Gorgeous San Diego Sunsets
San Diego sunsets are reaching legendary status this week. Is it the Santa Ana conditions? The Whispy Clouds? The horrible weather in other parts of the nation that is pushing an interesting weather pattern this way?
Any way that you slice it we are coming up winners in this summer-winter wonderland called San Diego. Are you interested in checking out more cool pics of San Diego Sunsets? You can see many of them here in my gallery – San Diego.
Tabacco, Cotten and Old Slave Quarters on 301 South
I was trying to find things to photograph. I had about a day before I had to be in Ohio so I hopped in the rental car and based on a recommendation I traveled down the road less traveled – The 301 South in the rural Carolinas. I was told to keep my eye out for lots of ramshackle abandoned homes, old plantations and slave quarters that were still standing. I hardly believed that there would be still be old slave quarters left standing in this day and age but I would prove to be wrong by days end.
Take it all the way to Florida
The 301 South runs 1,100 miles from Delaware all the way to Florida. In the olden days, people would pile in their old cars and make the long trek all the way down to Florida. The 301 South is a classic old highway that used to be lined with old motels, 1 room restaurants, train tracks, hobo’s – you name it. But today, its a much different story. The highway (still beautiful) is lined by very small towns, lots of farms and what appears to be many, many abandoned homes.
Overgrown with weeds and rubbish, this abandoned home had a large sign which said “Trespassers will be prosecuted”.
Cotton and Tobacco Road
Between 1861 and 1865 about 45,000 North Carolinians lost their lives in the Civil War. By 1868 the war was over and slaves were free. Up to that point, most of the area in North Carolina was used for Cotton Farming which was a huge cash crop. A little over 100 years ago, most of the laborers in the fields that I was driving through, were slaves.
I got out of the car just North of Wilson North Carolina to walk out to one of the fields which had some interesting building on it. It was quite curious. The cotton had just been harvested but little balls of cotton blew over the ground. It was a beautiful sight. I came upon this building – beautifully overgrown with weeds. The door would not open.
As it turns out. It was not for cotton at all. It was an old shack that used to be used to dry tobacco. These fields were serving a duel purpose for both cotton and tobacco. Inside the little shack I could see the poles where the tobacco would be hung to dry. It looked like it had been many years since that had happened.
As I walked I saw a small cemetery – just a few gravestones – but further in the distance and old house with an ancient tree next to it. How curious and beautiful it was. I kept walking to see what it was. I had heard that there were old slave quarters (many still standing) in this area. This certainly looked to be one.
“How odd,” I thought to myself as I looked inside. It was obviously a dorm room of some type. Just basic wood planks and a place where people might sleep. There was even an old ladder to climb to a second floor. In my mind, I was picturing how horrible it must have been for the poor people that had to live here and work. It might have been very different here, 150 years ago. It was a bit shocking actually to see something like this, if I was correct about it was, still standing.
Beauty and History
As I drove further down the 301, the minutes turned to hours. An old train was chugging down the tracks to my left. For miles we raced each other reaching speeds of 40mph at times. I would take detours down old roads, later return to the 301 and there was the train. It was odd that for so many miles, it was just me and train and the occasional pick up truck that would roar by on the other side of the one lane highway. I imagined not much had changed here for 50 years or more. Things seemed to happen slower here.
I found many more beautiful Tobacco buildings a long the route. I liked how worn and colored the buildings looked. The trees had lost their leaves and the fields were empty making it even a bit more beautiful I suppose.
Old trees frame an old Tobacco drying shack
Hidden from view, I spotted this old shack. Was it creepy, or really beautiful. Perhaps both.
Small fires were lit below the tobacco to dry it out over many days. That is why these shacks have smoke stacks.
After 6 hours of driving down the roads, I feel like I had seen much of what the 301 South was all about. It was a beautiful old road, and one that I would highly recommend any photographer to visit and drive through. As I adjusted my navigation to take me on the larger highways to Raleigh, I noticed a picturesque scene with small horses in the field. I stopped my car and looked out. There sure was a lot of beauty here. This was what the 301 South was all about.
The Colors of Old Wilson North Carolina
It’s deep in the south. In the 1800’s it’s economy thrived on cotton. After the civil war they had to remake themselves and it soon became the capital of the world for Tabacco production. This rustic city is filled with memories of old business, old warehouses and plenty of southern charm.
I believe this is a place you have to come to, to completely appreciate it. People are nicer and more helpful here than you have experienced. Life moves slower. The BBQ is amazing and the colors and history are everywhere.
An old vibrant blue building. There was no indication of what type of business it was.
Another business. Another interesting choice of color.
The town is deeply religious. Many of the warehouses have been converted to Churches.
The town is revitalizing. A mural featuring Piggly Wiggly just painted on the side of a large building.
People walk slower in this town then we are used to. They are in less of hurry, but this guy was in a hurry. He might have been the only one.
The beautiful old red brick building – A Farmers Market. An interesting place to go.
This is an office. Welcome to the office, come in.
This place smelled like a huge model airplane was being made inside. Do you remember how that smelled like. It looked abandoned though.
Groves Stott Store – A piece of the old block. I searched for history of this store. There was very little. Apparently it was a hardware store. It looks closed now.
The Liberty Warehouse. These are old warehouses that span the whole block. They were once used to dry-out tobacco. Tobacco would hang from poles from floor to ceiling.
I found old Jesus on a house in a less nice part of town.
27 Degrees in Cincinnati (And Beautiful)
My toes. I could not feel them anymore. My thin canvas converse were no match for the wet and cold snow that was melting all around my feet. I started to run faster, my camera bouncing off my back, feeling a momentary panic as I recalled a scene from “Into Thin Air” where they talked about mountain climbers losing their toes to frost bite.
This is the wooded area that I ran back through. It was beautiful, misty and sometimes sunny which lighted the path back to the car. I turned the heater on full blast to warm my toes.
The trees were lightly dusted with snow. The blue sky and sun made it seem warmer than 27 degrees.
Every step I took made my shoes more wet and my toes more cold, but it was beautiful.
In the summer, this place must be nice to walk around. In winter many people walk around too.
I imagined walking through here with Tu. She would wear her boots and Pea Coat.
The path got colder. Tomorrow it will rain, very cold rain and turn much of this to ice.
Each step of my foot made a scrunch sound in the snow. It’s a sound we all know.
Vietnam – Laughing Girls
I found these pictures that I never posted. When I was in Vietnam, these girls wanted some pictures. They were funny and as I took more pictures, they got more and more goofy. Who doesn’t like seeing photographs of kids being funny and cute.
24 Rainy Hours in Quebec with thin-soled shoes
When you travel you are always there. That’s always my motto. What this means is that the minute you leave home to travel, that you are already there. Whether you are stuck in the snowed in airport overnight on the way to a beautiful Hawaiian Beach, or in your hotel while the rain pelts outside – you are always there and the minute you step out of your house, your adventure has already begun.
Sometimes when you travel you have visions in your head of what the place you are visiting will be like. Those visions can be so strong, that when you finally arrive you are disappointed because it is different. You have to accept what it is and love it for that.
We had visions in our head of Quebec; beautiful castles and churches against sunny skies and warm breezes. or perhaps, lightly snow dusted streets – something out of postcards. Hoping off the train in Quebec City that Sunday, we realized it would be quite different than the vision in our mind. The rain was pelting down. It was just above freezing – too warm to turn the rain to beautiful snow yet cold enough to feel like sharp pins hitting your face.
Ducking under any awning we could find at the train station and running to the cab I encountered my first large cold puddle of rain. Looking down at my woefully inadequate white converse in the cab on the ride to the hotel I realized much too late that I was in Rainy Quebec with thin soled shoes. This was going to be different than the picture perfect postcard visions in our head. I reminded myself – when you travel, you are always there.
A rainy, but comfortable train ride to Quebec City.
We were quite happy that the hotel provided us with an Umbrella, something else we forgot to bring
Beautiful Parks with trees like this are all over Quebec. Even in rain they were beautiful.
We loved this park. So calm, so peaceful. And it was all ours. Thank you to the rain.
A feeling of Europe, so close to home.
Horse drawn carriages. The clopping of horse shoes on cobblestone. What a beautiful sound.
Graffiti provides beauty in the city as well. It is quite common in many parts.
A ghostly figure of an elderly lady. She walked slowly. I followed her and took a photograph
Pay phones. They are everywhere. No one uses them. Canadians are slower than us to abandon traditions.
A beautiful church, the lights reflect off the wet ground.
The entire city is built of stone and brick – so few cities are like this anymore.
A beautiful hotel from afar. It was morning. I got up early and everyone was still sleeping.
This is the famous church. Each year, perhaps millions take a picture here.
If you like small beautiful quaint hotels, come to Quebec because they are everywhere. You cannot go wrong.
Quebec is to Americans what Europe is to the UK – Quebec is our Europe. A 4 hour plane ride to arrive in another world.
Quebec is extremely French. Without the tourist many might stop speaking english altogether.
Too bad we were not foodies. We didn’t take advantage of the excellent food in the city.
This sweet tree with 4 benches. I am sure many come here to sit and read.
Our trip to Quebec was nice memories. In spite of the cold rain, we still loved everything about the city. The people, the town, the scenes.
Even with rain, thin shoes and cold feet, the city warmed our hearts and is a place we will return to again and again.
Rural Canada Photographed from Train Window
Traveling by train is nostalgic. It’s comfortable and exciting ,giving you a feeling that you are going somewhere and that anything is possible. I often used to think that train time was down time, a time to just reflect and watch the world go by.
One of the more well known classic train trips is the beautiful trip from Montreal to Quebec. The country side is some of most beautiful in world. I photographed out the window as dramatic storms brewed in the distant. There was something strangely familiar about the scenes.
I felt I was not only traveling to Quebec, but back in time. Peoples lives and homes were flashing by me at 90 miles per hour but my camera was capturing them. It was freezing them. And here they are.
Distant clouds provided a surreal backdrop to the mundane scenes that flew by.
A lone tree in fields of grain. It’s leaves were yellowed and ready to fall.
A tiny car darting down the road was no match for us, as we overtook it.
What kind of dreary things were they doing inside. It was a cold day, not much to do outside.
Farm equipment, quite technical looking but doing important things for many.
Sitting in a train, is like taking a plane but on the ground. It is infinitely more interesting.
You get a sense of the beauty of Canada on a train. Autumn is ending now, Winter is approaching.
Take the train whenever possible. It is better than a car, a bus or a plane most of the time. If you have the time that is.
There is something about photographing from a window. You will always be surprised at the result.
Hazy cold rain fell. It was still beautiful. The rural country side was beautiful.
The train and storm were moving quickly. Every minute was changing.
Montreal
Tu and I just landed in Montreal and exploring this cool French Canadian City. We anxious to get out there and explore!
