Last Friday, I jumped in the golf cart with Clarence Wulf, who is one of our really cool photographers at the college. He raced around the golf course shooting alumni who were playing in the annual alumni challenge. In this photo, he is totally unaware that the sprinklers where headed our way. I braced for a wet impact but he just kept clicking away. Finally, he said, “Oh my!” He jump in the cart and realized that he did not know how to go in reverse. So we rolled down the hill (backward)—rather quickly with me holding my breath and clinching my cameras.

No Clarence and then . . . .

He was there again! Just today, he told me that he was having “the time of his life.” This is pretty incredible because a few short years ago, Clarence almost died. Today, He is enjoying life to the fullest with his wonderful wife Barbara.

The bear featured on the front of the “Wanted” poster in this photo is the same one that almost destroyed the backpack shown here. This past weekend I drove up to Neel’s Gap with the dogs. Someone had placed this display outside the doorway to the Walasi-Yi store, which is located right on the Appalachian Trail. It was a healthy reminder that bears actually do live in the national forest! Recently, I have felt hesitant to take a few trails that seemed a little too dense with undergrowth, especially with Cocoa Joy and Chip (who seems to know no fear) along.

How many times can I photograph this flower, right? It seems that everywhere I turn this summer, I see a cone flower. But this one is different.  This one was photographed in Jan Karon’s former hometown—Blowing Rock, North Carolina—the place where she wrote many of her novels in the Mitford series. Can I just say that I have never been to a more “perfect” town. Well, maybe Windsor in England, but that is totally different. I’m not kidding. The flowers were drop-dead gorgeous. Every yard contained a “Mitford-like” garden complete with winding pea-gravel walkways. It was pretty amazing and even overwhelming.

And I had to wonder if this little Episcopalian church the one that Karon had in mind when she wrote most of her novels? If I had stood there long enough, would Father Tim have walked out the front door? (smile)

I don’t know what to write about this photo. Let’s see: “Sitting Pretty?” No . . . maybe not. “Just Ducky”? That’s weird and a little slap-stick. Not into that either. . . . The truth is—he was just a cute little duck that was very content to watch me take his photograph. And he sort of has a sweet face, too, don’t you agree?

I’m one of those persons who enjoys recording the normal events of the day. Above we are heading into the Brickyard in Greenville for lunch. The food was great; the desert (the first one I have had in months) even better—fresh (homemade) pineapple cake. Great choice!

Then we passed on the offer for ice cream, but the lights in the background were attractive.

I need to enjoy taking photos of these flowers—a purple cone flower. The ones I planted at the cottage are not doing that well. Come to think of it, I always have a hard time getting these to grow.