I have decided to try another clothesline session as I have still not gotten quite what I have envisioned in my mind. I know I want an old time Mother -Daughter picture with the Mom singing as she is hanging clothes and dressed in old cotton dresses and wearing an apron. I went out and found an old wicker laundry basket ,which I think is important and Teresa Wassum ( Owner of the Reed Creek Farm ) is going to hang a pretty old quilt on the line for me. I have taken some pix of her little niece Kassie Hackler who has the most wholesome country face and her Mom, Lisa has a timeless country woman look that is hard to describe, but she has it . 
So we are gonna hang out at the clothesline tonight and see if we can create some magic. I will come back later and post some samples! Wish us luck and hopefully no storms tonight !

I met Helen a few years ago at Wayne's shop (They have been a couple and play together for 20 years ) 
We met at The Reed Creek Farm yesterday and did some portraits of her around the farm and in the kitchen and I think we got some sweet ones. It began to rain (which has been nightly ) during our photo session and so we got on the porch to chat. Helen and I are the same age and so we had fun talking about the sixties and how folks didn't mind having it rough back then as it was all part of the adventure . We hitch hiked and lived in VW buses and just rambled around and made friends wherever we went. Helen pointed out  that music is really a community of wonderful folks and I totally agree . I mentioned that art and music feels like a religion , a way of believing and living because of how it enhances everyones life and increases good will among those who take part.
Helen started a wonderful program a few years ago called JAM Junior Appalachian Music program 'Building community one note at a time ' . This program helps kids who do not have the exposure to music or the ability to buy an instrument a chance to learn to play and appreciate the music of our mountains ! Its a wonderful program and I commend her and all those involved in caring about the children and passing it on !
Thank you Helen !

I drove out to Wayne Henderson's shop last week. Tuesday is always visitor day and always pretty busy , but I had chatted with Herb by email and set up his interview and he said he was even gonna bring a clean shirt ! :) I asked about interviewing Wayne and Herb said I would need to just see if Wayne could fit it in when I got there .
When I arrived I was glad to see Wayne's daughter Jayne there and her sweet dog 'Harper'. I bonded with Jayne last year while she made my 'Baby Jayne' guitar and I interviewed her and her Momma , Carol , so I feel like we are old friends now.
When I went in the shop I was surprised to see Stevie Barr there, as I have been after him for an interview so we got to chat about that and he promised to make time this summer for me to interview him and his momma , Becky.
Herb and I did some portraits on the porch and then sat under the tree in the yard and did his interview . I did not know he was also a bee keeper and he shared some interesting facts about bees with me ! We talked about what it was like growing up in the old days and I was shocked to find he is 20 years older than me ! It was my birthday that day July 7th and I had just turned 65 and , if you have seen Herb he sure does not look any older than me ! Not sure what his secret is unless its his gentle steady disposition . Herb always has a sweet smile on his face. I think you will enjoy his interview when you read it !
I was also picking up a guitar that wayne had kindly repaired for me and I heard it was a doozy to repair . He did a great job on it and it now sounds good ! ( This was a guitar made by another luthier ) I asked wayne if he would grant me a small interview and he joked that he was not gonna talk as long as Herb did ! Ha! We sat on the porch and talked for bout 40 minutes and I asked him about his Momma , whom I know he loved dearly. I had wanted to get a good portrait but some folks from NY showed up and Wayne needed to visit with them as they had called and he was expecting them. Wayne always welcomes visitors !
I will get back another day and get some more pix and get wayne to sign my Baby Taylor that will be in my Kickstarter campaign !

I have been a busy gal this past week  ! On a personal note , my daughter , who got her Masters in May from James Madison University was hired back there as a Career and Academic Adviser , which Im sure she will be awesome at and she found a perfect little apartment in downtown Staunton, which was exactly where she wanted to move to ! So yes , I am a proud Mommy !
Last week , I interviewed little Ruth Shumway at the Reed Creek Farm in Wytheville (Can you tell I love that place ?) I first saw Ruth at Merlefest 2014 where she was entertaining the crowd in the children's tent with her adept fiddle skills ,and I then found her on Facebook and asked her to join the project !  She arrived just as a major thunderstorm hit the area which caused downed tress and electrical outage to a thousand homes ! Ruth and her mom, Mary, braved the storm and we did the portrait and the interview as the rain pelted the ground and fell in sheets over the gutters ! She also brought her little dog Dixie and she was a trooper during the portrait session. Ruth says she loves to sing to the fiddle but I think the storm was a bit too much for little Dixie to perform !
Ruth is only 12 but already an award winning fiddle player with sights on going to the Berkeley School of Music when she leaves high school. But she says she will leave all options open at this young age ,as she also has a love for science and art. Im sure Ruth is headed towards success in many areas !
Last Wednesday Jeanette and Johnny Williams came out to the farm and we were very fortunate that the weather was dry and almost sunny ! Jeanette plays a mean bass and has a beautiful voice ! I first met her in 2007 when I heard her perform " Enough of You " an original song that she wrote herself and which she won best song at Merlefest that year ! She continues to win awards and delight audiences here and in Europe, with her beautiful vocals. Jeanette points out that she will never be where she is without her husband Johnny and her wonderful band members !
We took some pretty pictures of Jeanette around the farm , but we decide against going on the barn, when we noticed a huge black snake lying right in front of the barn door ! Ha! 
Tomorrow I will be interviewing Helen White and I will be back with the details of our session together !
Thanks for visiting y'all !