Yesterday, I was in Border’s Books waiting for my wife to chose a couple books. So, I went over to the section called, All Things Local, which has books containing North Carolina history, photography, important people, places, etc. I picked up a couple of photography books. These were your typical picture books, containing ultra highly saturated images made to invoke a “Wow!!!” response. None did. 
Don’t get me wrong, they were good, but a bit over the top in color … for my tastes.
As I sat at a table going through one of them one sentence caught my eye. The author, whose name I didn’t make a note of said something to the effect:
I grew up in North Carolina and took my surroundings for granted. I thought they were normal. I didn’t realize that I had taken it for granted until I joined the military and was stationed in Lubbock, Texas for 5 months. There, in Lubbock, there were miles and miles and miles of brown, uninterrupted horizon. There was something missing. Green.
He went on to talk about North Carolina’s 3 distinct environments: Mountains, beach, and the central Piedmont area.
It’s been 3 years now since I moved from Dallas, TX to Charlotte, NC. I’ve never even once regretted it. My recent visit to Dallas, reconfirmed that it was the right choice. Here, there is green everywhere, even in the middle of summer … green! What makes that green possible? Water!!! Lots of water.
Oddly enough, I’ve not been to a North Carolina beach since I’ve been here. My wife prefers Seabrook Island, SC, and it’s some 3 hours closer! We’ll change that this year, as we are planning an excursion to Duck, NC, which is about a 7 hour drive from Charlotte.
So, it’s time to explore NC a bit more. I’ve seen but a tiny portion of this wonderful state in the last 3 years. It’s time to see more.
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6 Responses to “It’s all about the green.”
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Awesome post today, Paul. Well written text combined with a wonderful balance of photographs that went nicely with your writings. North Carolina has always been one of my favorite states, though I’ve not done much more than drive through it now and again. I look forward to seeing more of it through your lenses this year.
Well done!
Paul, you make an excellent point. Every state has untapped photo ops within our reach. I’m looking forward to what you bring back from those drives. Your b/w is beautifully contrasted, and I *love* this last delicate macro. Is that a waterfall in the background?
Micki: Thanks! I’m looking forward to seeing more of the state, myself! I need to get up your way, into VA, too!
Bonnie: That last photo is the blossom of a Mimosa tree. They are an aggressive, non-native tree here in NC. They are everywhere! The background is another blossom.
Lovely collection of images….all are beautiful.
I especially like your b&w image of the waterfall; a nice rendition of what is normally “green.”