Illumination
Beautiful morning light bathes an old spruced-up tobacco barn along Shallowford Road in Lewisville, North Carolina.
Rapturous Light
Although cloudy, overcast days possess their own kind of beauty, for me, it’s the brilliant light of early morning and late evening that stirs my soul and my imagination. I long to capture what such rapturous light evokes within me. Although that quest seems nearly impossible, still I try.
One recent morning, light was working its magic seemingly everywhere I looked. As I rounded a wide curve on Shallowford Road, not far from NC Highway 421, this old, now-spruced-up tobacco barn caught my eye. So I pulled over and began photographing it.
More Photos of the Old Tobacco Barn
To see MORE PHOTOS of the old tobacco barn, please continue to the NEXT SECTION. CLICK to see MORE PHOTOS of the old tobacco barn
Lessons from a Llama
A llama in Lewisville, North Carolina appears to bask in the light of a brilliant sunset.
Stunning Discovery
I might never have shown you this photo had it not been for a conference I recently attended called “Shame Off You.” The conference, held at Reynolda Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, addressed the symptoms of and the path toward freedom from the effects of shame.
Led by Senior Pastor Alan D. Wright, the conference was based on Pastor Wright’s book, Shame Off You. One of the “quizzes” we conference attendees took contained 24 statements that we were to mark as either “true” or “false.”
Once everyone had completed the questionnaire, Pastor Wright informed us that all of the statements were “false.” I was stunned because I had marked 20 of the 24 statements as “true.” Simply stated, those 20 statements represented false assumptions that I’ve built my life upon. One of those assumptions is:
“Perfect is always better than good.”
I’m slowly realizing that if I continue to measure my work, my goals, my relationships, and even myself against a self-constructed model of perfection, I’ll miss out on the “good” opportunities that will come my way. While I accept this concept in theory, in reality, it’s not easy to implement.
This “perfection” issue surfaced again this week when I considered whether to share the above photo with you.
CLICK for more on perfectionism and lessons from a llama
Reflections
For years I’ve regularly driven Highway 421 between Lewisville and Winston-Salem. On so many occasions, I looked over at the property of Joe’s Landscaping and Nursery and saw the sunlight creating a strikingly beautiful scene. Most often it was early morning light or late evening light that transformed portions of the property into nature’s works of art.
Whenever I observed those beautiful scenes, I’d typically experience a brief feeling of euphoria, followed by a tinge of emotional pain. Why the pain?
The pain has something to do with seeing a moment of beauty and wanting to capture and share it, but having to let go of that possibility, due to demands or circumstances. In this instance, a four-lane, rush-hour scenario was the foremost deterrent! Even though I knew pulling off the highway was not realistic, that still did not assuage the sense of loss that I felt.
Perhaps the desire to share the beauty one observes is common to those of us who are artists at heart. Whatever the reason for that desire, I think it’s in my DNA.
Evening Light
The late evening light was painting a beautiful scene before me as I walked by this house on Shallowford Road. For the first time, I stopped to read the historical marker that had been placed on the property in 2007 by the Lewisville Historical Society. The text of the marker reads:
CHARLES L. SPAUGH HOUSE, ca. 1900 — Charles L. Spaugh, a Christian and civic leader in Lewisville, built this large two-story house with lumber from his own sawmill for his wife Doris Alspaugh and their family. Jesse Joel Jones, Sr., and his wife Annie Shermer Jones purchased this home in 1931. The ownership of this house has remained in the Jones family for 75 years. One of the notable owners includes Lola Elizabeth Jones Kiger.
When I was growing up, my family simply referred to the house as the “Kiger House.” I hadn’t heard of Charles Spaugh before, nor had I realized the house was over 100 years old. Like so many things or buildings I frequently pass by in Lewisville, I’d not given much thought to the background of this house.
Hmmm, I think I’ll investigate the other historical sites in the township. I’ll keep you posted! Meanwhile, you can view a few more photos in the Charles Spaugh House photo gallery.
