any photo to enlarge for a better view.

Distant view to the East

Closer view East

Bald Rock Mountain SE

View NE

View North

View North West

Sugar Loaf Mountain SW

Next comes some of the Sunset..what a wonderful way to end the day..viewing Creators masterful Art Works.

Start of Sunset in the West

Sunset Cloud in the South

Sunset North

Sunset North East

Sunset North West

Late Sunset West

Sky Watch Friday

2010-10-21T07:39:00.009-04:00

Thank you once again to our Sponsors for their tireless efforts to each week bring us wonderful sky photographs from all over the world.

To View these skies or to participate...just click on the pretty Logo above.

My Post today is of a wonderful Fall Sunrise the other day and a Sunset last evening.

Click on any photograph to enlarge for a much better view.

Sunrise East

Sunrise NE

Sunrise N

Sunrise SE

Sunrise SW

Next follows two photographs of the Sunset last Evening;

Sunset South

Sunset SW

Final Post of Car Show

2010-10-05T06:28:00.017-04:00

I am continuing with more photographs from the Car Show today...however I will not put up all photographs that I took there ...I took over 183 photographs of the over 300 cars in attendance.

I know you just could just not sit still that long to look at all of them and you would probably get bored and ask "Does this guy have a life?"..lol.

So..on with the show...just a few more photographs...click on any photo to enlarge for a better view.

Car Show Continued

2010-10-03T07:22:00.031-04:00

Continuing today with more photos from the Car Show.

I will start with 5 photos of the Field..showing how large a field and show it was...followed by single photos of different cars.

Today's post is not all of the cars I photographed...I will try to post more tomorrow..till I get most of them in.

As usual..click on any photograph to enlarge.

Antique Car Show

2010-10-02T19:58:00.022-04:00

I went to a car show today down at the far side of Lake Lure..and will show you just a few of the Cars , Trucks and Hot Rods I saw...far too many to list all here in one post.

I will let the photographs tell the story...click on any image to enlarge.

This concludes the Car show tour for today...I will post more in the next post..I took around 185 photographs of the event and Cars, Trucks and Hot Rods.

Tomorrow I will try to drop in a few more...have fun browsing.

Sky Watch Friday

2010-09-30T13:08:00.009-04:00

Thank you once again Sponsors for your tireless efforts to bring us Skies to watch each week.

To view skies or to participate...just click on the pretty Logo above.

My post today..although it is only Thursday...(we post at 2:30 PM each week for Friday)....is a post showing a wonderful Sunrise we had just after a couple days of rainy and gloomy skies.

Please feel free to click on any Photo to enlarge for a better view...please enjoy the ride and buckle your seat belts please...lol <>}}:-)

Sunrise East

Sunrise NE

Sunrise North

Sunrise South

Sunrise West

There now..wasn't that a pleasant little trip around our world here...standing in awe of a morning Sunrise ?

Trip Down The River

2010-09-29T03:38:00.009-04:00

Last Saturday after going to a car show to take some photographs , I decided to got down to Lake Lure to see if anything was going on down there in the way of old car shows, but there was not much going on there..so I turned around and headed back home...but stopped along the Broad River just above Chimney Rock and climbed down among the huge boulders in the River to take some pictures.

We start with a long view up river at the boulders that the water rushes in and around and tumbles in small water falls..down into pools of deep water in places..making great spots for the Trout to hide in...and fishermen to try to catch .

Click on any image to enlarge.....enjoy the trip down the river with us.

Long view up river

Tumbling waters over moss covered boulders

Birds eye view

One of the small waterfalls

Another miniature waterfall

Up close and personal, didn't get my feet wet either

Moss covered boulders

Down, Down, ever Down the River tumbles the water.

We hope you enjoyed your trip down the river with us.

Sky Watch Friday

2010-09-23T13:53:00.008-04:00

Thank you sponsors for your efforts to bring us skies from all over the world to view.

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This week again I am departing from the usual post that I do...we have been having absolutely clear skies with no clouds.

As I was looking at the sky to find something to shoot...I notice my friend the Red Tail Hawk sitting in the Walnut Tree just about a Quarter of a mile from the cabin here.

I ran in and grabbed the camera with the 70-300 lens on and began to photograph him...I was able to get just a bit closer each shot till I was about 2,000 yards away..then he decided to fly elsewhere..to the South ...he had been sitting in the North West. I did manage to get a few shots of him flying by..therefore I also got some sky in the shots.

Click on any photograph for a larger and more personal view.

Shot from the porch here at the cabin.

Just a bit farther down towards the tree

Still closer..a better shot

Flying by from NW towards the South

I did promise some sky..here it is
(Still flying towards the South)

More great Blue sky..and my friend reaching the South Sky.

High flight

2010-09-21T06:51:00.005-04:00

I am inspired by the Poem "High Flight" each and every time I look up into the skies and feel my Spirits soar like the Eagle..to this end I present this poem by a WW2 pilot who died shortly after writting this poem in a plane crash..he wrote part of this poem while testing a new plane, and finished it when he got back on the ground.

High Flight:

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of EarthAnd danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space,Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

— John Gillespie Magee, Jr

The following photographs show some of the insperation I feel each time I look up into the sky.

Sky Watch Friday

2010-09-16T13:36:00.008-04:00

Thank you to our sponsors for their efforts each week to bring us fantastic skies from all over the world..let's give a big hand to those tireless sponsors of ours!!!

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I am going to deviate just a little from my usual post of terrific Sunsets and Sunrises....We also have great daytime skies here in the Mountains of Western NC so I am posting some of the beautiful day skies we have had here the last few days.

Click on any image to enlarge and get up close to it.

Clouds in the East

Clouds in the North

Clouds in the NE

A "Feather" Cloud in the West Sky

Sky Watch Friday

2010-09-09T04:36:00.012-04:00

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I am sorry I didn't get to participate last week in the posting of a Sky Watch entry...I was very busy and a bit under the weather...however today I am posting an Amazing series of photographs of yet another display of Creator's skill of painting the Morning skies with a plethora of colors.

Please feel free to click on any image for a larger view.

Sunrise in the East..first light

Sunrise in the East NE

Sunrise in the North

Sunrise North East

Sunrise South

Sunrise South East..about 20 min. later

Sunrise South West

Sunrise in the West

It was very tempting to also include the Sunset of the previous day in this post...but I felt it would be too long..so I have saved it for another day.

Sky Watch Friday

2010-08-26T04:47:00.016-04:00

Once again...thank you to our sponsors for their efforts to bring us skies from all over the world for our viewing pleasure.

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Each morning as I go up on the hill behind our cabin here in the mountains of western NC to greet the day I am reminded of an old Navajo Chant, and the photo's below are a prime example of that...the Quote follows...

"Beauty is before me and Beauty behind me.

Above me and below me hovers the beautiful.

I am surrounded by it, I am immersed in it.

In my youth I am aware of it, and, in old age, I shall walk quietly the beautiful trail.

In beauty, it is begun,In beauty, it is ended."

Sunrises begin and change very quickly as you can see below by the sequence of photo's...and beauty changes and increases as time passes..often times within a 20-30 minute time span...in all of the Four Directions.

Click on any image to enlarge for a better view.

First dawning of Sunrise East

Shortly after..about 20 min. East

East North East

North

South

More South

Sugar Loaf Mt. SW

South West

West

Later in the SE

20 Min. later SE

The Day of The Gemstones

2010-08-22T22:56:00.007-04:00

My post today is of some of the gemstones I have been cutting recently.

Click on any image to enlarge for a better view.

My first presentation is a Rare sized Gem Grade Malachite Bulls eye piece..see the photograph below....click to enlarge.

The next stone is a beautiful Free form piece of NY Labradorite with Blue and Gold flashes of color over the entire stone.

My next stone is a combination of Gold and Blue Tiger eye Rough..marked for cutting..which I will soon cut.

This is a slab of Gold and Blue Tiger eye Rough that I have marked for cutting..note the one with the Red tornado in it.

This is a slab of a larger piece that I bought some time ago and then cut into slabs..it is from Australia.

This is a cabochon that I cut from a slab like the one above..and has a description and measurements above it.

This is a Free form piece of Apache Jasper that I cut and polished..pretty isn't it?

Sky Watch Friday

2010-08-19T11:54:00.010-04:00

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My post today was taken just a couple days ago after several days of dark looming cloud filled skies where we neither got Sunrises or Sunsets of any color..but did get much needed late evening showers.

Click on any image to enlarge for a better and closer view.

Sunrise in the East--Early morning.

Sunrise over Bald Rock Mountain..just slightly South of East.
Note the fog still rising from off and behind the mountain.

Sunrise in the East about 20 minutes later.

Sunrise East North East.

Sunrise NE

10 Minutes later...Sunrise over garden NE

Foggy Sunrise over Sugar Loaf Mountain SW.

Sunrise West South West.

Follow Up To "Hawk Day"

2010-08-16T03:38:00.007-04:00

While photographing the Hawks in the Walnut tree in the fog I noticed a small House Sparrow sitting on a bush branch just in front of me at just a short distance and I decided to take his picture because he was so cute and photogenic.

Click on the photograph to enlarge.

House Sparrow

After shooting the Hawks in the fog, and later that day when the skies got nice and clear, I came out of my work shop and walked towards the cabin and happened to look up...there soaring high overhead was my friend the Red Tail Hawk..so I grabbed the camera quickly from the cabin and got a couple shots of him which I will show you below...again..click on the photographs to enlarge.

Soaring High Overhead

Another shot

Looks good against the fluffy white cloud

Riding the air currents

Red Tail Hawk Day

2010-08-15T08:48:00.012-04:00

As some of you know I have an obsession with taking photographs of my Red Tail Hawk friends here..so I keep an Eagle eye out for any of them to come around and tempt me to take their pictures.

For some reason the Hawks have been frightened and do not allow me to approach them as close as I used to be able to..at most the best I can do is to get about 1,000 ft. at closest to them anymore.

A few days back, I spotted two Hawks doing the "Hawk Dance" ( Mating Dance) in and around a Walnut tree about a 1/4 mile from the cabin..so I grabbed the camera and out I went to get some picture..and happily snapped away for a short while..then realized I had the VR turned off on my 70-300 lens..I looked at what I had shot and found "Blurr" from camera shake.

I then turned on the VR and started to try it again when all at once the clouds came and sat down on all the surrounding area...covering everything in a thick fog like atmosphere.

Now being a stubborn person..I still managed to get some pictures out of it and pulled them out of the fog to a fair degree and will show some as follows.

Please feel free to click on the photographs to enlarge for a better view.

The Walnut Tree in thick fog..there is a Hawk in there

Two Hawks sitting in the tree

A bit of a close up of the Two Hawks

After one Hawk flew off..got a close up of other Hawk

Another close up

Close up

Note the small birds sitting very close to the Hawk.."Do Ya Feel Lucky?"

Could be a morning snack for a Hawk.

Click to enlarge...see the Mocking Bird flying in close and the Robin above?

Another Close Up in the Fog

Do you think He likes to be photographed?

Skty Watch Friday

2010-08-12T06:14:00.011-04:00

Thank you once again to our hard working sponsors for their efforts to bring us skies from all over the world for our viewing pleasure.

To view the Skies or to participate..just click on the Logo above.

Sorry I didn't get to make a post last week..I was rather tied up and also a bit under the weather..but "I am Back" once again and here is my post for this week.

Click on any image for a larger and better view.

The day dawned with very cloudy dark skies as I went up on the hill to greet the day, but I managed to get a few photographs of a developing sunrise, and I am posting them here...the time began at around 5:30AM..with the final photo being around 6:30AM...after I came down from the hill .

Frist Light Sunrise in the East

About 10 min. later in the East

First Light Sunrise in the North

First Light Sunrise in the NE

NE about 10 minutes later

NE even 10 more minutes later

This photograph was taken at around 6:30AM after I came down from the hill to our yard...I looked up as I went to my workshop and saw the beauty of the morning sky so I turned around and went back in the cabin and grabbed the small Sony point and shoot camera and snapped a picture quickly...here is the results.

Sunrise in the East....Thank you Creator for painting the sky with such awesome colors for our viewing pleasure.

The Battle In The Garden

2010-08-10T19:44:00.028-04:00

Today I am posting some photographs of the " Garden On The Hill" as I call it, because it is up on the hill behind our log cabin here on the Eastern Continental Divide in Western North Carolina, and as each year passes I continue to fight the elements (Summer Drought), sweltering heat,and getting older and less able to do what I used to do.

Now here is the dilemma that I deal with each year in my gardening endeavors, I have a major battle with Morning Glory's wanting to take over the garden and choke out every growing thing that I try to get to survive the Summer drought by hand watering each plant and giving everything some Miracle Grow to boost the chance of survival of my plants.

Morning Glory's are very aggressive plants, spreading their vines rapidly and making a carpet of vines twisting to and fro, out and upwards, entwining everything in sight....so this is what I face each Summer...do I pull them out or cut them down? or do I let them grow to help hold the tilled soil from any chance of soil erosion...should we be lucky enough to get a rain shower..which we do in early Spring..sometimes torrential Spring rains..which we here in the mountains call "Gully Washers"..and believe me we do get our" Gully's" washed with these early Spring rains.

Oh My...I sure do ramble on....lol....well on to what I started to write about...

The Morning Glory's are so beautiful to look at...many different colors and patterns..as I go up each morning on the hill in the garden to greet the new day and say Good Morning to Grandfather ( Sun ) and say a few words to Creator and thank him for a new day to explore.

Below please find some photos of the garden and some of the things I grow in it besides the Morning Glory's...click on any photo to enlarge if you want a larger and better view.

A photo of Two rows of Silver Queen Sweet Corn and Two rows of Blue Lake Bush Green Beans..each is 150 ft. long.

This particular morning I took the photo at 6AM and the Fog was very thick over the garden.

Another photo showing the two rows of beans and two rows of tomato's..each 150 ft. long..and to the left a row of Cucumbers..also in the still thick fog.

A photo of some of the Peyote Gourds that I grow on a 75 ft. fence that I put up..I use these gourds to make gourd rattles.

Another photo of the Peyote Gourds on the fence line.

Some of the Blue Lake Bush Green Beans

One of the Beef Steak Tomato plants..there are 18 Plants in the row..150 ft. long.
In between each Beef Steak Tomato plant..I planted Cal. Wonder Bell Pepper plants 18 in total.

One of the Big boy Tomato plants..also 18 plants in the 150 ft. row.

One of the Burpless Cucumbers..another 150 ft. row of these.

I left an unploughed strip to control erosion at the far left of the Bird House Gourd patch, this photo shows some of the Morning Glory's that took over along with grass and weeds.

This is the "Bird House Gourd" patchAs you can see there are some gourd plants in there but are covered with Morning Glory Vines..I will let them grow to help hold the soil and provide some shade to the soil to preserve moisture in the soil in the depressing heat we are having...94-104 deg. F. and high humidity, making it hard to do much work in the mid day sun..so all my gardening is done mostly very early in the morning at first light.

I will now start to show you some of the troublesome, but beautiful, different Morning Glory's that grow wild in the garden.

Side by Side..two variety's

A Blue One with a star center of very Deep Blue..almost black.

A deep Pink one..center star..barely visible

A very pale Pink one with deep Pink, almost Red, star center.

A pale White one with a nice star center of light Pink.

Small, but Pale Blue with darker Blue star center.

A pretty deep Pink one with a Red Center Star.

Another Pale Pink one with almost Red Center Star.

The Center one..Deep , Deep, Blue with Red fringes on the outside of the pedals, and a nearly black center star.

Another Whie one with a Blue Center Star.

One of my still growing Water Melons on the vine after I used the weed whacker to take out the weeds and grass, and yes......Morning Glory's

Another Water Mellon..still growing.

After touring the garden I came down the hill to our log cabin and checked on the condition of the flower beds in our front yard and other flowers in the front of the cabin..the photo just below shows the results of very hot temperatures.

The flowers look a bit sick even with watering every few days at the side of the Log Cabin.

A close up photo of some flowers on the Trumpet Vine..note: if you click to enlarge..you can even see a Bug on one of the flowers.

This concludes my ramblings of the "Battle In The Garden" I hope you were amused, or maybe even a bit sympathetic of my gardening woes.

Please feel free to leave a comment...I do check to see if any one has come by , and maybe...just maybe...I have touched your funny bone in some way..or just "Made Your Day" with my ramblings.

Sky Watch Friday

2010-07-29T10:43:00.007-04:00

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Thank you again to our sponsors who tirelessly use their time to bring us wonderful views of skies from all over for our viewing pleasure.

My post today was taken at the close of day on the Twenty Second day of July as I stepped outside and noticed a very eye catching sunset in the West and North West.

As usual, click on any photograph to enlarge for a close up and personal view.

Start of the Sunset in the West

About 20 minutes later W.

Wonderful Color also in the NW

As I turned to come back into the house I noticed up in the SW Sky a big bright 3/4 moon shinning down on me so I pointed the camera up and took a shot of the Moon and then did a close up shot also which you will see below.

3/4 Moon in the SW Sky

Close up of the 3/4 Moon...you just have to click on this one to enlarge for a better view.

Hot Sumer Days In The Mountains

2010-07-26T19:55:00.010-04:00

Here in the Mountains of Western NC were are having very warm days and high humidity as is much of the East Coast of the US.

Today has been no exception, as our weather here again was 100 deg. F , but felt like about 112-115 deg. because of the very high humidity.

Late this evening it started to cloud up again as it has for the last few days and a thunder storm again formed bringing us a small relief from the heat as it began to pour rain....however it only rained for about 5 min. today....making it feel even more humid...but thank you Creator for the much needed rain.

Just after the small thunder shower I went outside and noticed the wonderful cloud formations in the evening sky and I thought I should share some of them with you.

Click on any photo to enlarge for a better and closer view.

Evening Clouds Over The Garden in the East

Evening Clouds in the East

Evening Clouds In the SE

Evening Clouds In The West

Evening Clouds West

Evening Clouds In The SW

Evening Clouds and Fog In The N

Evening Clouds As Seem From The Garden NE

Sky Watch Friday

2010-07-22T04:55:00.011-04:00

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My post today again consists of a Sunrise...one thing I never tire of...as each morning I go up on the hill behind the cabin to greet the day and the rising of Grandfather (Sun) as Creator again paints the skies with a plethora of colors just to amaze us and make us wonder in awe at His skill and power.

Please click on any photo to enlarge for a better more detailed view.

First Light 6AM Sunrise

Close up through the trees at colors

First Light Sunrise over the NE

Sunrise Clouds over the East Sky

Sunrise over the North Mountains

Sunrise in the NE as seen from the Garden

6:20AM Sunrise over Little Pisgah Mountain- far North

Sunrise over the Garden

Sunrise in the SE

Sky Watch Friday

2010-07-15T13:29:00.013-04:00

Thank you to all our sponsors for bringing us skies from all over the world to enjoy.

To Participate or to view many sky shots..please just click on the Logo above.

It never ceases to amaze me how Creator take His brushes in hand and paints the skies with such wondrous colors for our enjoyment.

Please click on any photograph to enlarge to get a much better view.

Following is my posting of wondrous sunset photographs I captured of our recent sunset here in the Mountains of NC.

Start of Sunset in the West

Final Sunset shot in the West

Sunset in the South Sky

Another shot of the South Sky

Dead- South Sky

Sunset in the NE Sky

Sunset NW Sky

Another shot in the NE Sky

Final Sunset Shot in the North Sky

I hope you enjoyed the fantastic Sunset Creator painted for us.

Sky Watch Friday

2010-07-08T07:56:00.014-04:00

Come along for some great Sky photographs from all around the world.

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My post today is a bit long, but I just must share with you the fabulous sunrise and sunset we have had, just click on any of the photographs to enlarge for a much better and detailed view.

6AM start to a Sunrise

Around 6:20AM Sunrise developing

Here comes the Sun in all it's glory

A Lone Dove contemplating the Sunrise

Now we start the tour of our stunning Sunset last night.

Early start to the Sunset

Just about 20 min. later

Suns setting rays peeking over the clouds

Color developes over in the NW

The Last Rays of the Sunset

Close of day in the NW

A touch of color in the North sky

I hope you enjoyed the tour of our wonderful Mountain Sunrise and Sunset here high in the mountains of North Carolina.

Gold Finch Day

2010-07-02T21:28:00.010-04:00

Today I was out weeding all the flower beds and watering them when I noticed the blooms on the Cosmos flowers wildly swaying, so I took a closer look and noticed a flash of bright yellow and upon a closer look, saw it was some Gold Finches feeding on the seeds of the Cosmos flowers.

I dropped the watering hose and wand and went in the house to get my camera to record some of these wonderful birds...here is the results of that venture.

Please click on the photographs to enlarge and see all the beauty of a Gold Finch.

A lone Finch

He finally turned around towards me

Joined by a friend

Isn't he just adorable?

I think he liked being photographed

Is This My Good Side?

While photographing the Gold finches, I noticed a Lizard clinging to the side of the Log Cabin...so I took a couple close up photo's of him as well.

Isn't He Just Handsome?

Just another shot for good measure

Sky Watch Friday

2010-07-01T10:45:00.014-04:00

A Special thank you to our sponsors for their efforts each week to bring us fabulous skies from all over the world.

To view more skies, or to participate, just click on the Logo above.

Sunrises, clouds glorious clouds,what a way to start the day with a smile and wonder at the beauties Creator gives us each day.

Click on the photographs to get a much better view and details of the wondrous skies.

As I walked out the other morning at 5:45 AM, I looked up in the West and there was a great Morning Moon looking down at me, so I took a photo of it before going up on the hill behind our log cabin to capture the sunrise.

Morning Moon--click to enlarge

First morning light in the East

Hints of color in the North

Sunrise in the North East

Sunrise just slightly South East

Morning clouds

More Morning Clouds

Truly awesome Twisted Cloud

Angel Hair Clouds

Sky Watch Friday- Sunrise, Sunset

2010-06-24T11:06:00.010-04:00

Thank you to our Sponsors who each week bring us skies from all over the world.

To view the wonderful sights around the world or to participate, just click on the Logo above, and you are there.

My post today is of a different nature than I usually put up for Sky Watch Friday,

I am posting a Foggy Sunrise, followed by a Glorious Sunset...however I will not be giving the usual 4 directions view of each.

I hope you enjoy the wonders Creator makes for our viewing pleasure.

Please click on any photograph to enlarge for a much better view.

Very Foggy Morning Sunrise in the East

Foggy Sunrise in the North

Foggy Sunrise in the North East

Glorious Sunset in the North

Pure Fire in the sky Sunset in the West

Gemstones

2010-06-13T05:09:00.021-04:00

Come on along with me for a tour of some of the gemstones that I have been cutting the last couple of weeks.

Click on any photograph for a larger view and get closer for a much better view.

The first item I will show you is of a very rare Royal Imperial Jasper piece that I cut into the shape of an arrow head.....this Jasper is from very old stock and is no longer available except from someone who has some before it was all mined out.

This next item is another Jasper that I cut that could be used in a bolo or a pendant...it is sometimes called Picture Jasper because of the scenic nature.

The next piece is a very nice piece of natural stable Nevada Turquoise that I cut

it could be mounted in a ring or bracelet or even a pendant.

This next piece is a New York Labradorite stone...I purchased some of this material several years ago from a person who collected it from a new road cut that was being made in NY.

It is very difficult to show all the beautiful Blue color that shows in the stone as the light flashes across it by photographing it, but here you can see some of it.

The next piece is of a free form piece of AAA Gem Grade Malachite..I cut it to be a two sided piece so the patterns could be viewed from either side...first photo is of one side.

This is the other side showing a fantastic Bulls Eye pattern.

This is another two sided piece of AAA Gem Grade Malachite..also a free form piece.

The other side of the same piece.

This is a Fire Agate piece I cut...also a free form piece..very difficult to photograph the fire in a fire agate or an opal so all the colors show...but you can see some of them.

Another two sided piece of Malachite...photo of one side

Photo of the other side.

A large slab of Malachite...marked for possible cutting.

This is a "Chocolate Opal" with great red fire from Ethiopia, again...very hard to capture all the beautiful fire in a photograph.

A very nice piece of Chrysacola that I cut ...free form again to save as much of the stone as possible.

Another Chrysacola piece I cut, which has Azurite and Malachite in it as well..Azurite being the nice deep Blue and Malachite is the Green.

A two side piece of Dendritic Jasper...also a free form ..with the first photo of one side followed by a second photo of the other side.

Second side...same stone.

These 5 pieces I cut to a set size to be mounted into jewelry..click on the photo to enlarge it so you can see the wonderful patterns and Dendrites.

Next...another two sided Dendritic Jasper..photo's one side then the other.

Side Two.....

I hope you enjoyed viewing some of the stones I have recently cut and I will continue to post more as I go...please feel free to leave comments.

Sky Watch Friday

2010-06-10T11:46:00.010-04:00

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Today I am posting a few photographs of the Sunrise we had this morning (6/10/2010 ) at 6AM...just before the rain clouds moved in to bring us a few sprinkles...a promise of more to come.

Click on any photograph to enlarge for a better view.

You will note the different times in the Sunrise starting at 6AM through 6:20AM, the Sunrise didn't last long this morning but it was spectacular while it did.

6AM Sunrise in the East

6:10 AM Sunrise in the East

6:20 AM Sunrise in the East

Sunrise 6 AM in the North

Sunrise 6AM in the NE

Sunrise 6:20 AM in the NE

Sunrise 6:20 AM in the West

Sky Watch Friday

2010-06-03T07:38:00.012-04:00

Thank you to our many sponsors for their efforts to bring us Skies from all over the world each week.....to view these skies or to participate..just click on the Logo above.

I have been dealing with several issues over the past weeks and have not posted in Sky Watch for several weeks, but I am back and wish to share with you some wonderful Sunrises we have had here in the NC Mountains as I go up to my garden just behind our log cabin in the early morning to greet the day and check on the progress of the garden.

Click on any image for a larger and close up view.

The day began at 5AM when I went out and saw this full moon in the sky.

6AM Sunrise in the East

6:30AM Sunrise in the NE

6:30AM Sunrise in the West

6:30AM Sunrise in the SW

Cloud in the North

Cloud in the NE