Views from Carolina (Feb 25-27)

I liked this photo, one of three I got which is one of the reasons why its always good to have a camera at the ready! Mollie, the border collie (which you can see at the lower left) heard a noise outside; there was a cat outside. It made it to the neighbors fence, and with some help from the neighbors dog; it was pretty well pinned on the pole. Cats like to wander the neighborhood, but the local dogs seem to take great offense at this; perhaps it is jealousy but whatever the reason thought it was pretty neat. No cats got hurt in this encounter (though to be honest, maybe its lucky no dogs got hurt!) but it was funny to see that classic confrontation we see so often in cartoons and other lore come to pass. Mollie is one of my two border collies, and is a constant source of amusement and energy. In fact the breed has a lot of energy bouncing from one adventure to another. In that, they and I are a really good match for each other. They make me smile, I make them go on great neighborhood walks, catch frisbee and tennis balls, and give them a lot of love in the meantime; which I get back in spades!
Mentioned in the previous post going to Stewart-Haas Racing; in one of the photos was a long shot of this bike. It was built by Orange County Choppers, which is actually based in New York. They have a show on the Discovery Channel; a rather wild family in a long running series. Conflicts are pretty funny, and in between the arguments (and now lawsuits) they manage to make some pretty good motorcycles. This bike was made in 2004 and is totally custom. The length of it was quite remarkable, and it would certainly be no fun on a twisty road. However, it is an interesting creation, and one of a kind (with I am sure a price to match!)
Sure looks different in the wintertime, but a favorite street in Concord is Union Street. In the middle is the "Old Downtown" but it has some very old houses, many of which have been updated over the years but still keep a lot of the old charm. Like the houses, the trees that line the street are also very old. At one time many of the movers and shakers of the region lived in these houses. One of the houses was owned by Mr. Cannon, who founded Cannon Mills, the former great textile complex in Kannapolis, NC. Each trip home I take some time to take a ride or a drive down that street. This was taken on Sunday morning February 27.
Previous post had a photo of Charlotte Motor Speedway, well this tent is in one of the giant parking lots, and will be the site of the latest Cirque DuSoleil presentation in the next few days. The group is a frequent visitor to the area, and puts on quite a remarkable presentation; a very fun and different sort of "circus". Much like with Richmond, the racetrack is home to a number of events, and not just racing. Although with the big track, the dirt track, and the new dragstrip auto events do dominate events that happen on the property. The race tracks are just up the road from the big Concord Mills Shopping Center, which is quite a sight as well.
Weekend was a very fun and interesting event. Coming up this weekend in Richmond will be going to see the Picasso exhibit with a very special guest; my best friend in the world, and the best wife a man could ask for. I will be bringing some of that in my next post!