The random viewing of beautiful things

Hollyhocks at Dundee, Intervale NH

More often than not the subjects I choose to photograph are things that I find beautiful or eye-catching. Flowers, fabric, interestingly designed objects, words . . . whatever. I just read a great blog post at I dreamed, I saw about New York garbage - lovely pictures. Beauty is everywhere.

Watercolor tray, Dundee

Our brief, but colorful, Nashville visit

Iron fencing around the Downtown Presbyterian Church - 1849

Although we were pressed for time on our X-country adventure, Nashville, TN was one of the cities we felt compelled to visit. Usually we skirted the major downtown areas, but Nashville called our names (even if we'd mistakingly thought - but not for too long - that we could see Graceland, which while humming the Paul Simon tune, Robin realized was in Memphis).

Managing to park fairly close to the Ryman Auditorium; once again the home of the Grand Ole Opry (due to the spring floods), we wound our way down into the heart of the Honky Tonk area. Much to our surprise, we were gently accosted by evangelical Mennonite teens. Also the city appeared to be hosting a convention for Little People and the neighborhood was having a 4th of July holiday street fair. The crowds were most definitely in "full party" mode. It was our first real experience with southern humidity and heat – after about 10 minutes on the streets, we started looking for air-conditioned comfort.

Tract-handing teens

Signage to inspire us.

That's Jeanette's hand in the lower right,

snapping pictures as fast as she can.

We got totally sidetracked by all the cowboy boot stores. We'd seen some pretty fancy boots in Cheyenne, WY, but they paled in comparison to what Nashville had to offer. An hour later, after trying on many boots and buying none (even with the buy 1 get 2 pairs free discount that every store offered), we stopped in at a brew pub (best wheat beer I've ever had), watched a little World Cup, hiked back to the car and continued on our way . . .

Had to go in this store, was not disappointed

Liked the birds on this pair

My favorites

Jeanette was right smitten with these

The owners of this shop weren't crazy about photography,

so I grabbed this one on the fly

I have a fondness for chairs

Porch dining table chair – Hodge House, Dundee, Intervale, NH

Lobby chair – Hotel Frederick, Boonville, MO

Porch chair – Hodge House

Along with the many wonderful landscapes, people and places I observed on our X-country jaunt, chairs kept catching my attention. There's something very 'friendly' about chairs . . . they invite you to rest, sit a spell and relax. They're always waiting for the next visitor. I think they are full of stories, you just have to take the time to listen.

Library chair – Main House, Dundee

Lawn chair, Red Rocker Inn,

Black Mountain, NC

Barn chair – Dundee

Capturing beauty as we drive by . . .

I-80, Oregon side of Columbia Gorge

While driving across the our amazing country (yeah, I know that sounds hokey, but dang, it really is big) I was able take LOTS of photos - from inside the car. It was a little tricky (no, I didn't take any while at the wheel – I tried to, but Jeanette made me give her the camera), but I managed to get some really nice images, despite the windows and glare.

A couple of times we tried "old fashioned driving," with the windows down and no air conditioning (all of us having fond memories of car trips from childhood), but as the temperatures rose (95+) and the wind battered us, we quickly returned to the comfort of "modern driving."

If you haven't ever taken a X-country driving trip, I highly recommend it. The whole Blue State/Red State thing made a bit more sense to us as we recognized how peoples' geography could influence their perspective. It also gave us (me and my pals, Robin & Jeanette) the opportunity to talk, talk, talk and more importantly marvel at our stunningly beautiful (and sometimes boring - let's face it, how many fields of corn does a person need to view in her lifetime?) United States of America.

I-80, Wyoming

I-80 Nebraska

Beautiful clouds in Nebraska

Missouri corn

Mountain view

from Ginny & John's porch, Highlands, NC

(not a car photo, but I love it)

Home again, Home again, Jiggitity Jig!

Hard to believe that our grand adventure across the USA is over. Robin, Jeanette and I had the BEST time! This t-shirt (from a tiny store in Cheyenne, Wyoming) illustrates our time together: 3 women, in close quarters, having fun. Don't need to say anything more.

In Sidney Nebraska, a new Destination

I took this photo several weeks ago. It seems appropriate for today as I'm far away from home in Nebraska. Will post photos tomorrow of our trip so far.