Glossy magazines to entertain and entice the customers while they wait in the checkout line.
Why do we have to wait?  It couldn't be a planned marketing ploy.
We won't get bored, pick something up, and buy it?   Surely not.
 
Everything wears out.  It has to so new things will be purchased. 
This motel has seen better days. 
It was replaced by a 'modern' competitor. 
Progress is grand.

This roofing business didn't make it either, but somewhere there are people doing roofs.  I bought one last summer.  Still leaks as far as I know. No wonder some of them go out of business.  Ever wonder where quality has gone?  But then again, the better the quality the longer it takes to wear out. 
 
Think about the glossy magazines again.  Look at this mess.  From the graffiti on the walls it appears to be the work of teenagers. (not a criticism of teenagers. I think they are more fun than most adults.) Do you think they are weary of our glossy, scripted, constrained, boxed in, rule based society?    I know I get tired of it.  It keeps me safe and provides lots of creature comforts.  However, the price tag is sometimes more than I am willing to pay.
Do you think they are still idealistic enough to see through the lightly veiled pipe dreams presented in the media?  Are they resisting the constraints 'adults' have accepted as 'just the way things are'? 
  
 
But wait, the military/industrial part of the machine really needs to kill in order to have a job.
  

    
       
    
  
 
 

     

 
       

I'm still trying to learn how to take fireworks pictures and I haven't gotten any good at it at all yet. This is one of the more interesting mistakes from New Year's eve.

This is for 31 Photos in 31 Days.
       

Jesse and Christy sitting on the hearth looking at the fire.  It brings back so many memories.  I have spent many hours sitting around this fireplace with my mother and father.  My mother loved wood fires and she was the fire master loading and arranging the logs in fireplace.   She and I would sit on this hearth, warming ourselves and chatting.   
I do a lot of photo shoots with this family.  They have invited me into their home and lives and I am immensely grateful for their love and friendship.  This was taken the night Jesse got his first haircut.
  
There is nothing special about this wind chime display.  I just think it is really pretty.
 
Taken at the Janney Furnace Civil War reenactment.  It was the last time I went on a photo walk with the photo group I was hanging out with.  They are good guys and we had a lot of fun.
  
In 2011 I spent more time fishing than I have in years.  I went to Logan Martin Dam with Christy and Jeremy on several occasions. I tend to spend more time taking pictures than I do fishing. lol
   
These Elephant garlic were growing at this house when I moved here.  I like the way the 'flowers' look waving in the wind atop their long stems.  They remind me of the days on the farm when I had a large garden. One of the first things I planted when I moved there was Elephant garlic.  Many people plant these in their flower gardens for their beauty and pest deterring properties.
   
The road trip  Christy, Jeremy, Jesse and I went to Tennessee to see Starr art on First Friday. We stopped at several other spots during the three day marathon. This picture was taken at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.  If I'm not mistaken, the three of them are watching the miracle that is Dippin' Dots. 
   

I took this at my daughter's wedding.  It was an amazing day by any standard.  I love her very much.
 
After a big day at Old Baker Farm, Jesse is taking a break with his pumpkin.

Every November for a long time my family has been gathering in Gatlinburg for a few days in the mountains.  This is an unknown child standing beside a fountain in The Village.
  

This is my FAVORITE picture from 2011 and I didn't take it.  This was taken by Matthew of Sun Conure Solar and my daughter's husband.
Left to right: Starr, James, and me.  When the three of us are together you better watch out.  There is definitely some mischief afoot.  Just look at those trustworthy grinning faces.