Picking apples

I have never visited Baugher's Orchard as a customer before, but that all changed Monday.
I have taken photographs there for the newspaper I used to work for.
The object of our visit Monday was a family outing to pick apples.
Shirley made an apple pie a week ago from fruit from a tree at home. It was very good, so why not another one or two.
So it was time to get more apples and there's not a better place for apples than Baugher's.
The pick your own is a nice setup. You get a wagon ride to the orchard. They drop you off next to the trees after a short ride which children and adults will enjoy.
The apples rows are identified, so you can pick the variety you like.
After a short shopping trip in the market, where we brought some fresh cider, it was off to a petting zoo.
Shirley and the kids had a great time feeding the animals. The goats were jumping on them and following them around. They enjoyed feeding a calf and horse.
Shirley said it was the best petting zoo she has seen. I agree. It was good and it was free.
As you can see, I had my camera with it. I shot some art shots of apples and the sun, along with apples on the tree and on the ground. Shirley enjoyed feeding the animals including a llama. There were flowers at the orchard store including a great fall flower, mums.

Dover2

I awoke Sunday to the sound of rain. I checked the weather and saw on radar the rain was moving out of the area.
So it was off to Dover and my last NASCAR race of the year. The rain ended and the track was dried to start the race on time.
I like shooting the drivers on their way to the drivers meeting. It is a good chance to get interaction between fans and drivers, if fans recognize the drivers. Sunday, Kurt Busch walked right through the crowd and I didn't see anyone stop him.

One of the things I look forward to at the track is to catch up with Dustin Long. He is the NASCAR writer with Landmark Communications. We used to work in Carroll County at the same newspaper. Being on the NASCAR beat, he knows what is going on behind the scenes.
Another item I like on race day is pre-race activities, including the flyover. Sunday was a C-130 that is being deployed to Afghanistan this week.
I like to shoot in turn two at Dover. I usually shoot about 100 laps there. This time I shot 27 laps so I could get to pit row, so I missed the big wreck down the back stretch.
I went to pit row to shoot a member of Jeff Burton's team. Dan Blizzard is the front tire changer for the #31. He is from Mount Airy, which is a town in Carroll County.
I enjoy shooting the race, but I get a bigger satisfaction shooting people pictures on Friday and before the race.
Now I will follow the chase on TV until next season.

Dover1

Friday saw me back at the track. I was shooting NASCAR at Dover.
It was a good day as I was able to get some good shots of Nationwide and Sprint drivers along with the up and coming drivers in the Camping World East.
Ryan Truex wrapped up the East title. He is the younger brother of Sprint Cup driver, Martin Truex Jr.
A close-up of Nationwide driver Justin Allgaier shows the intensity before practice. Also a nice moment between brothers Kenny and Mike Wallace in the Nationwide garage.
The fall race at Dover shows the shadows getting longer. I always watch the shadows of the photographers during qualifying. Another item I check at Dover is the reflection on the wheels in the Nationwide garage. The spotters on the roof were shot against a dramatic sky during practice.
It's a long and tiring day, but I always feel better when I look at the images at the end of the day.