North Carolina is a beautiful state. The visual treats begin at the eastern end on the sandy beaches, its shallow rivers and coves, to the factories and farms of the Piedmont hills in the central region , and westward into the rugged heart of the Southern Appalachians, where folks like Daniel Boone navigated through the forests, while they hunted for their livelihood, and traded with the indians.

I recently moved to the western Piedmont- the “gateway to the mountains”. It’s summer. The heat is something to think about whenever you have to leave the house, but the skies are a beautiful blue, with fluffy cumulous clouds… until the lightning bolts begin to flex their muscles, and begin heaving  sheets of rain upon the land. The thunderstorms indeed, seem like an almost daily event, for an hour or so.

So… out of convenience, I have begun my efforts to photograph NC in the Piedmont. This “gateway to the mountains” has thus become my gateway to begin capturing the essential beauty of this state, which is affectionately known as the Tarheel State.