Ashley Fetner Fine Art Photography

 Still – in a way – nobody sees a flower – really - it is so small – we haven’t the time –

And to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time –
                                                                                                Georgia O’Keeffe
Kay

Sunset Beach and Bird Island are the Southernmost Islands of North Carolina’s Brunswick Barrier Islands. Access is by a one lane pontoon bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. Sunset Beach has more of a “beachcomber” feeling than the larger beaches on the Grand Strand. As you walk toward the west end of the beach it joins with Bird Island, a 1,300 acre uninhabited state preserve, that provides important habitat and nesting areas for threatened or endangered birds as well as the Loggerhead Sea Turtle.
Kay

 
“ San Francisco Peaks”

 The San Francisco Peaks, a volcanic mountain range, is located just north of Flagstaff in the Coconino National Forest. At 12,643 feet they are the highest mountains in Arizona and are also known as the Volcanic Highlands. On a clear day the views from the Peaks stretch to the Grand Canyon’s North Rim which is over 80 miles away. In 1692 a group of Spanish Friars in the Franciscan Order founded a mission about 65 miles from the Peaks and named them the San Francisco Peaks to honor their founder St. Francis of Assisi. The Peaks are sacred to 13 Native American Tribes. The Navajo consider them to be the most sacred in all the West and their medicine men use the herbs collected from the mountain top in healing ceremonies. Vincent Randall, the chairman of the Yavapai-Apache, said the Peaks are “one of the sacred places where the Earth brushes up against the unseen world.”   Traveling highway 180 on our way to the Grand Canyon is where we spotted this view of the peaks.
Kay

 The New River, a rough white water river flowing northward through North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, is one of the oldest rivers on the continent. In fact, some say it is second only to the Nile River in age. Much of the river that runs through West Virginia has been designated as the New River Gorge National River. This view of the New River Gorge National River is from Brooks Overlook along Highway 20 near Hinton, West Virginia.
Kay

Built in 1870, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest brick lighthouse in the world, measuring 210 feet from the bottom of the foundation to the pinnacle at the top. The lighthouse was built to help ships navigate around Diamond Shoals, an area of shallow sand bars that extend about fourteen miles out into the ocean, one of the most dangerous areas along the coast. Because so many shipwrecks occurred it was given the title of “Graveyard of the Atlantic”. In 1873 the Hatteras Lighthouse was given the black and white striped daymark pattern. The Lighthouse Board assigned each lighthouse a distinctive paint pattern (daymark) and a light sequence (nightmark) so that each one could be recognized individually day or night by those navigating the ships. In 1870 the lighthouse was built on its original site 1,500 feet from the shore but due to beach erosion over the years it was only 100 feet from the ocean in 1999. Over a period of twenty - three days the lighthouse was moved 2,900 feet to its present location. It was the tallest brick building ever moved and it is again 1,500 feet from the ocean. The double keeper’s house, the principal keeper’s house, two cisterns and the oil house were also relocated with the lighthouse. The United States Park Service maintains the lighthouse and also restored the keeper’s houses that serve as the visitor center and museum.
Kay

This area of the Blue Ridge Mountains is viewed from Mount Jefferson State Park in Ashe County North Carolina. Mount Jefferson rises over 1,600 feet with amazing views of the landscape below and beyond. Traveling on the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopping at the Mount Jefferson Overlook you can see this mountain peak from a great distance. Mount Jefferson has been designated as a national natural landmark due to the unusual plant life in the park.
Kay

Landscape Arch

Arches National Park in Moab Utah has the world’s largest concentration of natural stone arches. Landscape Arch, located in the Devil’s Garden area of the park, is one of the “must see” arches. The opening is 306 feet, making it the largest natural arch in the world. A nine story building could easily fit beneath its span. In 1991 a seventy-three foot slab of rock fell from the arch and twice in 1995, first a forty-seven foot and then a thirty foot slab fell. It measures six feet at its thinnest point. Due to the fragile state of the arch, the loop trail that went under the arch is now closed but you can still access the arch from the Devil’s Garden Loop Trail.
Kay

We found this cluster of crosses on the Blue Ridge Parkway between Boone and Blowing Rock North Carolina.  As we have traveled I have also seen them in other places and I have always wanted to know the story behind them. Reverend Bernard Coffindaffer, from Nicholas County, West Virginia, was the founder of Christian Crosses Inc.  After two heart by-pass surgeries he had a vision that the crosses should be placed across the county.  In his home office on September 28th, 1984 he began his project.  He had a full time secretary and a crew of seven full time workers who erected the crosses that were all made of California Douglas Fir.  The center one was painted gold for “royalty” and the other two were pale blue.  The three crosses symbolize Christ on the Cross flanked with the two thieves that were crucified with Him.  As each cluster of crosses was erected, the same consecration service was held and prayers were offered for repentance and forgiveness of sins.  Owners of the land donated the site for the crosses and Reverend Coffindaffer paid for the rest of the expenses himself.  Before his death in 1993 he erected 1,864 crosses in twenty-nine states, the District of Columbia, Zambia and the Philippines. PBS did a documentary on his life entitled “Point Man for God”   that was shown on the series “different Drummer also CBS did a segment on him on “Sunday Morning”.  He drew national attention for making the cluster of crosses a common sight through the United States and two foreign countries.  He once stated” The crosses speak peace with in as we struggle without.”

Kay

“Patriarch”

In the middle of North Carolina at the foot of the Uwharrie Mountains, near Asheboro, is 500 acres that have been developed into one of the largest “natural habitat” zoos in the United States.  Enclosures for the animals have been built to resemble their natural habitat.  So instead of cages they are free to roam.  All the animals in the zoo are from Africa and North America. As you travel the five mile trail through the zoo you will see over 1,100 animals and 40,000 plants .One of the very interesting animal exhibits is the Hamadryas Baboons.  Baboons sleep, travel feed and socialize together in groups of about 50 individuals, consisting of seven to eight males and about twice as many females and their young. When the males began to mature they leave their natural troops and move in and out of other troops. The males are accepted into new troops slowly, usually by developing “friendships” with different females in the troop, and they often help defend the females and their offspring.  The North Carolina Zoo has one of the largest troops of baboons in the United States.  This image was chosen to be displayed at the 117th International Exhibition of Professional Photography held at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix Arizona in January 2009.
Kay

“Fire From Heaven”

A storm cloud dissipates over Lone Rock Beach in the Glenn Canyon National Recreation area near Big Water Utah on the Utah and Arizona border.   As the sun was setting in the west the colors were just incredible- another one of those “Stop and Pull Over Moments”!
Kay