A Puzzle and Good News

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my friend's husband who needs to get into a family practice residency this June. They just received the good news that he passed his last exam which has been a massive roadblock for them. It will still take a miracle for them to get into a program since they missed the match and scramble.

Here is another picture of one of the 4 little monkeys as another reminder to keep this family in our prayers.

critter time

caterpillar Jigsaw Puzzle
Just an interesting critter that was discovered at my great river party past summer.

Claytor Lake

Claytor Lake Marina Jigsaw Puzzle

Tonight I had the great pleasure of sharing a meal with Matt and April, who had a perfectly beautiful wedding on a perfectly beautiful day last August at one of my favorite places, Claytor Lake. So I'm thinking about the lake and all the great memories we have made there; and this delightful spring weather has me eagerly anticipating the arrival of boating season. I hope you enjoy thinking thoughts of summer, too, while you are putting together this picture of the marina on the lake.

St. Paddy's Day at the O' Rex

Click here for the slideshow.

Finally! Some shots from the rousing St. Patrick's Day show at the historic Rex Theater featuring the (3 times) World Champion clogging team, Rhythm-N-Motion, and bluegrass bands, Broken Wire and the New Ballard's Branch Bogtrotters. What a high energy, fun-filled night! A big thank you to Christina Hall of Rhythm-N-Motion for inviting me to be a part of the evening. Christina will be getting married to Chris in October here on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I look forward to spending time getting to know this sweet couple and helping them savor the memories of their wedding day.

Here are some pics from the show.

Rhythm-N-Motion

Want to see more of Rhythm-N-Motion? Here is a slideshow from their rehearsal.

Broken Wire

Where have we seen these handsome faces before?
(hint: check the October 2006 archive for the post on the Galax Little Leaves)

New Ballard's Branch Bogtrotter

Sunset

Sunset Birds Jigsaw Puzzle
A lovely sunset on the Isle of Palms in Charleston, SC.

March Winds

Fish Kites Jigsaw Puzzle

March is kite-flying time. Here are a couple of fishy looking kites spotted at the Kite Festival last fall at the Wright Memorial on the Outer Banks.

Tres Belle!

Tres Belle Jigsaw Puzzle

It's been a day full of handbells! My kids (the awesome JoyBell Ringers) played magnificently today at Mt. Vale United Methodist Church. Congrats to the new rookies, Audrey, Emily, Jaci, and Joseph for your debut performance on the team!

Fortissimo

fortissimo Jigsaw Puzzle

This is my favorite daffodil, Fortissimo!! Isn't that an appropriate name for it?
Here's a real picture of it, so you can enjoy it, too without having to work the puzzle. Go ahead, click on the picture and make it big!

Fries Junction

Fries Junction Jigsaw Puzzle

I am deliriously giddy with Spring Fever and the return of Daylight Savings Time! This afternoon, the forsythia started turning yellow here. In the morning, the bushes were drab, brown sticks; tonight they are golden! This evening, David and I were able to spend an hour biking on the New River Trail. So, here is a scenic view of Fries Junction 12 miles down the trail from our hometown, Galax VA.

Summer Eve

Moonlit Beach Jigsaw Puzzle

I just tucked Agape in, and per usual, her parting words were "I just can't wait to go to the beach!" So, here is a beach picture to help her endure the wait. I have to give my son, Amos, credit for inspiring me to take this shot last year at the beach week. I was inside editing a wedding (can you believe that of me at the beach?!?!?!) when he came in and was asking me what kind of setttings to use to take a pictue in the moonlight. So, we both ended up out on our walkway at 1 am on a moody summer night. This exposure was 30 sec at F2.8, ISO 400. The long exposure smooths the waves so the sea looks glassy, and makes it look like daytime, but, if you look closely, you can see the stars shining in the blue sky!

Mathews Farm

Plow and Wagon Jigsaw Puzzle

This wagon and plow are in a shed at the Mathews Living History Farm Musuem. I had a great time there last fall covering the "Stories of the Stitch" quilt exhibit. Here is a slideshow of the day. Look for the photos and quilt stories to be published in the near future!

Welcome, Spring!

Welcome Spring! Jigsaw Puzzle

OH, JOY! OH, JOY! OH, JOY!
IT'S SPRING!!!!!!
It was an intoxicating dose of springtime down in Winston this evening! GREEN grass, Forsythia in bloom, The Bradford Pears look like giant snowballs, even tulips! But the best of all was the raucous chorus of spring peepers heard on the Salem Lake trail.

I didn't have to go far, though, to see these little pretties nodding their sweet heads in homage to the spring equinox: they are right in my own front yard!

The Crooked Road

Here is something really cool from my hometown on The Crooked Road, Virginia's Musical Heritage Trail. It's Build a Lyric. You enter the name of a person you want to send the song to and a few facts about that person (real or exaggerated,) then the fabulous Amber Collins and No Speed Limit Band will play it for you. Then you can email it to your friend or have it sent by telephone. How cool is that? Check it out! Here is a song I created for my fiddlin' girl, Amber.

This is just a bonus. Here is a link to an exceptionally well-written doumentary on the Roanoke Times website about the Crooked Road, complete with video clips, EXCELLENT photography (I would be proud of it if I had shot it), recipes, and side trips.

Butterfly Bush

Butterfly Bush Jigsaw Puzzle

It's been freeeeeezing winter here again this weekend! I have to look at pictures like this to remind me that summer will come again. This was shot on the Terry's Aunt Evelyn's farm. Twice a year the Terry clan gathers on this century heritage farm (or what ever they call those farms that have been contiually operated by one family for over a century) in Floyd County for a campout. I'll have to dig out some of those photos; it's a grand time of food, games, and jammin'. I had the privilege of shooting John Terry's wedding there 3 years ago.

Cindy's Girly Room

Cindy\'s Girly Room Jigsaw Puzzle

Cindy rings bells with me in Rejoice. During the recording craze in January, she offered me a welcome night's respite in her "girly room" so that I wouldn't have to make the drive home after the recording session and then be back in Winston by 8:30 the next morning. Cindy has a great little fella who just celebrated his ninth birthday. And, she has this sweet, feminine guest room complete with all kinds of girly stuff, but (sorry, Karen), NO GIRLY MALLETS!

I am posting this from the Crossroads Institute because our internet is still disfunctional (2 days and counting . . . )

Technical Difficulties

AAAAUUUGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!
I HATE our internet service!!!
Your daily dose of puzzles and pictures will resume whenever we can get our internet operating smoothly again.
So sorry for the boring interruption . . .

Chardonnay

chardonnay Jigsaw Puzzle

These golden beauties were waiting for harvest last October when I was at Shelton Vinyards to do Leigh and Mike's engagement shoot.

Fine Art from C. McPherson Photography

"Pathway to Paradise"

It just occured to me today, with literally thousands of new visitors Under the C., that I didn't have up a link to my fine art gallery. Well, now that has changed! It's a view into my heart and soul over the last decade.
C. McPherson Fine Art
My Gallery is hosted by Pictage, my super online hosting and lab service. If this will be your first visit to Pictage, you will be asked to register to view the photos. That's OK! Just do it!

Here's a sample from each of my galleries:

Lighthouses Gallery

"Heart of Corolla"

OBX Gallery
"Serenity at Whalehead"

"Tom's Pier"

Out West Gallery

"Succulents"

Low Country Gallery

"Cypress Swamp"

Woods and Water Gallery

"Trees in the Mist"

France Gallery

"Going Places"

"Bell Tower"

The Trolley Gallery"Our Daily Bread"

Fields and Barns Gallery

"Homestead"

Young Dancers

waiting in the wings Jigsaw Puzzle

This is one of over 2000 images I made while shooting the Center Street Dance Company's production of "Sleeping Beauty" last spring. Dance is one of my favorite things to shoot. This weekend, there is going to be an Irish/clogging/Riverdance show by Rhythm-N-Motion at the historic Rex Theater in downtown Galax. I doubt I will be able to resist taking the camera to that one!

Uncle Jimmy's Sailboat

Uncle Jimmy\'s Boat Jigsaw Puzzle

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the 'All McPherson Beach Week." Agape has already started pining away for the beach week to come, and it's not until September! Sailing has been a favorite, regular feature of the beach week for many, many years. Well . . . maybe not MY favorite; I have some harrowing stories to tell about the sailor boys' misadventures! But all the cousins, down to her Royal Highness, Princess Kylie Marie, love sailing with Uncle Jimmy. We started out renting an Aqua-Cat on Holden Beach, then Jimmy found this beauty for a bargain. We'll be hoisting the sails and riding the fair winds on Pamlico Sound at Rodanthe on Labor Day week.

4 Little Monkeys

4 Little Monkeys Jigsaw Puzzle

These little monkeys are the first 4 (of 7) Murrell kiddos. I chose their picture for the puzzle today to so that I could ask you all to hold this precious family in your prayers. This shot was taken while their dad was in medical school on Nevis. He has completed medical school and is now ready to begin a residency, but today was the "scramble" for unfilled positions after the residency program match, and he was not able to participate because he did not receive a test score in time. This puts them in an awful predicament! His student loans will come due, and his chances of getting into a program next year will be greatly diminished. Please ask God to send them a miracle, and restore their hope in Him for the future.

Dancing the Night Away

Today we hiked the Gulley Creek Trail at Cumberland Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's an 800' descent and climb back up the side of the mountain over 2 miles. THEN I logged about another 10,000 steps at the Floyd Conra Dance. Here is a shot by Doug Miller for City Magazine taken last month of yours truly cuttin' up the floor at the dance. The energy and fun is irresistable; Doug returned tonight without his camera to swing his partner, too.

Krispie Kremes

If you had visited Northstar Church this morning, you would have been warmly welcomed at the door, then ushered to a table laden with these tempting, technicolor delights. I must confess, though, my personal indulgence is for the plain ones,fresh out of the icing waterfall, HOT and NOW, offered on the end of a straw as you stand in line at the Krispie Kreme in Winston-Salem.

Sunset on Coquina Beach

This sunset was the crowning glory of the most perfect day ever at Coquina Beach (on the Outer Banks) last summer. It was too perfect to leave, even after it got pitch dark, because there were bonfires dotting the beach beckoning us to linger a little longer . . .

Kitties

Here's a "litter" of kitties I found in a window in Savannah. Dave planned his own mystery trip for my 50th birthday, and took me to Savannah, a place I had been longing to see. Little did he know that while we were there, we would encounter 3 SCAD photography students, one of whom invited me over to the school for an impromptu tour of the photo department. What a way to fan the flame of my dream! So, all I need to do is raise about $45,000 and talk David into leaving Carroll County for 2 years while I finish my degree there. Who wants to take bets on which will be the easiest to accomplish?

Red, White, and Blue Morning Puzzle

You get a prize-winner today! This one placed in the Virginia Highlands Festival a few years back. It's probably the only color print that I've ever entered in a competition. I was in Duck, NC for my family reunion, and a tropical storm had blown through the day before. During the storm, Currituck Sound was lashing over the road at this spot, but on this morning, all was surreally silent and still. I had to jiggle my legs in the water to make the ripples for this shot.

Mata Hari face Jigsaw Puzzle

This is our mom-cat, Mata Hari. We actually stole her from David Zwak when he moved out. (We just wouldn't let him take her with him!) The next year (2004) she gave us 3 litters of kittens, 16 total!!! Since she's been spayed, she still wants to be a mom. About this time of year, she starts carrrying in big wads of dried grass and deposits them all over the kitchen. She has the same look in her eye when she carries them in her mouth, and she meows to them the same way she called to her babies. At least, that's my interpretation. Any kitty psychologist out there want to chime in?
Hari is a big part of my morning routine, too. She comes back in from her morning rounds, walks all over me and the keyboard, and rams her head into my chin if I don't pay worthy homage to her. How can I resist that sweet face?