Photographic Expressions

I have had the ever fortunate opportunity to spend the past week in Asheville while attending Corey McNabb’s McWorkshop. Somehow after all the exhaustion of thinking/talking/shooting all things wedding (and some babies)….we found ourselves trekking up the highest mountain I have possibly ever been on. My passion started out in landscape so I’m surprised I was able to keep the car on the road since every time we encountered another overlook the clouds were so prominent and we saw the longest range of mountains I have seen this side of the Mississippi. I don’t believe I have been so high on a mountain that I was looking down on fellow mountain ranges with the Great Smoky Mountains. It certainly was beyond moving and since I truly didn’t want the week to end…it gave me another chance to hang out with Corey and Amber.  : )

I will miss you guys but I shall hopefully see you soon!

~C

Driving up and down the mountain side, steering in and out of the curves I have to remind myself that I’m not Danica Patrick nor am I qualifying for the next big race. No I’m not speeding so please don’t tell my husband or a cop, but it is as if my car becomes one with the road as it cuts through the mountains.
One of my particular favorite ‘qualifying’ roads to zip down is Highway Nine leaving Dawsonville to Dahlonega but you are more able to experience the ‘wow’ of the Dahlonega Mountain range if you travel down Highway Nineteen from GA400. Popping up over the hill on Nineteen really takes your breath away for the two seconds you can allow your eyes to leave the road, then you have to refocus so you don’t run straight into the McDonalds.

Nestled in the valley of the surrounding mountains Dahlonega thrives on its rich, gold-digging history, quaint shops around the square, and the ever present North Georgia College and State University. If you happen to drive through the campus to take in the picturesque school around 5pm, don’t forget to stop at the sound of the bugle and the firing of the cannon. Yes, NGCSU still has a working cannon that is fired in the am and pm. From experience, it’s is quite something to get used to when trying to sleep in and the cannon is pointed straight at your dorm when fired!

Not that you can miss the shiny beacon that has become Dahlonega, but if you look to the sky you should be able to catch sight of the shiny, Dahlonega Gold plated steeple on Price Memorial Hall. Not only is the gold on the Steeple from Dahlonega but it also covers the Georgia Dome at the Capital in Atlanta.
Another treasure in itself that continues to amaze me is the Holly Theatre located at the foot of the hill from Price Hall. Walking toward downtown the peaceful atmostphere reaches for you in the oddest of places. or walls for that matter.

So as not to impede the traffic that most cities are becoming flooded with and to preserve the wonderful history, Dahlonega has built a Round-About road to navigate people in and around downtown. “Theres gold in them thar hills!” Twenty years before California or any other location in the country became the place to search for gold, this North Georgia city was already rolling in the shiny rock. Today you can ride circles around the original Dahlonega Courthouse and step inside to take in the Gold Mining History. Walking around to take in the shops I noticed a wonderfully funny shirt at the entrance door. Oh and before you leave, if you find the Smith House crowded with folk, walk on over to Caruso’s Italian Joint. Oh my goodness, the food!

Leaving out on my Highway Nine, you can’t help but stop for a Coke at C.L. Crane which has embodied the space just off a curve for the past sixty years. Love all the Coca-Cola memories!

~C

We picked up Highway 411 as it snaked through the sleepy town of Fairmount and pointed the car’s nose southwest toward Cartersville. Fields of grass bent and rolled with the wind as we drove down the windy road taking in the quietness the empty fields offered. A town called White, so small that it was gone in an instant, offered a battered Coca-Cola sign or two that reflected the by-gone days.

Houses and businesses soon appeared more frequently as we drew closer to our destination. Prominent churches flanked the streets that lead us downtown to its inner core. A flash of red come into view and I knew we had found it. The fabled Coca-Cola sign, the first to ever grace the side of a building, was still there emblazoned on the side of Young Brothers Pharmacy for all of downtown Cartersville to see. The irony of the name Young was not lost on me as I hopped out of the car to see this work of art that has watched freight trains pass by since 1884. True the paint has seen a face lift years ago, but to have such a powerful marketing sign representing one of the South’s and Georgia’s iconic companies still adorn this wall over one hundred years later, gave me chills.

Years ago I recall my alma mater’s president, Ruth Knox, give regard during a luncheon of the Munroe sister’s families’ wealth back in the 1930’s. As the story goes, the three Munroe sister’s father is said to have invested his farming money in a little known company as Coca-Cola back in the day. Eighty years later, those same Munroe sisters who went on to graduate from Wesleyan College, donated money to erect the beautiful Science Center that now sits on campus overlooking all.

Crossing the railroad tracks to photograph this world famous symbol I was jolted back into reality with the cautionary traffic signals as they rang out taletelling of a train soon to pass. Though the town was serenly peaceful on a late Sunday afternoon, the treasures of Cartersville was not hard to find in its old Railroad Depot turned Welcome Center, its Grand Theater that commanded attention with the filigree, and my husband’s favorite, the biscuit place. Full of quaint shops and eateries, this city of wonders is definitely on my list to revisit and explore.
~C

So the hubby and I were finally able to break away for a moment or two to ourselves. With a full tank of gas we pointed the car North, to Chattanooga, TN. It’s crazy to live within an hour of this special city and having yet to visit until now, but it was well worth the wait.

Can I just say how awesome the clouds were? I couldn’t stop talking about them all day so we headed up Lookout Mountain a day early and spent a few hours crawling all over Rock City. We were met with amazing views and I had fun capturing the tiny details that dotted this place over.

Can’t wait for our next adventure! Any places that you would suggest?

Well the countdown has begun, three weeks to the wedding!

Few months ago I was able to catch up with Krista and Joel in Myrtle Beach and had some fun. It was a beautiful day and the wind was cold and fierce but Joel and Krista were such troopers and laughed the entire time.

We were all a bit new to the city so we cruised ‘the infamous strip’ to see what it had to offer. The beach was a must but the boardwalk was a fabulous find and they didn’t even flinch when I suggested we go to new heights. In between the shivering and their infectious laughing you could really see the connection that these two have.

Thanks so much for the fabulous afternoon and braving the cold, I had a blast with y’all!

~C

And I just had to include a shot of my assistant, Stephanie and I channeling a bit of America’s Next Top Model as the fierce wind picked up. Steph later took this picture and add a bit of magazine ‘fun.’ Still cracks me up looking at it.