Dan Routh Photography

Goat Lady Balloon Ride

Friends and neighbors gathered Saturday afternoon at Goat Lady Dairy in Grays Chapel, south of Greensboro to watch as the original “Goat Lady”, Ginnie Tate was surprised by her family with a first for her, a hot-air balloon ride. The group cheered as Ginnie took to the air. “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more.”

Below is Ginnie’s ground crew.

For more about Ginnie, see this article at http://www.news-record.com/content/2008/09/26/article/goat_lady_ginnie_tate_i_m_not_afraid_to_die

Farmyard Photo

Animals, Cat

Misty the farm cat scrambles across a hay rake in the barnyard of our farm in Randolph County, North Carolina.

Raising Vegetables

Agriculture, Farm, Portraits, Randolph County

My father’s cousin Thomas Routh and his wife Lula Mae live just down the road from us in Grays Chapel. In their late eighties, Thomas and Lula Mae grow a large vegetable garden each year from which they sell fresh produce at the local farmer’s market in Asheboro. Doing all the work themselves, they grow plants in their greenhouse from seed, prepare their ground, plant their plants, do all the harvesting, and sell the fresh vegetables at the market. I caught them Saturday morning as they were finishing up planting tomatoes. This year, they have about 750 tomato plants. That’s a lot of tomatoes. Of course, they also will have squash, cucumbers, potatoes, lettuce, cabbage, corn, plants and canned goods too. Lula Mae said last year she kept track of the green beans they picked, and the total came to 2300 lbs.

Fishing Boats

Boats, Fishing

This photograph should be filed under the heading, “Places I would like to be right now”. Fishing boats sit tied up at the docks in Atlantic, North Carolina, a small coastal fishing village/town between Morehead City and Cedar Island, near the Outer Banks.

Elderly Lady

Portraits

Photographs of 99 year-old Margie Wall of High Point, for a website redesign. She was being interviewed while these were being shot, and her life story was fascinating. Born at the base of Caraway Mountain in Randolph County, North Carolina, she developed polio as an infant. Her family moved to High Point when she was three because, “I got better”. Never married, she “never met anyone I fell in love with”. Though physically slow in body, her mind and sprit are clear and sharp, and she loves to entertain those around her by singing hymns.

Spring Photography in Greensboro

Flowers, Greensboro

Spring and Easter in Greensboro, North Carolina signal an explosion of blooms in the gardens and parks of the city. In the photograph above, pink azaleas show off their color along North Elm Street in the old Fisher Park area.

Easter Eggs

Animals, Family, Food

The Easter Bunny didn’t visit us yesterday, but the Easter Guinea did. My son Tristan was watching our guinea fowl when one of the hens ducked into a fence row. Tristan found this clutch of fresh eggs hidden in the hedge. The size of a bantum chicken egg, but with a thicker shell, they are very rich and are wonderful to cook with or eat plain.

Friday Photograph from the Files-Retired Couple

Portraits

Happy Easter everyone. Because it’s Good Friday, I’m pulling a shot from my archives. This image was shot for an ad campaign for an insurance company. Print images ran alongside a TV campaign.

The Neighbor’s Chicken

Animals, Chicken

A portrait of one of my neighbor’s Dominque chickens, also known locally as a “Dominecker”, a very old-fashioned breed.

Scottish Highland Cattle, "Beasts"

Agriculture, Animals, Cattle, Farm, Greensboro, Scotland

A herd of highland cattle grazes just outside of Greensboro. Though I believe these particular cows are kept as pets, the Scottish breed is prized for it’s lean meat. The shaggy hair acts as insulation against the cold, a necessity in the cool, damp Highlands of Scotland, so the animals have less fat than standard beef cattle. Smaller in stature than regular beef cows, they have a presence nonetheless.

And yes, both the males and the females have horns.