North Carolina

bottom photo by Michael Poster, song by Woody Guthrie

An interesting morning on the French Broad River in Western North Carolina the day after heavy rains gave me a winter picture full of grays & blues & mauves. I'm sure the water was cold. It was certainly rushing down out of the mountains at quite a clip.

The French Broad River got its name because the river flows north toward historically French owned land and because the river is so broad (wide). It is popular with fishermen and kayakers. It is one of only 2 rivers in the US that flow north. It has given it's slightly risqué name to many local enterprises...my personal favorite being The French Broad Chocolate Lounge in Asheville...ah the joys of travel to such exotic locations.... As I've said before, it's a tough job...but somebody has to do it.

An abundance of public land in the Appalachian Mountains adds to the appeal of the Asheville area for painters, too, as well as hikers, skiers, rock climbers. It is a welcoming feeling to know the land I want to set up my easel on belongs to me!