One Bright Morning

A view of Westbend Vineyards in Lewisville, North Carolina on a clear winter day.

In the recent post titled Barren Beauty, I featured a photo of Westbend Vineyards from a not-so-typical viewpoint. Of course, in that shot, a tree in the foreground was the primary subject, and the old home place was off in the distance, barely visible. But for the above photo, I moved considerably closer, positioned not far from the small pond that’s below a section of the vineyards and the old home place.

For today’s post, I’ve created several alternative versions of this photo, some of which are radically different. In case you’re “allergic” to radically modified photos, I’ve also prepared a few more mild-mannered versions!

Please continue to the NEXT SECTION to check out the alternative photos. Wherever you fall on the photo spectrum, I hope you’ll find a photo that you particularly like. You may even prefer the above version. Caution: Some of the photos are really different! CLICK to see MORE PHOTOS

Barren Beauty

In the winter, the old home place at Westbend Vineyards, with its red roof, can be spotted in the distance through the barren woods while driving on Shallowford Road.

Vigilance

I continue to be amazed by moments of beauty — beautiful moments that exist even on a seemingly ordinary winter day in a seemingly ordinary small town.

Quite often, though, seeing beauty in the ordinary is not easy. Vigilance is required in order to see through the everydayness of our lives to behold the beauty that’s truly there — whether the beauty is to be found in a landscape, an individual or a concept.

Barrenness

I think I was drawn to the above scene because of the beauty of its barrenness. There is no foliage to cover the tree’s imperfections or the decaying effects of time. The grass and shrubbery around the tree are dormant and brittle. The few leaves still left on the tree are shriveled and barely hanging on.

Yet the tree stands tall in the light, as if willing to be seen for what it is.

Parable

Perhaps the barren tree is a parable of how to live life: Without pretense. Willing to stand in the light and be seen. On a path of growth, despite imperfections and the decaying effects of time. Able to bare one’s soul, despite dormant and brittle circumstances. Hanging onto truth through seasons of doubt.

Be sure to check out other Westbend Vineyards articles featured on this website.

Divine

Reverence and exhilaration is what I felt as I watched the sleepy fields of Westbend Vineyards awaken on a recent early-morning visit. From a distance the dew-covered grapevines sparkled as the morning light moved across the rolling terrain.

At the time, I wasn’t sure how best to capture the breadth of the experience — and I felt limited because I did not have permission to roam the property. Perhaps in the future I can explore more there and can hopefully come away with some captivating images of early-morning light in the vineyards.

For now, I hope you’ll enjoy this close-up shot.

Be sure to check out other Westbend Vineyards articles featured on this website.