I would love it if you would check out my new book of photographs. You can view it by clicking its cover below. Thanks for taking a look!
My book was printed by Adoramapix. They did a great job! I found Adoramapix's book-creation software very powerful and easy to use. I will use them for my next book.
I spent a few days on the Carolina coast last week. I stopped at Wilmington to go aboard the battleship USS North Carolina (BB-55) which is now a memorial there. Of course, I shot a few photos of the ship. Here are several of those photos.
View from the fantail looking forward over turret 3
Foremast and superstructure. Note the ship's callsign flags (NIBK)
As a former Navy signalman, I enjoyed spending some time on the North Carolina's signal bridge where I shot the following photos-
Flag bag (signal-flag container)
24" Signal Light
While I was there, while leaning on the port flag bag and using my cell phone, I called my old shipmate, Bob Stockton, and said "Stockton, this is Forrest on the signal bridge." It was just like old times.
I have posted more photos of the battleship on my photo site at ForrestFotos.com. I'd love for you to take a look.
I shot this at the campus of Montreat College, Montreat, North Carolina
A couple of weeks ago, I spent a few days in western North Carolina. I was lucky enough to be there near the peak of the fall foliage. Here are a few of my photos from that trip.
This view is from the Blue Ridge Parkway, north of Asheville
No visit to western North Carolina is complete without a visit to DuPont State Forest in Transylvania County, which is called "The Land of Waterfalls." Here are few of my shots from that area.
Hooker Falls, Dupont State Forest, North Carolina
Covered Bridge, Hooker Falls area, Dupont State Forest, North Carolina
From Covered Bridge, Hooker Falls area, Dupont State Forest
I spent a few hours in Cullowhee on the campus of Western Carolina University, where I watched their football team, the Catamounts, play Appalachian State's Mountaineers. Here's my photo of the statue of Western Carolina's mascot.
Statue of Catamount, mascot of Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina
[Photo note: I shot these photos with Four Thirds format cameras from Olympus (E-30) and Panasonic (G1.) All were edited with HDR software from Nik, and framing software from onOne. I hope you view more of my photos at ForrestFotos.com.]
When Greenville's team became a part of the Red Sox organization, they rebuilt their baseball park to resemble Boston's Fenway Park. The Drive's website gives the following description of their park which is named "Fluor Field at the West End:"
-State of the art Mini Fenway park with interactive video screen, party deck, grassy berm seating, group picnic area, plus more
-Greenville’s own Green Monster is 30´ high with manual scoreboard; there is a Pesky Pole, same notch in center field fence, 310 down LF and 302 down RF.
-Fun new on-field entertainment and community events at each game
-Capacity: Holds over 5,000 – about 60% box and reserved and 40% general admission
-The farthest seat from the field is only 13 rows row back
Fluor Field at the West End is a great place to watch a baseball game! Observing the attire of the folks at the game, it seems that many of the local baseball fans have become Red Sox fans. The weather was beautiful, the refreshments were reasonably priced, everyone was friendly, and we had great (behind home plate) seats. We had a very enjoyable afternoon, and look forward to visiting again.
The Drive's opponents that day were the Asheville Tourists, a Colorado Rockies affiliate. Both teams have some good young players. I plan to hang onto the (free at the park) program for a couple of years to see how many of those young prospects make it to the "show" (major leagues.)
If you find yourself in upstate South Carolina, and you're a baseball fan, you should consider a visit to West End Field in Greenville.
(Original posting June 24, 2006)
Helen and I spent a couple of days in Gaffney, South Carolina. Gaffney is a town in "upstate" South Carolina. That part of the state is in the northwest corner, and only an hour or so from the Smokey Mountains. The rolling hills with their small towns are a refreshing change from the hot and flat lands of Florida.
People who have driven through South Carolina on Interstate 85, remember Gaffney by its landmark peach water tower. The Gaffney area is known for its peaches. We bought some Gaffney peaches from a roadside stand, and they were delicious. Most small towns in the south have water towers. Many of those towers have the town's name printed on them. Gaffney, on the other hand, decided on a water-tower design that would make it distinctive and memorable. They certainly accomplished that goal. The giant peach is visible for miles. The photo of that peach at the top of this post was taken from the other side of I-85. The water tower just happens to be next to the Fatz Cafe, and is not connected to that restaurant.
The peach water tower in the distance can be a strange sight. I can only imagine what it has been mistaken for by strangers. As we traveled around the Gaffney area, we kept getting different views of the peach.
As inscribed on the plate at its base, the Gaffney water tower was selected "Steel Tank of the Year" for 1981, by Steel Plate Fabricators Association. You'll note that the award calls the Gaffney tank "Peachoid." What an appropriate name. It struck me very funny that the tank sits on Peachoid Road. Not far from it, you'll find the Peachview Office Park on Peachview Drive. Peachoid even has its own website. You can visit by clicking If you're ever driving along I-85 in South Carolina, be sure to stop in Gaffney for the world's best peaches. If you have time, you can even sit in Peachoid Park in the shade of the Peachoid while you eat a Gaffney peach.
One thing is certain, you can't drive through this area without thinking about peaches.
Written by Allen W. Forrest, July 04, 2006
