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Here are some of the photos from the Joe Lasher Jr Band shoot. The studio shots were taken at French Broad Imaging. This band is as hot as fire right now, with album sells and radio spots across the country. I've got my fingers crossed for these guys!
It's always a pleasure to photograph a castle wedding!!! What fun! Chelsey, Ben and Bently made their dreams a reality and tied the knot at the famous Castle Ladyhawke. Everyone looked their best and guest filled the the castle with laughter and love.
I would like to give a big shout out to Tony and Patrick at French Broad Imaging for hooking up the studio for me at their South Asheville location ( 524B Hendersonville Road). Tony set up his Einstein AlienBees and they worked to perfection! If you need photo restoration or prints from you last vacation, let these guys be of service. Spot on printing and a friendly environment equals better images for you and you might even learn something if you stick around long enough. Thanks guys!
The Claxton Elementray Fundraiser was held at The Mill Room in Asheville North Carolina. It started with a silent auction featuring an array of items from local businesses and artist. The silent auction was followed by a live auction featuring Moog Fest weekend passes and other exciting getaways. Teachers and Parents celebrated the coming school by generously giving above and beyond. Publicly funded education survives and strives with support of this magnitude. Support your local educators! Volunteer and give back to your community!
This weekend marked the grand opening of the Katuah Market (even though it has been open for two months)! I cannot begin to express how thrilled I am to have them within walking distance to my office! Fresh, hot, healthy, organic lunches at an affordable price! The cafe is very spacious and is a great place to take a midday break. Hit me up if you are in the mood for a smoothie or if you crave something with a little kick, the Gypsy Queen usually has something on the hot bar. Mmmmm!
Wabi-sabi is an ancient Asian art form/philosophy which advocates a naturally occuring, organically arising process i.e. one that evolves over time, as compared to a pre-fab, uniform, synthetic, commercial condition. Wabi-sabi philosophy states that all things arise from nothingness and return to nothingness, via wear, decay, use, etc. wabi-sabi clothing, for instance would be soft, faded, and comfortable as compared to stiff, synthetic and uncomfortable. Things wabi-sabi tend to be asymetrical, irregular and varigated therefore more readily blending with the natural order of things. Commercially mass produced, identical products are the anti-thesis of the wabi-sabi aesthetic. Things wabi-sabi tend to embody strong individual characteristics and attributes.
Please visit : Barnyard Guitars
Website and Photography by Ryan Bumgarner
Mango-Habanero Sauce
Heat the oil in a saucepan and add mangoes, onion, carrot and habañero chiles. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat, until onions are soft and translucent. Deglaze with vinegar and sugar. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat and simmer for 35-40 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt to taste. Transfer to a blender, pulse sauce and strain through a medium strainer. If the sauce is too thick add a little water to thin.
Yield: about 3 cups
***Ketchup can be added to this recipe, but I would not recommend because of all the crap that is in most ketchup. Also for milder (hehehe) habanero sauce, blanch your peppers with white vinegar and you can double or even triple the amount of peppers in your sauce. By blanching the peppers, some of the heat is removed and it is easier to taste the sweetness of the habanero.
I heard somewhere that sticking your hands in the earth during early Spring is some of the best medicine out there. I do not have the biggest area to work, but it is big enough for me to get a taste for gardening and landscaping. Me and my buddy Craig Fender put a fence around the backyard and I have recently started getting rid of all the privet, brambles, and vines. I managed to salvage some lilies and a couple native trillium plants as seen here.
The vegetable garden so far has the following:
• Various Lettuce species (Butter crunch, Red sail, Hell Cat, etc.)
• Irish Cobble Potatoes
• Yellow Onions
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Boc Choy
• Garlic
The Rabbiteye Blueberry bush has also found its way into my backyard! Very exciting! I am a little anxious though, because Asheville is right on the border for this species of blueberry. I have also learned that more fruit can be produced by cross pollination. I have two of the same bushes, so hopefully they will produce some fruit. Apparently a single Rabbiteye Blueberry bush can produce up to 20 lbs a year! Another interesting fact is that blueberries actually help in the creation of new brain cells. Mmmmm....
The first time I walked through the woods with Ted, six Pileated Woodpeckers flew right over our heads. Rare? Yes. Ted threw up his hands and said something inTuscaroan, he smiled, laughed and looked at me as if he were the happiness child on the planet. (Later I asked him what he yelled at the birds, he said to the birds, "Many Thank Yous!!!") He always talked in riddles and it seemed he had this stream of conscious dialog always murmuring under his breath. I did not realize who Ted was outside the world of disc golf. I did not realize I was walking with a Buddha, a Chief, a trumpet player, an Airborne ranger.
A close friend of Ted's joined me for a casual round of disc golf at Richmond Hill. We talked about Ted the entire time and things were good. As we approach the biggest tree on the course, I heard an owl. I thought this was a bit unusual since it was the middle of the day, and we all know owls enjoy the night sky. I looked in the tree and I just could not find the owl. Then the owl's partner started hooting too! Two owls hooting and I can not see either of them. I looked to Ted's friend and he just smiled. By this time there was a chorus of owls and I could not think of anything. I simply looked to the sky and embraced the most spiritual moment of my adult life.
As we get older, most of us are unwilling to accept magic and we dismiss things that we can not readily understand. When I was ten years old, I watched a lightning bolt destroy a mature oak tree. As I was standing with my family on the second floor, a piece of the lightning came into the room that we were in. The lightning paused in the middle of the room, just long enough to feel a resounding peaceful silence before it exploded into nothingness.
When things happen, they happen for a reason and they will foreshadow things that can be changed. We must listen and open our hearts and minds.
Ted has many wonderful stories about spirits, gifted people, and accounts from his own life. Read the book, laugh, and follow the instructions.
