Another beautiful Christmas and early winter shared with family and friends has come and gone. From building a snowman in Indiana to snowboarding in 18″ of fresh powder in North Carolina, this winter has been filled with joy and memorable moments spent with loved ones.

I love creative graffiti. When done well, artistic graffiti can tell a story just as well as or better than any other traditional art medium. Asheville embraces artists from all walks of life, especially those whose canvases are the brick walls and sidewalks surrounding us.

Another intriguing Asheville tag on the back wall of an Asheville alley. Architecture in Asheville is a beautiful blend of old and new, juxtaposed upon one another, blended with mountain terrain and modern day highways.

I believe this underpass is located on Broadway Street. It’s a spectacular community graffiti mural, and it’s a wonderful way to beautify an underpass.

Another angle of the underpass mural.

Found this piece in a back alley (can’t remember the street). The vibrant coloring and attention to detail made it one of my favorites.

Jesus loves Asheville.

I’m not sure why, but Asheville is the one town I know of that still has multiple, working, public telephones.

Smashed flowers from the previous night (presumably) on a sidewalk in Asheville.

A Giant iron.

Soul.

Church in Asheville.

My brother Michael came to Asheville for a few days. We were highly anticipating the cookies, to say the least.

Michael, Quinn and I visited DuPont State Forest and swam in this water fall, High Falls, and another, Triple Falls, all located within the park.

The Mumbles at Boone Saloon absolutely rocked it. Energy? Check. Avant soul, quality sound? Check. The Mumbles are worth checking out. They’re from Brooklyn. We waited till 12am to hear them. It was well worth it.

Do It To Julia. After The Mumbles, we finally (start time of 1am!) got to enjoy Do It To Julia, a local, Boone original, now based out of Asheville. They were spectacular. I’ve never witnessed a show where the entire band jumps onto the drum set and pulls it to pieces as their set ends. It was a crazy show. And, by the way, Do It To Julia is stellar.

Do It To Julia.

Do It To Julia having fun on stage.

For my birthday we went to Damascus, Virginia, to bike up and down the famous Creeper Trail. It was a great day.

Stuck frisbee envy.

I haven’t been able to spend nearly as much time behind the lens as I would have liked as of late, but here are a few offerings from this past weekend. Quinn and I spent Friday night in Asheville with our friends Lee and Amy who drove all the way from Indianapolis to spend the 4th with us!

We hiked to the top of Craggy Gardens (pictured below), located just north of Asheville off The Blue Ridge Parkway; put some time in round the downtown, community drum circle later that night, went to eat at beautiful Tupelo Honey’s afterward, and enjoyed late night espresso at World Coffee Cafe. We took in the Asheville flow; a great time enjoyed with great friends. On Saturday we piled into the Jorgenson’s baby mobile (they’re pregnant for the first time) and left for Boone, North Carolina, to spend time with our family from Quinn’s side (sounds strange only referring to them as Quinn’s family), including Shea and Liz who came up from Walhalla, South Carolina, and Brett who made his way down the mountain to hang out. Lee and Amy and Quinn and I went tubing down the Watauga River Saturday afternoon. The river was a bit low, but nothing beats the heat like an afternoon spent floating. Sunday night we set off more than enough fireworks, yet I only sustained one burnt finger. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

The first photo is of a very old cash register. I like the painted-on hand picture instructing where to look for “dollars.” The second photo is of Lee and Amy Jorgenson.

There’s something about this shot that makes me want to be a kid again, running up and down stairs as if ascending and descending back and forth between heaven and earth. Watch your step, indeed.

This post office is still active, and I love the manner in which you have to retrieve you mail. Peer through the transparent door already in recognition of your awaiting mail, open the tiny, metal gateway and pull your letters through. There’s surely something magical about the user experience  customers must go through every time they get their mail here.

I loved the rugged colors incorporated into this sign. There’s a significant retro feel to it.

Craggy Gardens. The bird perched, only slightly visible, in front of this majestic back drop must think the world is his playground. If you had to be a bird, this wouldn’t be a bad place to spend your days gliding.

Mannequin with pins was shot in the same art shop as the welcome sign, above. Again, very retro feel to the work with the colors and organization accentuating the shape of the medium. As a side note, both of our picks for the World Cup Final actually made it to the final. That’s right, I picked the Netherlands and Quinn picked Spain. You can check for accuracy here. Go Dutch!

Fall in Boone, North Carolina, is worth sharing.  There is something extremely special and exciting about the Appalachian Mountains this time of year.  If you’ve yet to experience it, here are some pictures I was able to take from our trip this past weekend. (Above: View from 4000′, Vilas, NC)

Thank you North Carolina and Hugh Morton heirs.  One of the best decisions to be made this year and possibly one of the best decisions of the decade, was the sale of Grandfather Mountain located between Boone and Banner Elk, back to the State.  Grandfather Mountain was previously privately owned by the famed photographer and preservationist Hugh Morton.  In 1952, when he inherited the Grandfather Mountain property consisting of the 5,946′ peak and the 2,600 surrounding wild acres, he pledged, despite outside pressure to develop the land, to never allow the property to become a residential hot bed.  Over the past 60 years, Grandfather Mountain has become the top tourist destination in North Carolina and one of the best places to visit anywhere in the country.  The heirs of Morton surely could have made hundreds of millions of dollars by plotting off privately gated communities all over the mountain, but they chose to preserve the beauty of the land, and they sold it to the state for a measly (and by measly I mean they gave the state a deal!) $12 million.  

I have personally looked at properties surrounding Grandfather Mountain (and these properties were bare lots that seemed unbuildable none the less) that were selling for $40,000-$60,000 an acre.  This is not uncommon for the area.  By selling the property to the state, the Morton’s also sacrificed great gross returns.  Annually, Grandfather Mountain attracts well over 250,000 visitors, and at $14 for an adult ticket, well, you do the math.  Sacrifice for the preservation of a mountain that from this point on will be enjoyed by many generations to come.  The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina are being sold off for record profits everywhere you look, and it brings great joy to my heart knowing that Grandfather did not follow suit.  Grandfater Mountain is one of my favorite places on earth.  It is where I had my first date with my wife.  It is where I proposed to my wife.  It is one of my favorite camping destinations, and it’s where I have had some of my greatest prayers and conversations with God and friends, developing friendships that will last a lifetime.  So enjoy the trails, enjoy the changing colors of Fall, enjoy the mile-high swinging bridge, enjoy the Highland Games, enjoy the Grandfather Mountain Marathon, enjoy the camping and enjoy the rare species of animals; and know that some day you’ll be able to bring your kids back to Grandfather to enjoy them as well.  Once again, a huge thanks to Hugh Morton and his heirs and the state of North Carolina.