Week 18 – #4. Aged/Aging

A trip to North Carolina would not be complete without going to Asheville and touring the “aged/aging” Biltmore Mansion.  George Washington Vanderbilt II loved the area, purchased 10.86 square miles of surrounding property on which to build his home. Construction began in 1889 and continued into 1895 and is the largest privately owned house in the United States, at 178,926 square feet (16,622.8 m²) of floor space (135,280 square feet (12,568 m²) of living area. Still owned by George Vanderbilt’s descendants, it stands today as one of the most prominent remaining examples of the Gilded Age.  Read more here.

 

 

 

 

 

Week 17 – #38. Serenity In Nature

Some fellow photographers and I recently found ourselves in a quiet little country community in Tennessee by the name of Sequatchie Valley, a place where neighbors take care of neighbors and barns and hay fields are plentiful.  This particular scene made me think of the many days I spent on my Grandpa Sparks’ little farm and playing in his barn. This one is very similar to his except for the fact that his had a hay loft. Can anyone remember playing in your Grandpa’s barn and jumping from the loft onto heaps of hay below?  If you didn’t grow up in the country like I did, you cannot truly appreciate the simple life and “serenity in nature” as shown in this photo.

 

Week 16 – #13. Eight

On a recent trip to North Carolina, I passed by this beautiful lake in the Ocoee, TN area with trees growing in its midst.  Upon close examination of my photo, I saw “eight” trees with varying stages of autumn color.

 

Week 15 – #3. Abandoned

As I stood in the field taking this photo, I felt sad and my thoughts went back to when this barn in Sequatchie County, TN must have been a vibrant structure with meaning to the farmer. I imagined it filled with equipment, baled hay and perhaps even a few horses. Now it is “abandoned” with its barn wood decaying and rusty tin roof peeling from neglect.