Log Shed

A rustic log shed in McLemore Cove

This little shed made of pine logs stood about 25 yards to the left of the old Hicks house pictured in my previous post. It was winter when I made the photograph, probably while I was out tending my cattle, and morning fog filled the valley of Chickamauga Creek. The dark mass beyond the fog is Pigeon Mountain, which forms one side of McLemore Cove. ("Cove" is a southern mountain term for a valley enclosed on three or four sides by mountains.) The other side is Lookout Mountain, famous for "See Rock City." Lookout and Pigeon come together at the south end of the Cove, with Daugherty Gap Road winding its way around four hairpin curves to the top of the mountain. It was a remote and beautiful place when we came to live there, and while not now quite so remote, is still very beautiful.

We were privileged to live in McLemore Cove and enjoy its beauty in all seasons for 33 years.

The photograph was made in the early 1990s with an Olympus OM camera and Fuji slide film.

Photograph and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

The Old Hicks House

The Old Hicks House, McLemore Cove

This house was on the property we bought in northwest Georgia's McLemore Cove in 1985. The property was known as "the Old Hicks Place," after a family that lived there for many years. They were not the original owners, though. The Cove, began to be settled by white people in 1832 after a treaty (probably very unfair) was made with the Cherokees. My best estimate is that the house was built sometime before 1850.

It was in much better shape when we bought it and we gave some thought to restoring it. However, we felt it would cost a fortune to restore and that our (limited) money would be better used to build a new house. 

The old house deteriorated over the years and we finally had it pulled down around 2016, leaving only the chimney standing as a memorial to history.

I'm not sure exactly when this photo was made -- the film cameras I used didn't record dates in the metadata as digital cameras do -- so I don't know if the camera was an Olympus or Canon. I used Olympus until about 1993, and Canon after that. My best guess is that it was made in the late '80s with an Olympus OM camera and Fuji slide film.

Photograph and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

 

Hang Glider

Hang glider at McCarty's Bluff, Dade County, Georgia

In the 1970s and '80s I was for a time the official photographer for the World Cup International Hang Gliding competition, sponsored by Glider Rider magazine and held at McCarty's Bluff on Scenic Highway on the western escarpment of Lookout Mountain.

The World Cup was the brainchild of Tracy Knauss, entrepreneur and publisher of Glider Rider, who had purchased the cliff at a high point on that side of the mountain, a place where favorable winds blew almost every day, and began charging people to jump off his cliff -- in their gliders, of course. A glider rider himself, he once set a record by staying aloft for five hours.

Because he was concerned about the safety of the flyers, he began to require that those who jumped off his cliff have a certain amount of training. McCarty's Bluff is now managed by the Lookout Mountain Flight Park and training classes for flyers are held every morning of the year, weather permitting, except Christmas Day.

The photo was made with an Olympus OM camera and a Vivitar Series One 70-210mm f3.5 lens. The film was probably Kodak Ektachrome 64.

Photograph and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

 

 

Stuck Truck

Stuck Truck. Burns City, Indiana

Doesn't look like this sad-looking old Ford truck has gone anywhere recently, and probably won't in the future except maybe to the scrapyard.

I like to photograph old and abandoned cars and trucks wherever I find them. I was in southern Indiana to photograph my niece's wedding when I passed this scene and made the photo with the same camera I used to photograph the wedding -- a Mamiya 6 medium format camera with a 50mm lens. A great little camera that I probably should have kept, but didn't. The film was Fuji's 400-speed color negative stock, and was scanned on my Epson Perfection 4990 scanner.

We had a good trip back from North Carolina, driving through the mountains on Interstate 40. We are now at the Melton Hill Dam campground just west of Knoxville until the end of the month.

Photograph and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

Leaving North Carolina

Another view of Meytre Grist Mill and McGalliard Falls near Valdese,North Carolina.

This will be a brief post. We are getting our trailer and truck ready to travel and tomorrow we'll be on our way back to the Knoxville area, where we plan to stay until the end of the year. We have enjoyed a relaxing time in the lovely western North Carolina countryside, and  especially have enjoyed time with our friends Andrew and Leah and their two little girls. We hope to spend a week or two with them next spring as we return from Florida.

Photograph made with a Fuji X-T20 mirrorless digital camera and a Fujicron 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OISII lens. 

Photograph and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

Meytre Grist Mill

Meytre Grist Mill, at the foot of McGalliard Falls near Valdese, North Carolina

Last Thursday my friend Andrew took me to see the Meytre Grist Mill, located near Valdese, North Carolina. The mill was built in 1906 by Fred Meytre, who operated it until 1941. It was restored and made part of a park in 1982 by the city of Valdese.

Water to power the mill was carried from McGalliard Creek above the falls by a sluice and directed to the undershot wheel, where the power was apparently transferred to the millstones by shafts, although it's had to tell, because most of the machinery is missing.

The town of Valdese has an interesting history. It was settled in the 1890s by a Christian sect called the Waldensians. Founded in France in the 1180s by a wealthy merchant named Peter Waldo, who sold all his possessions and began to preach the gospel, the Waldensians are considered by some to be the first Evangelicals.

 Under rigorous persecution by the Catholic Church, they moved to Italy, where they continued to face persecution for their faith. Ultimately, many of them immigrated to America and founded the town of Valdese. 

In 2015 Pope Francis went to a Waldensian church in Turin to officially ask forgiveness for the centuries of persecution by the Catholic Church. 

 

The mill wheel makes a graphic shape against the background of the falls.

The photographs were made with a Fuji X-T20 mirrorless digital camera and a Fujicron 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OISII lens. 

Photographs and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

 

 

 

A Wedding in Senoia

The wedding of Brittany and James. The Hollberg House, Senoia, Georgia, June 4, 2011

Although I've photographed a few hundred weddings, I was not the official photographer at this one. Louise and I were there as friends of the family.The bride was the granddaughter of a lifelong friend and we had known Brittany since she was a baby.

Since I was not the official photographer (there were two), and since I cannot ignore my photographic  impulses when something is happening, I was playing/experimenting with my tiny, brand new Olympus E-PL1 -- my first mirrorless camera, shooting unobtrusively and staying out of the way of the other photographers. I got a fairly good coverage of the wedding and reception, although I was not able to shoot nearly as much as I would have liked.

As guests of the family we spent the night at the Hollberg House Bed and Breakfast. The breakfast the next morning was absolutely the best I've ever eaten.

It's a good thing I made the photographs I did. I don't know what happened, but from what I understand the "Official Photographers" failed to deliver a single picture, so the ones I made are all the photos of their wedding that Brittany and James have.

This photograph is from my limited edition book Georgia: A Backroads Portrait. It was made with an Olympus E-PL1 mirrorless digital camera and an Olympus Zuiko 14-42mm (28-84mm equivalent) f3.5-5.6 lens. 

Photograph and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

 

Moon over the Mountain

Ceorgia Highway 180, Union County

One of the things that always surprises me about the rural highways in northeast Georgia is how deserted they are. This photograph was made on November 5, 2008, right at the peak of the fall color season. Yet there's no one around but me to enjoy the beauty. If this road were in or around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park the views would not be any more beautiful, but it would be packed with cars crawling along at five miles per hour. There are many beautiful places in the southern mountains, but apparently someone spread the word that the Smokies were the only place to go in the fall.

In 1984 our son Rob and his wife Bonnie moved to Knoxville, where he had a fellowship to work on his Masters degree at the University of Tennessee. In October we went up to spend a weekend with them and decided to go to the Smokies to see the fall colors. That was a mistake! The traffic was so dense it took us three hours to cover the four miles from Sevierville to Pigeon Forge. By the time we got there it was too late to do anything else, so we turned around and went home.

There are high mountains and gorgeous fall color in other parts of east Tennessee and north Georgia. Don't waste your time fighting traffic -- go where the roads are empty and the colors are full. 

This photograph from my limited edition book Georgia: A Backroads Portrait was made with a Canon 5D Classic digital camera and Canon 70-200 f4L lens. 

Photograph and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

 

Lone Cyclist

Lone motorcyclist on Georgia Highway 180, Towns County

 

The winding backroads of north Georgia are perfect for motorcyling. As I watched a lone cyclist go around the curve and up the hill I wished I still had a motorcycle. It's been about 20 years since my last one, and I wish I still had it -- a sentiment unfortunately not shared by Louise. It would have made my trips to photograph the backroads and byways of Georgia much more fun and probably a good bit quicker. On the other hand, I couldn't have slept in my van, as I sometimes did, but I could have carried a tent and a sleeping. bag.

This photograph from my limited edition book Georgia: A Backroads Portrait was made with a Canon 5D Classic digital camera and Canon 70-200 f4L lens. 

Photograph and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

 

Finally! A Roof over Our Heads!

At home (for now) in Nebo, North Carolina

 In 2006 I responded to a notice in a church bulletin and volunteered to become a Core Group leader with a college ministry called the House Ministry. Over the next eleven years I met for two hours each week during the school year with a small group of three to six young men, most of whom were students at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.  Our meetings consisted of some Bible study, some prayer, and a lot of time talking about the issues of their lives. Mentoring these men was one of the highlights of my life.

One of the men who was in my group for the first two years was Andrew, who graduated and went on to medical school where he met Leah. I had the honor of officiating at their wedding in 2010. They completed their studies and went on to practice in the Marion-Morganton area of North Carolina. As time passed they acquired a lovely home on a beautiful piece of property in a country neighborhood called Nebo, and eventually, were joined by two little daughters.

Andrew and Leah have stayed in touch over the years, and recently Andrew set up two RV sites on his property, both with full hook-ups and one with a shed roof. They invited us to come visit them, and so we have been enjoying their company and the lovely facilities for the past two weeks. And finally, we have a roof over our heads!

Since we sold our home in January, 2021 we have been semi-nomads. However, this experience has caused us to reconsider an idea we had thought about early on: we may look for an acre or so somewhere near Knoxville where we can put up a shed similar to Andrew's, so that when we're not on the road we can park our trailer in it and live for cheap as long as we like. We love living in our RV, and when we are no longer able to travel will live in it as long as we are able.

Photograph made with a Fuji X-T20 digital camera and Fujicron XC16-50mm f3.5-5.6 lens.

Photograph and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released on December 6th.

Dragons in the Backyard and Other Private Property Issues

How many people keep dragons in their backyard?

I was not in the yard, by the way -- I was across the road and

shot with the 70-200mm f4L lens at the 200mm setting on my

Canon 5D Classic digital camera. Clarksville, Georgia

 

Dave Hileman's second question was "Where do you take the photo? If it is private property, as most are, do you take a few steps to try and get a good composition or stay at the edge of the road. Or, walk up to the house, for example, chat with the folks and ask permission to shoot. I am sure it varies but what is the best way in general to accomplish your goal, a fine photo and Louise’s goal that you not get shot or arrested? (If you missed Dave's first question, check out Monday's post.)

When making photos of someone's property, I usually follow the Grace principle: it's easier to get forgiveness than permission! Having said that, though, I always seek to avoid being intrusive. So I if actually see someone I will ask. If I can get the photo I want without going on the property, then fine. If I need to get a few steps closer, I do so, or maybe use a longer lens, as I did in the photo above. If I have to get even closer, I ask myself if the photo is worth a confrontation. If someone asks me what I'm doing, I give them my card and explain that I write magazine articles and books. I compliment them on their interesting/beautiful/historic property and get them talking about it. So far, that approach has worked. I've been to 34 or 35 countries and around much of the US and haven't had any difficulty so far. However, as one photojournalist put it, "Never carry more equipment than you can run with!"

If I had tried to get permission to make many of the photographs for Rock City Barns: A Passing Era, the book would not exist. I would still be at county courthouses trying to track down owners. Rock City had information about some of them, but most of their records were years out of date. 

Many of the barns were isolated, with no houses nearby and no way to find information. If there was a house nearby I knocked on the door and if someone was home I introduced myself and explained what I was doing. Met some interesting people that way, and everyone was cooperative and helpful. If no one was around I just made my photographs and left. As the Sierra Club motto has it, "Take only photographs. Leave only footprints."

Photograph and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released on December 6th.

Jenkins Rule

Spotted this scene while driving along Georgia Highway 22 in east central Georgia. The first place I could turn around was about 200 yards down the road. If I had been pulling an RV this photo would not exist.

 

Dave Hileman, a fellow RV traveler, photo-blogger, fellow believer in Jesus Christ, and good friend even though we've never met in person, had two questions for me. I'll answer the first one in this post and the second question in the next.

"You drive the back roads and spot something you wish to make a photo of and then, where do you park? It is often a challenge and when pulling our trailer more often not possible.

Jenkins Rule says that "The photogenic qualities of any given scene are in direct inverse proportion to the possibility of finding a place to park within any reasonable distance." When traveling in an RV, the difficulties are greatly multiplied. Dave pulls a smallish travel trailer with an SUV, so finding a place to park may not be totally impossible, but as he says, "it is a challenge."

With my truck and fifth-wheel trailer totaling nearly 55 feet in length, it's not just a challenge, it's pretty much an impossibility. I've had to adopt John Netherton's principle: A prolific landscape photographer and author/photographer of a number of books who didn't care much for walking, Netherton said "There are no photographs more than a hundred yards from a parking lot."

Or, like the famous photographer Gary Winogrand, who, when asked what he did if he saw a photograph while changing film, replied "There are no photographs while I'm changing film!"

By the time something something registers in my brain "That would make a good photograph," I'm usually past it. Is there a place to pull off the road? Not likely. Is there a place to turn around? Almost certainly not if I'm in an RV. If I could turn around, would there be a place to park? Again, highly improbable. So, in the spirit of Netherton and Winogrand, I have to accept that "There are no photographs while I'm driving my RV!"

And that's just the way it is.

Dave Hileman blogs at www.twolanetouring.com, where he posts a new picture every day. Check it out. He's well worth following.

Photograph and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released on December 6th.

Silent Witness

Sumter Merchandise, U.S. Highway 19, Sumter County, Georgia

 

 Just an old, long-abandoned store, one of thousands still standing in varying states of disrepair along Georgia's backroads. Why do I care? I'm not sure I could answer that, even after photographing old and abandoned structures for 50 years. Yet, there's a kind of dignity about old buildings that appeals to me. They bear silent witness of stories that will never be told, of lives lived and long gone; obscure in life and in death.

 

The photo is from my limited-edition book Georgia: A Backroads Portrait. It was made on June 9, 2010, using a Canon 5D Classic camera with a Canon EF 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 lens.

Photograph and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released on December 6th.