Photo of the Day

When I changed the Photo of the Month, this photo which had been the April photo was deleted so am uploading again so it'll be here on the blog somewhere.... A bit of history to go with this photo---this was taken at my parents house and I'm not sure if we were engaged yet or not--but probably were. I just marvel at how round and full both our faces were with our youth! And weren't overweight either--both of us probably weighed our least. I'm in my first bout of ortho here too. Can't remember which niece or nephew's monkey that was--maybe one of them remembers. So I'm a very fresh 'bout 21 year old and Jug is about 28. He kept this full beard from the seventies until one day in 1987 (when Olivia was a toddler) he came out of the bathroom, no warning whatsoever, clean shaven! I just about died. He looked so weird to me!

More history--so we're at my parents, and I want to share that my parents, Gladys and Smith just loved Jug. He was always so comfortable with them. That's just his nature, Jug is not intimidated by ANYone really and when he met them he just called them Smith and Gladys and talked to them like he'd known them all his life. They ate it up! And the fact that he was so good to me, unlike previous boyfriends was a plus too! When Jug and I met in '79 I was living in an apartment in North Wilkesboro, Myers Park precisely, with Mel but when we got engaged in the fall of 1980, I moved back home. I wanted to be with my parents one last time before starting married life. Well, we were kinda accustomed to doing as we pleased when we pleased answering to no one. My parents were old-school and I knew I couldn't just not come home....so I told Mama, ah, so, ah, on Saturday nights, I'll be spending the night with Jug, that okay? And she was like, yeah, that's okay. They just loved him so much! And Jug loved them, especially Daddy. Daddy taught Jug how to make jerky and what a heritage that has been. They made and sold jerky in the early 80s and had quite the little business going supplying mostly bars with jerky that the drinkers couldn't get enough of--and all was well until the state inspectors got wind of it and shut the business down since the jerky was not made in an inspected kitchen. Jug still dreams of selling jerky for a living...maybe one day!

One last thing--the wall hanging behind us was done by my paternal grandmother, Annie Bess Palmer Hudson. Think I've written already about how talented she was. This was one of those prints on fabric that she'd sown around the images and then stuffed them to make it 3D like. How very tacky I thought it was back then but it was all the rage, I guess, in the sixties. Wonder whatever happened to this piece? I'd love to have it now!

Merlefest 2008 Part Three

Michelle and Joan. Still quite over-exposed--hate that, would be a great photo otherwise. They hung all weekend! And became Merlers for life, I think!

Every year Jug and I celebrate our anniversary at Merlefest. This year marked 27 years! Doesn't seem possible! We have both actually been known to forget the day and it's difficult for me to be indignant about it when I forgot too! I got flowers and an absolute tear-jerker card and I gave him a journal (from The Vintage Home, of course!). Told him he needs to record all the epiphanies he's been experiencing lately!! Seems there's great growth potential in mid-life!! Life is just good, ain't it?

Fell in love with The Carolina Chocolate Drops this year. A fabulous group--very humble and genuine--and very talented! Please visit their website: http://www.carolinachocolatedrops.com/

Meaner looking pretty in her new Merlefest dress. Marina is a bit camera shy and I have to really coax her to get her to relax. Longer she hangs around Camera Kim, the more she'll relax. Grant and Olivia have grown up having every step documented with flashes and Mama saying, "let me get the camera and you do that again"!! They don't even flinch while I click away.

Merlefest 2008 Part Two

Nice nature shot. This was in front of the Walker Center. The grounds at Wilkes Community College are fabulous! And as stated earlier, most all my photos from the weekend were over-exposed but I adjusted the lighting in Photoshop and got them tolerable!

Me by the tulips. It was very hot Thursday and Friday hence the "oh-so-not fashionably" upturned jeans. Also note the fabulous burlap bag---these can be purchased at the oh-so-fashionable store on Main Street, Wilkesboro: The Vintage Home. www.thevintagehomeofwilkes.blogspot.com --please visit!!

"Meaner" (Marina) and Grant. Grant sat with us more this year than ever! Yay!

Jug and Grant confer over the schedule. See what I mean about the "interesting" views/shots I get when I have the telephoto lens in use? Also--Jug's goatee--while putting old photos in albums recently I came across some really good pics of Jug when he was sporting a goatee some years back and while at that time I wasn't too keen on the facial hair, I thought he looked so handsome in these particular photos and when I told him---well next day he quit shaving!! I think it compliments him!

Merlefest 2008 Part One

Another great Merlefest! Jug practically lives just for Merlefest! He is literally there from the moment the gates open on Thursday until they close on Saturday. We all enjoy it but he relishes it! This first photo is Jug with two of the members of Blue Highway. Sorry about the over-exposure. Wish I knew what I was doing using the fancy camera I have! I had it set on 1600 iso and didn't realize it and it was too much for outdoor shots--good setting for indoor if you are trying not to use a flash. So ALL the pics from this day were mostly over-exposed--scheech!!

A good pic of Jug as we lay on the grassy hill at the Hillside Stage. I had my telephoto on the camera all day so I'd be ready to zoom in on subjects far off which always makes for some interesting views! Can't you just see how very happy and content this man is? He just loves Merlefest!!

And me on the same grassy knoll. This was actually a series of about six shots--had the camera set so that you could take quick shots one after another (this is called something--can't remember what) but have just included two of them. I was just zoning and relaxing trying to rest up while I could! Merlefest is exhausting!

Toward the end of the six shot series. I could hear the camera just clicking away and was grinning at Jug because he couldn't stop it! We have such a good time at Merlefest! We just savor it!