A quick view of the sunset.

In a previous post I commented about sitting in traffic.   Once again today it too me approximately 40 minutes to go 10 miles.   South of Charlotte, NC there is an area where Interstate 77 dumps hundreds of cars into I-485 traffic already loaded with hundreds of cars.  Traffic becomes a slow crawl with a few idiots constantly changing lanes to a complete standstill.  Today I witnessed an ambulance trying to get through the four lanes of congestion.  A few of us pulled off of the road, but I was sad to see the rescue vehicle come to a complete stop in front of me because cars were not getting out of the way.   For the next mile or two I expected to see a fender bender, but there was nothing.  somehow the traffic manages to magically thin out and everyone remaining races to get to their final destination.  Just before I was preparing to exit on Highway 74 east in Matthews, NC I caught a glimpse of the sunset in my rear view mirror.  I managed to get my iPhone changed to camera mode to capture the photo below.   The struggle through traffic was worth the view behind me as I continued my journey home.

Sometimes I have to take a detour.

I enjoy visiting new places even for a brief period of time.   Following our recent ski trip to West Virginia I wanted to see what was in the town of Wytheville, VA.  I've passed by the exit several times traveling up and down Interstate 77.   This year I grabbed a brochure from our hotel and studied a couple of locations that were of interest to me.  The first was Skeeters.  According the the brochure and web Skeeters was a local restaurant famous for their Skeeterdog.  After a large breakfast it was doubtful that I was going to be able to sample a Skeeterdog, but paid a visit anyway with hopes of getting some ice-cream.  Unfortunately Skeeters doesnt sell ice-cream during the winter months.  "It's just sits in the freezer and gets freezer burned." is what we were told.  A couple of other locations were suggested, but I was willing to take a chance due to the second part of my mission in Wytheville.  I entered the location, Big Walker Lookout and my GPS directed me to the top of a mountain approximately 20 miles away from Wytheville.   This was a bit farther off our main route than I had planned to go, but i still wanted ice-cream and wanted to see the 100 foot tower that was showcased in the brochure.   We finally made it around the winding road to a small country store with a tower that appeared to be 1000 ft tall.  The view from the parking lot was decent enough for a few scenic shots of the mountains.  As we walked around inside and finally enjoyed some ice-cream I decided to take a chance and climb the tower.   The base of the tower is built on a 20 ft platform beside the parking lot.  This was plenty high enough for me, but I had already purchased a ticket and we started walking up the stairs.  The higher we climbed the temps got cooler and the wind got stronger.  I stopped when I felt like I was 100 ft and contemplated continuing.  After realizing that I wasn't going to talk myself into finishing the climb, I made my way back down.  After we spent a few minutes on the swinging bridge and shooting a few more pics, we loaded back into the car for our trip back down the mountain.  At least I can say that I've been on the tower.

 

Copyright - Jimmy McDonald Photography

Annual Ski Trip to Winterplace, WV

We have an annual tradition of visiting Winterplace Ski Resort in West Virginia for a day of skiing.  the school calender usually works out for my son and a friend to leave on a Thursday evening and ski, crowd free, the following Friday.  Last years weather provided snow during the night prior to our ski day and the slopes were near perfect.   This year has been warmer, but the night are cold enough for the snow machines to cover most of the resort with the white stuff.  The conditions this year were great!   We arrived early enough to be among the first to make our tracks on the freshly groomed trails.  I have learned that my legs handle the crunchy, powder area much better than the frozen packed down areas. A few years ago the temps were so cold that the trails were iced over in many areas and maneuvering was tricky and required extra effort to remain upright. This years weather provided temps in the 40's and overcast skies.   I felt comfortable enough to velcro an iphone to my jacket to capture a video while skiing down a couple of trails.

 

We had very few mishaps and I was brave enough to try some more difficult trails with success.  I look forward to another trip back.

Winterplace Ski Resort

 

Copyright - Jimmy McDonald Photography

Social Media Marketing 101

I have been using Facebook and Twitter for a long time and thought that I knew a lot about both.  During a Social Media Marketing seminar today I learned that there was much more to learn about these sites and the thousands of second tier sites sprouting up daily. 

It was interesting to meet and exchange thoughts with people from other industries. There were lawyers, physicians, photographers, sale representatives, municipality managers and new paper publishers present. Although we were from many different jobs our missions were similar.  Reach more people.  The presenter was a former ad rep and knew the difficulties of reaching new clients and retaining current ones.  I learned many uses for social media sites and how to prevent from overload while using them.

The seminar covered about 3 days worth of material into one.  I am still soaking in the ideas and experimenting with different procedures. Since I was out of town I had to take advantage of being close to some favorite businesses that I follow on Facebook.  Krispy Kreme and Carrabbas was less than two miles apart.  My brain needed some comfort food.

The photo above captured the first batch of doughnuts coming off the line and soon into my hands. :)

Getting dirty!

Ever since we purchased a 2000 Nissan Frontier 4x4 and making some minor improvements, I have wanted to test it off road.   I finally had a free day and found a close location to test out the truck.  The guys at Outback ATV Park in Laurinburg recently opened a set of trails on 700 acres of land. Currently, most of the trails and obstacles are designed for dirt bikes and 4 wheelers.  Our truck was small enough to maneuver through the tight trails and we got stuck just once.  When we were finished riding the trails the truck didn't look the same. Three car washes later all of the mud was removed and she looked like new again.  I am ready for the next muddin' trip.

Click HERE to view the process from the first purchase of the vehicle to removing old bumper, valance, replacing tires, rims, painting trim and adding accessories.  I have more work to do and may lift the suspension just a bit more.

Thanksgiving break.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year.  I usually get a nice break from work and there is food everywhere!  This year I decided to do some experimenting with the camera and play with a few subjects.

As I walked around outside with the camera, I decided to setup a tripod and shoot straight up to capture the various lines.  This image works great in black and white.

This image required some traveling in the area to find a decent leave.  most leaves had already fallen and been blown away.   I froze the leave in a baking dish to prepare for this shot.

I had a lot of fun with this shot because I knew that the faster that I finished, the faster I got to eat candy!   These M&M's are in a cup covered with a clear CD case cover dotted with drops of water. 

This photo wasn't planned liked the three above.  I had a couple of family photo sessions during break.  I dont stop work completely!! :)  The clouds were moving fast and the sun was also dropping out of sight. i barely got setup in time to catch the sun before it disappeared. 

We took a day trip to a place below Murrells Inlet S.C. called Atalaya castle.  Atalaya Castle, also known as Atalaya, was the winter home of industrialist and philanthropist Archer M. Huntington and his wife, the sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, located near the Atlantic coast in Murrells Inlet, Georgetown County, South Carolina.

There were several other photo sessions taking place while we were roaming around the home. Since we were beside the beach we moved to the sand for a few additional shots. The weather was nice and warm for a November day and we captured some nice shots for the couple.

The mission for the day was to shoot engagement photos, grab some Krispy Kreme doughnuts and have a meal at Carrabbas.   Mission accomplished!

Copyright - Jimmy McDonald Photography