Another Vollis Simpson Whirligig

This immense whirligig sits in the NC Museum of Art sculpture park.  Vollis Simpson, a North Carolina farmer, built these creations and put them up at his farm.  He became famous and was declaired to be a visionary artist of the junkyard by the New York Times at his death in 2013. 

Camp Polk

This smoke stack is all that's left of Camp Polk.  The land is now the North Carolina Museum of Art.  

Confederate soldiers trained here at Camp Mangum, which later became Camp Polk, a World War 1 tank training facility.  In 1920 it became Camp Polk Prison Farm, which initially incarcerated primarily African American men.  The infamous prison farm became a youth detention center and later was shut down, and sat vacant for many years.  In 2001 the land was reassigned to the museum.

Cedar Waxwings

These guys came visiting in huge numbers earlier this spring.  They flocked in our holly tree that was loaded with berries.  They would swoop in and then, for no apparent reason, the whole group would sweep back out.  They make a high pitched whistle, and you can hear them more than see them as they hide in the trees.

Backyard visitor

If we hadn't gotten close, we never would have seen this little guy.  He was hidden under a bush way in the back of the yard.  His mom had parked him there.  She was probably nearby watching.  From what I found out, baby deer do not have any scent, so they are safer away from the mother so predators can't sniff them out.

Mom must have seen us looking at him and come back for him, because a little bit later he was gone.

Sunflowers Cafe

Sunflowers Cafe at 8 West Peace street used to be a Hardee's.  The shape of the building is the same, but that's about all.  Their goal is to "serve you the freshest, tastiest food we can with a smile." 

Old bottles?

They look old, but they may just be dirty, used in a demonstration at the Walnut Creek Wetlands park near downtown Raleigh.

Street Pianos

Artsplosure supported all the arts.  There were "Art Pianos" scattered all up and down Fayetteville street. 

Puppeteer

This little lady was singing Amy Winehouse songs at the Artsplosure in downtown Raleigh last weekend.  

Art and Life

At the Artsplosure art festival in Raleigh last weekend there was a street corner painter, Dan Nelson, painting the street corner.    I looked at the painting, and then looked down Davie Street, and there was the same scene!

I looked at another of his paintings, and then looked up Fayetteville street to the capitol.  My picture is a few blocks farther up, but he got it right! 

Idun

This sculpture, in the gardens at the JC Raulston Arboretum, is called Idun by Christopher Hampton Johnson.  I looked up the word Idun.  It is the name of the Norse goddess of eternal youth...and also a clothing store in St Paul Minnesota.  Hmmm I wonder what that all means...?

Finally they bloom

The Magnolia trees have been teasing us with their buds for weeks.  Finally they are in full bloom.  Now I see why the magnolia flower is a symbol of the South.  The large size, lemony smell and glossy leaves make these flowers special.

Strawberry season

It's strawberry season at the State Farmer's Market.  The aisles all smell like a berry farm.  You can buy by the flat, gallon, quart or just sample one berry.

Into the Garden

This garden gate always looks so inviting.  I don't know what's behind the gate, but it must be something special.

The Mecca

The Mecca Restaurant has been  in downtown Raleigh since 1930.  It's a family owned and is run by the grandson of the original owner.

Guardian of the flowerbed

We've seen this guy before, when there was nothing blooming.  Now I see that he is the guardian of the flowerbed.  The latest of his charges are little white flowers.  Earlier in the spring it was the daffodills.

He seems to take his job very seriously.  

Machinery

This old machine sits behind a net fence in Durant Nature park.  It looks like a horse drawn farm implement of some kind.

Whirligig

This whirligig by Vollis Simpson sits above 120 E Martin street, an outdoor seating area for a downtown restaurant.   Vollis Simpson was a North Carolina farmer and folk artist who created large whirligigs on his land in Wilson NC.  When he passed away the New York Times called him: "a visionary artist of the junkyard..."    Here's more on his life: http://www.wilsonwhirligigpark.org/the-artist/ They now have a museum to preserve his sculptures in his hometown of Wilson, NC.

RDU Terminal 2

People are usually pretty crazed running for flights or dragging home from a long trip.  But if you look up, Terminal 2 at Raleigh-Durham Airport is very beautiful.

Tulip Poplar

The tulip poplar trees have strange flowers.  They do look like tulips, but they grow very high up on the tree so they're hard to spot.  Usually all you see are the flowers after they fall to the ground.  I have to get way above them to look down and take the picture.  These flowers were probably 20 feet in the air.  

Ready to Pop

 The magnolias are finally ready to pop open.  The trees look like  Christmas trees with candles ready to be lit.  A few buds are starting to open.  You can already smell the sweet lemony smell.

PNC building downtown

Looking up at the PNC building from Fayetteville street it looked like it was part of the sky.

garden sculpture #3

I had to look at this one for a while before I saw how clever it was. 

Which Quadrant?

This sign was on the wall in a local high school.  My guess is that they're trying to get the kids to work in quadrant II although, as a high school teacher, I was always working in quadrant III.  Now that I'm retired, I'm very happy in quadrant IV.

Marbles

Raleigh has an amazing children's museum called Marbles.  It's right downtown on Moore Square.  Their philosophy is that children learn through play.  And the kids do play!  The noise level can get unbearable for an adult at times.

Rodin again

They have an impressive collection of Rodin sculptures at the NC Museum of Art.  Some are outside in their own little garden area, but they have a whole room dedicated to his sculptures inside, including "The Thinker" and "The Kiss".   I'm not sure who this lady is, but my 3 year old granddaughter was very upset that she didn't have any arms. 

Well, you've got to look good, right?

This truck was parked in amongst all the food and beer trucks at the Brewgaloo downtown.  I guess you always need to look good...

Watermelon house

What it really is, is a mystery.  It sits on a busy street by itself.  But it does look like a slice of watermelon with the colors reversed.

Mountains to sea trail

The Mountains to sea trail runs 1,200 miles from the western edge of North Carolina at Clingmans Dome in the Great Smokey Mountains  to Jockey's Ridge on the Outer Banks.  It goes through Raleigh on its way.  This access trail in the Wilkerson Nature Preserve connects to the Mountains to Sea trail at Falls Lake.

flock of flamingos

No, I don't think flamingos are native to North Carolina (at least here in Raleigh)  This was part of the play area at the Arboretum spring fling.  It was a flamingo ring toss.

Red Maple

I think of red leaves in the fall, but this red maple was just leafing out in the spring.  Even the winged seeds were a deep red.

Let's eat...the landscaping!

In our old place in Denver we had a large garden and most of the summer I could run out at dinnertime and pick something.  Here in Raleigh, our backyard is shady and visited often by deer and rabbits.  So instead I'm trying something new.  The catchword is "Foodscaping".  Using edible plants in landscaping.  I'm tucking lettuce, carrots, Kale, rosemary, thyme and chives in among the ornamental plantings.  I've got tomatoes and peas in containers.  So far the only thing looking promising is the lettuce, but who knows...?