Friday, August 28, 2015

It's Friday!

Hi there folks!  Have you had a good week?  The last two or three days have been beautiful here; the sun is out and the air feels fresh instead of heavy and humid.  Fall is on its way, and I feel rejuvenated.

October 2014

Before long, I'll be celebrating five years of writing House at Forest Manor.  I never dreamed I would get so much gratification out of doing this, but I have.  So many wonderful people I've met along the way -- it's like having a lot of pen pals.  ;)

We all know (and sometimes lament) how much the blogging scene has changed over the years.  I have no intention of trying to participate in every social media outlet out there, but I realize I do need to update sometimes in order to keep the readers I have.  One question I have for you is, "What other ways should I make this blog available for you to read?"  In other words, I have my e-mail subscription for the blog linked to FeedBurner, but I don't know if there's another service that's better to use with Google Blogger.  Also, I think I need to make Bloglovin' available here, because a blogging friend mentioned recently that she didn't find my blog there (I'm so behind the times).  I plan to do a bit of updating soon, and suggestions (polite ones) are very welcome.

I'm also hoping to start sharing more recipes here.  Cooking was my first love for so many years, and I've gotten away from it because I've developed so many other hobbies and interests.  My mom and mother-in-law are the best cooks I know, and I have so many of their recipes that I love to prepare.  Part of the problem for me is getting it photographed to share on the blog.

Speaking of photography...I practiced again yesterday evening, as I have the Intermediate Digital Photography class coming up on Saturday.  I have a lot to learn about using this camera, but I'm enjoying it so far.

    
We went to Old Salem again because it's easy to park there in the early evening, and there's a lot of subject matter there for taking photos.


I like this picture because you can see some red and green apples hanging from the apple tree in the foreground.  You can see that the leaves at the top of the tree look bleached out or "blasted out," as my husband says.  That part of the picture was over-exposed, and that's one of the things I have to learn to correct.  This picture was taken at 8:27 p.m., and the sky was still bright, but the objects in the picture (trees and buildings were not).  We have a lens for the camera to help with this, so I need to use it next time I do outdoor photography in these conditions.


Here's another view of the same garden plot.


In the background of this picture is the Single Brothers' House and in the foreground is the Single Brothers' Workshop.  The workshop was originally constructed in 1771 and re-constructed in 1979.  It's comprised of two log cribs with a half-timbered connector in the center.



I love the way the corners of this workshop building are dove-tailed.  It reminds me of the drawers we see in antique dressers and chests, only on a much larger scale.


The white strips between the logs above look like a rustic version of the old wattle and daub buildings you find in England and other parts of Europe.


The garden in the background of this picture was part of the Single Brothers' House.  At some point, I'll do another post explaining the history of Salem and the way the early Moravians lived and worshiped.  They were a very industrious group of people.


The moon was so pretty last night.


The post lanterns came on as it started to get dark.  I like this view because it's a wonderful illustration of old and new.  In the foreground are the old homes and buildings of Salem, and in the background between the trees, you can see the modern Wells Fargo building, previously the Wachovia Bank building.  Wachovia was also the name the Moravians gave to the nearly 100,000-acre tract of land they began settling in 1753.  The bank, which originally began in Salem, took its name from the Wachovia tract and was one of the bigger banks in our area for decades.  Wells Fargo bought out Wachovia back in 2008, but I'll probably think of it as Wachovia for the rest of my life.  Some things are so ingrained, they're hard to change.


This is a very similar picture that I took in the daytime with the point and shoot camera back in 2011.  You can see the building better in this shot.

That's it for photography practice this week.  I promise not to bore you with this every week.  ;)  Are you preparing for fall at your house?  Have your leaves started to turn yet?  I'm ready to dig out my favorite fall recipes; I know we're not done with hot weather yet, but there's definitely a change in the air.  And football's back -- that means fall around our house.

Thank you for your visit!  Your comments always encourage and inspire me.  Enjoy your weekend and I hope it's a lovely one in your part of the world!


Denise 

7 comments:

  1. I love the looks and feeling of Old Salem.. It just welcomes you to olden times. I always think I can hear horses hooves "clopping" along slowly on the cobblestones..

    Great photos Denise~!! your gettin' mighty good with that camera.

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  2. Congratulations on five years! Now I am wondering if I need to update my blog at all. Your photos are great! I do want to visit Old Salem sometime. Have a good weekend and enjoy this weather.

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  3. Your practicing has yielded some beautiful photos! Love the first one. It would make a lovely painting. The corners on that building are really great! I use feedly to let me know when someone has a new post...

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  4. Your getting to be an expert on photo's. They are very lovely. What state is this Salem in? there are so many.
    Good luck on your first photo class. Congratulations on 5 years of blogging.
    Mary

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  5. Your photos of Old Salem are lovely. I enjoy seeing the way old buildings are constructed, such as those dovetail corners. Everything these days is slapped together so quickly, without thought of building something that will last for a long time.
    We've had a hot, dry summer, but this weekend the rains blew in. Today is cloudy and windy and there's a definite change in the air.

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  6. Wonderful photos. I think visiting your blog is like an invitation to adventure! Thank you!

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  7. Beautiful photos! You have a lovely blog. :)

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS. I ENJOY READING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM.

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