Spring finally showed up in western North Carolina. Here, our rescue border collie Diggity is checking out a crocus under the chestnut tree out behind our cabin.

A few years back, mule Polly and I spent over a year traveling by wagon from Canada to Mexico. I filmed the voyage which became the award-winning docuemntary "The Lost Sea Expedition" (Rocky Mountain PBS / Amazon). We followed mostly back roads like this one that turned to grave on the other side of the sign. (Crow Flats, Texas)

My mule Polly and I recently visited Oriental, North Carolina, to be a part of the village's 150th birthday parade. Here mule Polly is taking a post-parade to fill up on clover alongside a village street.

This is a mosaic of past and future Photos of the Day. I posted this to give you a sense of what these photos look like when viewed together as a group. The Photo of the Day started as an experiment to see what a bunch of pictures posted over time looked like when viewed as a whole. I'm not sure I see a pattern, but who cares? I'm having fun with it.

Of all the photos I've taken on my game cameras - an eight point buck, a troop of raccoons or a drunk bubba with his shirt off walking in front of a beater at 2 am - this one made me smile the most. It's a special bear that checks your Posted signs at night!

In addition to being a great rider, master of hounds, and tinkerer, Julia's dad, Harlowe Carpenter, was a sculptor. His big thing was turning old farm equipment like threshers, tedders and tractors into sculptures. This is one of my favorites on a frosty morning. I call it Bat Dog.
The one thing Harlowe wasn't great at was welding. Over the years, I've rewelded half of the pieces we own. Who cares. It just makes them more loved.

In case you need reminding. This sign caught my eye at a flea market a few miles from our home. (Hudson, NC)

A seed head bends under an icy load on the trail that leads to the top of our mountain