Growing up with three brothers, I know that photo shoots can sometimes be a bit of a struggle. However, the Hardison boys were perfect models (and so were their parents)! While we had a bashful start, by the end, there was a constant stream of “cheese” being said, and as boys will do, they found sticks and ran around. I’m thrilled to be sharing the Hardison Family’s photo shoot with you!
On our recent spring break trip to Virginia beach, we had a photo shoot at First Landing State Park. The original plan was to take beach pictures, but alas, my vision of sunset beach pictures were thwarted by awful wind. So, we regrouped the next day and found a much less windy location. Mom always likes to get annual pictures to update her wall in the living room, and we always have a good time while taking the pictures.
There is really no purpose to this blog post other than to show off my sheep and how awesome they look in the fog. I’m so glad I grabbed my camera, and the sheep made the perfect models. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. Happy Monday!
PS Be sure to read the captions for commentary
Meet Brooks and Jennifer…the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Phillips. They met at college and will graduate in May. Brooks is set to be a full-time youth pastor, and Jennifer plans to teach. These two are total goofballs with each other, and I love that! It was a touch chilly (snow fell the following day), but these guys were naturals in front of the camera. Needless to say it was a fun shoot!
I am so excited to share with you these photos. Jennifer and I have been friends for a long time (we were both homeschooled and went to the same church), so I was ecstatic to be able to take her engagement photos.
The Details: Jennifer’s ring was once her grandmother’s and the quilt in the pictures was made by her other grandmother. It was very special to have those family momentums in such a special event as an engagement. We took their pictures at Historic Yates Mill Park in Raleigh. At the end of the shoot, Jennifer asked me to be her bridesmaids. Brooks and Jennifer will wed on May 27!
Driving home from NC beaches, you may come across a sea of purple. Beautiful fields filled with flowering plants dot the sides of roads headed to the coast. These fields of flowers are not simply to look pretty, nor are they volunteer wildflowers. Rather, they are an upcoming crop for NC farmers. The flowering crop is clary sage.
Clary sage has roots (no pun intended) dating back to the Middle Ages. Used for its calming properties and benefits to the skin, it is not to be confused with the sage you may find in your kitchen spice rack. Clary sage, also known as salvia sclarea, is an herb that is found in many household items for its fragrance. Think dish soap, perfume, and detergent. It first must be extracted, though.
This is where a company in Bertie County comes in. Avoca Inc. is the largest extraction facility in North America for sclareol. They have been in the business since the 1960’s. They take clary sage and produce sclareol which helps fragrances have a longer life in items like soap and perfume. Avoca contracts with many farmers to grow a certain amount of acres. This is appealing for many farmers because so many other crops have huge swings in prices. Clary sage is more stable.
Planted at the end of summer (August) the perennial grows until winter. At this point it becomes dormant until warmer weather hits again. By Late May, early June, the blooms are in full force. Blooms can be purple, pink, or white, depending on the variety. Harvesting begins mid to late June.
The smell the crop produces is obvious. It makes sense, since it is in the fragrance industry. A special harvester is used that cuts up the plants into 1 inch cubes much like silage. The flowers have the highest oil content, but the entire plant is used. The harvest is sent to Avoca where they will extract throughout the year. Here is a video of harvesting:
Avoca contracts with over 120 farms, there are over 25,000 acres being devoted to growing clary sage in eastern North Carolina. North Carolina is definitely a major player in growing clary sage.
I was super excited to see all of the purple fields on the way home from the beach. So excited, I made Alec pull over on the side of the road so I could jump a ditch and take pictures of sage in the setting sun.
If you happen to see the purple (or white/pink) fields in North Carolina, know that they are much more than flowers. They are a farmer’s crop. So, roll down the windows to stop and smell the sage.
Resources:
I was so excited when Mary asked me to help her get ready for her prom (I’ve secretly been dying to get my hands on her gorgeous locks) and take pictures. This girl is my neighbor and like a little sister. I’ve watched her grow into a beautiful young lady who is accomplished and stays super busy with 4-H, livestock, school, and the community. Accompanying Mary to her prom was fellow showman, Alan. My first memory of Alan was him as probably a cloverbud asking a ton of livestock questions. Today, he’s mentoring the cloverbuds.
I couldn’t be more proud of either of these two, and was so glad I got to have a part in their evening!
Although there was rain, with rain comes rainbows, and that is exactly what we got. I hope ya’ll enjoy these!
When it comes to animals being born on the farm, I think I get the most giddy over the lambs. There is something about those little wooly babies and their over attentive mommas.
Aspen was the first ewe to go. We walked outside to 2 little black girl lambs.
Meet Lace….
and Silver…
I just knew it would be a short time before the next lamb would arrive. I checked several times a day and through the night. Alas, it was like watching a pot boil. Finally, Aspen’s sister, Fiona, had a super splashy baby girl that is all diva. Meet Paisley…
We now had 3 more mommas to lamb. I made my predictions as to who would go next. Of course, they decided to spite me and go in all sorts of orders. Our old girl Duff, was the third one to lamb. Once again, we had another little girl, but this one was white! Meet Eve…
We were down to our southdown sisters. Sybil went first and had a super black little girl. I’m somewhat partial to Sybil, so this baby was really exciting for me. Meet Georgette…
The last arrival was Edith’s little white lamb. Once again, we had a girl. While we just missed her birth, we caught her right after, so she was still getting cleaned off by mom. Meet Evelyn…
We are so in love with our 6 little girls. They are all very different, and have way cool wool. We can’t wait to show them at State Fair. They have already been on several field trips to visit kids and tell everybody about wool.
Now that lambing season is over, shearing season is about to begin, so stay tuned! For now, enjoy all of the cuteness.
Rural Ris 