Ashley Fetner Fine Art Photography

 The Ronceverte Train Depot was built in 1914 and is the only craftsman style building remaining on the railroad line. The first year the depot was opened more than 65,000 passengers passed through the station. In 1962 passenger service was stopped and now the town of Ronceverte is in the process of restoring the historic CSX depot.
Kay

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is 3,730 acres of huge sand dunes. It is located in Kane County near Kanab Utah. The name comes from the coral - colored sand that has eroded from the exposed Navajo sandstone. The contrast of the pink sand, the red cliffs and the blue sky is breathtaking. A Hollywood film company thought the Coral Pink Dunes resembled Egypt and so they chose the State Park to film “The Greatest Story Ever Told”.
Kay

 St. Matthews is a mission church that was an outreach of the Episcopal “Order of the Holy Cross” in Valle Crucis in Watauga County North Carolina. The chapel was built in Todd North Carolina in 1910 on land that was probably donated by the Dobbin Family. Hugh A. Dobbin settled in the Todd area in the 1830’s & 40’s. He ran a dry goods store in Todd before the Civil War. One of his sons was ordained in the Episcopal Church in 1909 and his daughter, Anne Dobbin Miller, looked after the church until she passed away in 1959. Another son, Nimrod, is buried with his wife in the small churchyard behind the chapel. St. Matthews is owned by the Western North Carolina Diocese and although it is not active at present, Episcopal weddings are permitted on the property. The chapel has undergone some restoration through the years and at present the Todd Community Preservation Organization is working with the diocese to assist in preservation of this historic community landmark.
Kay

Arches National Park, Moab Utah

In the high desert (4,085-5,653 ft.) of Arches National Park you will find over 2,000 sandstone arches, the greatest density of natural sandstone arches in the world!  All different in size and shape ranging from the smallest with a 3 foot opening to the longest that is 306 feet base to base.  New arches are being formed daily as the old ones are destroyed.  In fact in 1991 a rock slab 60 feet long, 11 feet wide and 4 inches thick, fell from the Landscape Arch during the filming of a documentary-that was a close call but no one was hurt!

The world famous Delicate Arch stands on the edge of a canyon with the beautiful La Sal Mountains behind.  The best time to photograph the arch is at sunset.  It is a 3 mile hike round trip.  The first half-mile was flat but the next mile was on open slick rock and you gained about 480 feet as you climbed.  Just before getting to the arch, I had to navigate a narrow ledge (I didn’t look down!)  I just kept thinking that around the next turn will be the arch, but as I made that last turn all I saw were crowds of people!  They were everywhere vying for their spot and waiting with their cameras for that “precise” moment when the light would be right.

No one spoke as the sun began to drop and sculpt the arch with light—

This was a moment in time that I was glad just to be –

Kay

The museum is on the site of Southern Railways largest steam locomotive repair facility and is part of the Division of State Historical Sites and the Department of Cultural Resources. Thorough the exhibits you can see a history of North Carolina transportation. The Roundhouse built in 1924, was one of the largest ever constructed, now houses forty restored locomotives and rail cars. The Bumper to Bumper Exhibit is a collection of automobiles and bikes from the 1920’s through the 1980’s that include a 1901 White Steam Stanhope, a 1938 Highway Patrol Car and a 1947 Whizzer Motor Bike. The Wagon, Wheels and Wings exhibit includes a dugout canoe, 1922 fire engine and a Conestoga wagon built prior to 1810. The Back Shop that was built in 1905 and was once the largest industrial building in North Carolina. It served as an enormous machine shop where the locomotives were disassembled and repaired with new parts. The outside has been restored and restoration is being done on the inside so that more exhibits can be added. The North Carolina Transportation Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate Museum, so Smithsonian travel exhibits are often on display. The museum offers more exhibits as well as tours, train rides, excursions and special events.
Kay

 Bryce Canyon National Park is the smallest of Utah’s national parks but is has the most unlikely and beautiful rock formations that you will ever see. The park is a series of amphitheaters filled with mazes of hoodoos and spires with an amazing range of colors. The effects of wind, weather and time have carved the sandstone into these bizarre stone formations. Along the 18-mile long park road you can see more than one hundred miles on a clear day from any of the overlooks. There are also numerous hiking trails that lead you to the canyon floor where you can view the formations that stretch over one thousand feet into the air. Each season and each day bring a different perspective as the lighting creates changing and magical effects on this breathtaking landscape.
Kay

Zitomer Pharmacy and Department Store is a landmark in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The upscale pharmacy was established in 1950 by the Zitomer Family and has grown to three shopping floors and over 15,000 square feet of a one-of-a-kind pharmacy and department store. Located on Madison Avenue between 75th and 76th Streets, they carry the basic necessities plus a very unique variety of merchandise. Hair care products, cosmetics, fragrances, accessories, children’s clothing, and lingerie are just a few of the items you can purchase. Of course you can have your prescriptions filled and they have a reputation for exceptional customer service.  This was part of Zitomer’s Halloween display—what fun to wear!
Kay

 Dixie National Forest is the largest national forest in Utah with almost 2 million acres stretching about 170 miles through southern Utah. Red Canyon is an area of forest that contains spectacular dark red sandstone castles known as hoodoos. These are very different in appearance from the hoodoos just 9 miles away in Bryce National Park. There is a story about Butch Cassidy, who was raised in nearby Circleville, that while he was attending a dance in Panguitch, he got into a brawl over a girl. He thought he had killed the fellow (he was only knocked out) but he hid out from the posse in Red Canyon.
Kay

 The Swift Creek Baptist Church, located in Historic Boykin South Carolina, was founded in 1787 with 55 members. Historical records show that sometime prior to 1810 Dorcas Conway (1785-1826) was baptized at Swift Creek Baptist Church. It is thought there were at least two early congregations along Swift Creek and this church is an outgrowth of those congregations. In 1827, John Boykin built the two-story Greek Revival Church on an acre of his land. In 1994 the church was restored and is listed on the National Register of Historical Places, as is the Boykin Community where the church is located.  I loved this cornerstone—it sits to the left of the steps as you enter the church - at first glance I thought it was a grave stone…

Kay

Ashley and I recently visited Lower Antelope Canyon on the Navajo reservation in Page Arizona.  In both the upper and lower canyons there are hidden “slots” that are carved into the Navajo sandstone.  Sam, our native guide told us that as a child he and the other children wanted to play in the “slot” canyons but they were not allowed.  The Elders believed these to be the “Home of the Spirits”-a spiritual and sacred place –only to be entered in a state of quiet and reverence.  Even today the Navajo ask that as you enter you do so in a respectful manner.

Descending into the canyon I had a sense of another time and a “presence” that was not my own.  Light and rock worked together as the changing patterns, shapes and colors swirled and curved all around me-truly a magical and beautiful place!  There were rocks like giant waves and I found myself “listening” for that roaring sound they make when they hit the beach!

I am not found of “tight” spaces and there were times when we had to turn our bodies sideways and “wiggle” through the rocks (with camera equipment & backpack!) to continue on in the canyon.  When taking camera equipment in you have to be careful of winds gusts up top.  They will cause fine sand to sprinkle down that will damage your camera lens if they are not covered.  We had a couple of gusts just before we climbed out but we had covers!

Ashley captures some wonderful images and I definitely agree with the Elders…the Spirits must reside here-

Kay