Thankful 2016
I'm thankful for our family. And from our family to yours, we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Honeydukes Snow Storm
Remember that snow storm in Hogsmeade Village? It was brutal. Luckily, Honeydukes was still open and we were able to get some Chocolate Frogs and Fizzing Whizzbees before ducking into the Hog's Head Tavern for a few pints to warm up.
This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.
Polytrichum
We were out hiking and came across a giant bed of polytrichum. This stuff was as soft as it looked. It reminds me of a forest in Avatar.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
Let it Snow!
Beech Mountain started making snow this weekend! Ski season is coming soon!
This pole, outside of Fred's General Mercantile, marks the natural snowfall for each year. At a mile high, eight to ten feet of snow fall every year. Not bad for North Carolina!
Ready to hit the slopes at Beech Mountain? Check out Slopeside, the closest ski rental to the ski village.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
Forest Fire
This scene is from last Sunday on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Linn Cove Viaduct. The smoke from the forest fires in Western North Carolina were blowing their way into the High Country.
This photograph was captured by a Sony a6300.
Happy Place
I'll take the Grand Pavilion at Wild Dunes any day — at least any day of the summer! The selection of pools all around the Boardwalk Inn (5 in total, plus the ocean) means there's something for everyone. We usually alternate pools each day as each has its own vibe.
This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone.
Water Under the Bridge
You know you've arrived at the waterfall when you see this hand-hewn log bridge while hiking Falls Creek Loop. At just around one mile, It's a great hike for the entire family.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
BFG JKU AEV Brute
BF Goodrich built a great offroad track at Overland Expo to prove the meddle of their BFG tires. They also had some interesting vehicles available to run on the track, including this stunning Jeep JKU AEV Brute and a right-hand drive, manual transmission Land Rover Defender 110.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
Smoke Rolling In
We were up in the North Carolina mountains this weekend and this was the view from the Blue Ridge Parkway near the Linn Cove Viaduct. The smoke from the forest fires west of the area was starting to blow through very quickly. You could smell smoke in the air. We really need to get some rain soon to help the firefighters get these forest fires under control.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
Taxidermist for Hire
It's a long story but the short version is that a good friend of mine sent a deer head in a box to my office — sort of like in the movie Se7en — because my 6 year-old son really wanted a rack on his wall. My friend happened to be up in Minnesota hunting when I mentioned it to him and next thing you know, I've got a deer head that quickly needs to be dried out or whatever and mounted.
I personally don't hunt deer because I really only like venison when it's made into jerky and I just couldn't eat an entire deer's worth in a lifetime. But this deer had already met it's maker and the rack was going to go to waste so I was happy to accept the deer head box. As soon as I opened the box, I realized the clock was ticking and I needed to get this thing to a taxidermist.
I assumed there would be quite a few around but I could only locate one, about 45 minutes out of Charlotte, way out into the country. It was a really nice drive and the taxidermy studio was absolutely amazing. This work of art was the sign off the highway that Tommy of "Tommy's Taxidermy" used to drum up business from anybody driving past with a deer head in a box.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.