danrouth

Mending Fences

While the holidays are a time for many families to mend fences figuratively, in ours we do it literally. We moved some cows into winter pasture yesterday, but before we could do it, a couple of places in the fence had to be fixed, and sons Tristan (above) and Devin (below) jumped in to provide the labor.

Pocket Watch

Family

Black and white still-life of my Grandfather’s pocket watch that he carried daily.

Kidd’s Mill

Landscape

The rock dam at Kidd’s Mill on Sandy Creek is a local landmark here in Grays Chapel, North Carolina, but it has a very special connection for me. My great-great grandfather McMasters once owned the mill there and then sold it to my great-great grandfather Routh, who rebuilt the dam and ground flour and feed for several years. Unfortunately, the mill itself is long gone, though I do remember going inside it to have feed ground when I was a youngster. The dam is still in pretty good shape and presents an idyllic scene on a recent snowy day.

Liberty Farm and Garden

Portraits

In rural areas of the country, general stores and farm supply stores act as social centers as well as retail outlets. I stopped by Liberty Farm and Garden in Liberty, North Carolina on a cold winter day to pick up some farm supplies. I was greeted by old friend and classmate Mike Foust on arrival and I found owner Melvin Nunn inside close to the stove.

Out the Window on a Snowy Day

Bird, Snow

We had an unusual Christmas in North Carolina this year in that we actually had a white one. Snow fell late on Christmas Day and into the next. The views from the windows of my house were quite wonderful.

Merry Christmas

Family

As we pause for the holiday season, I am thankful for my two sons and daughter-in-law who are all home with us and thank you for following this blog. To all of you a very Merry Christmas.

Lineman

fashion, Work

Image of a lineman from a commercial workwear fashion shoot.

Grading Tobacco

Tobacco

Earlier this summer I posted some images of my neighbor Gary McMasters harvesting his burley tobacco on his farm in Grays Chapel, North Carolina. The tobacco has been hanging in his barn drying for several months. Saturday when I stopped by I found Gary starting a fire in the stove in his pack barn so he and his neighbor Charlie could work on grading his crop. Grading burley tobacco involves stripping the leave off the stalks and separating them by “grades” into piles. The piles are then placed into a press and made into bales which are sold at market. The stove is necessary because for one thing it’s pretty cold in the pack barn, but the heat also helps put the tobacco in “order”, or in other words, it helps Gary keep the humidity right so he can work with the leaves without too much or not enough moisture.