they ask me why I teach

I don't know the history of this old building located near Roan Mountain, TN. The sign over the door reads "Bowling Chapel Methodist Church," but a local told me the building once served as a schoolhouse.  And it's for that reason, I offer the following poem.  To hear Coach John Wooden recite it, click here and fast forward 5 minutes into his talk.

They Ask me why I Teach, Glennice L. Harmon

They ask me why I teach
And I reply, "Where could I find more splendid company?"
There sits a statesman,
Strong, unbiased, wise,
Another later Webster
Silver-tongued.
And there a doctor
Whose quick, steady hand
Can mend a bone or stem the lifeblood's flow.
A builder sits beside him --
Upward rise the arches of that church he builds wherein
That minister will speak the word of God,
And lead a stumbling soul to touch the Christ.

And all about
A lesser gathering
Of farmers, merchants, teachers,
Laborers, men
Who work and vote and build
And plan and pray into a great tomorrow.
And, I say,
"I may not see the church,
Or hear the word,
Or eat the food their hands will grow.
And yet -- I may.
And later I may say,
"I knew the lad, and he was strong,
Or weak, or kind, or proud
Or bold or gay.
I knew him once,
But then he was a boy.

They ask my why I teach and I reply,
"Where could I find more splendid company?"

roan relaxation

Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen. 
--Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Italian Painter, Sculptor, Architect and Engineer.

Anthony taking in the Roan Highlands. 

nostalgia

The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealized past. 
--Robertson Davies (1913-1995) author. 

Here's a shot I took today of Grandfather Mountain - from my favorite angle, under my favorite tree in MacRae Meadows. I decided to give it the texturized treatment where I added an old film look just for something different.  Back in December of 2009, the trees in the picnic/camping area of MacRae Meadows were severely damaged by an ice storm, click here to see the destruction.  They've done a wonderful job cleaning up and sprucing up the area which is the site of the annual Highland Games each July.

Top Shop

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.
--Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist

A texturized version of the new "Top Shop" at Grandfather Mountain. Click here to read about the two year construction process and the extreme weather conditions the builders faced.

nostalgia

If you're yearning for the good old days, just turn off the air conditioning.
--Griff Niblack

Another look at the 'Mile-High Swinging Bridge' at Grandfather Mountain -- this photo was taken on Father's Day and was made to look old with the addition of two 'texturized' layers in Photoshop. One added a burlap texture/color and the other added the dark vignette/border to the image. I also desaturized the underlying photo to give it more of a faded look. Here's a helpful video tutorial on how it's done. Click here to see another Grandfather photo that I worked on.

Related...the “good old days” are now.

hard times

Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body.
--Elizabeth Stone, author

This is my friend, Eddie, with his newborn son. I'm proud of Ed and the man he's become. I've known him since he was 14 -- and I can attest that growing up wasn't always easy for him. Lots of hard times. But through every difficulty, through times of loss, pain and confusion, he sought to learn and grow and encourage others. He eventually joined the army and served for just over four years - including 15 months in Ramadi, Iraq during some of the most violent months of the war. When he returned home he joined the reserve -- and he's now finishing his drill sergeant training. I'm thankful for Eddie and those like him, who serve and sacrifice for our freedom and security with the hope that hard times come again no more.

The song, Hard Times Come Again No More, was written by Stephen Collins Foster in 1854. In its day, the song was well known and a favorite of both sides during the American Civil War. Although many have covered this song over the years, my favorite version is Johnny Cash's emotional rendition recorded in 2003 -- listen here.