Inverse Cupola

This morning, I woke up in an old house in Sylva. It was dark, and the faint light of the east acted as filter against the tree branches. Before long, I was dressed and ready to go, and enjoyed a nice breakfast at the owner's table of eggs and sausage. It was a great way to start the day...

But when I went out the door to take my bags to the car, I was struck by the sight of the Jackson County Courthouse out that side of the house. A strong, old white (and apparently) wooden structure, the courthouse sits up on the hill overlooking Sylva. The building has a great metal cupola as its crown, with a golden figure as its principal jewel. It all struck me as the epitome of a small town. The river ran by downtown, and the railroad through the center of this great old city (with its one way streets) and the courthouse supervising it all was just a great sight to start my day.

The cool air didn't slow me... I pulled out the camera, changed the lens, and snapped. Forgot to check the shutter speed and got this washed out mess... or so I thought. I sped it up, took a few more and just was thankful to capture this scene that had left me lost in a moment and a place I hadn't expected.

From there, I had an early meeting in Sylva, made about 100 calls between there and Newland, and then had dinner with some Avery classmates. Drove to momma and daddy's house in the falling snow, loving the slow movements and the drifting white, leaving the sky and my view filled with one of the most amazing things we experience. Yes, there's been lots of snow, and if I lived here it would have made me crazy, but I am just thankful that I have gotten to share it.

Tonight, when I started to work on my post and I went to pull off the pics, this "mistake" most struck me. Because it was unexpected. It looked almost like an x-ray or a snowy day or nearly everything it wasn't. Reminded me that perspective is both singular and unique. Reinforced the message I received yesterday: "You will only benefit from resisting the temptation

to think immediately about the worst possible outcome." So very true.

And I'll end with a Facebook status message I saw the other night as a wish to my friends: Sleep the sleep of the just.

D90 300mm f/8 1/8 ISO 400