Shades of Orange with Cooter and Tulip Trees

Sunday was a dreary day but I grabbed the camera and headed to Sperryville where Cooter, from the TV series, Dukes of Hazard, was having a grand opening of his DOH museum and clothing store. I know nothing about the program except that it's a firm American favorite, and I was hoping that some of the cast might be attending.

Cooter, or Ben Jones, was present at the front of the store signing books and clothing. He had a long line patiently waiting and the store was packed.

He did say 'cheese' when I asked for a photo, and when he smiled I immediately recognized him from the show. A famous clip from the show is here, for those of you that don't know him. He throws the first punch.

I was impressed with the amount of merchandise available and it seemed the fans were too. It was flying off the shelves. Quite a few folks were already wearing their DOH gear and I bet Cooter was thrilled with the success of his opening.

The show's vehicles were outside and everyone was taking photos, including the local police force. I spotted a couple of police cruisers that had stopped and the officers were using their cell phones to take shots.
Despite the miserable weather there was live music playing out the back with a BBQ and an ice cream van providing refreshments. I didn't stop though. Leaving the fans to continue  enjoying their afternoon I drove down back roads towards home.

I crossed over a small creek and decided to give my neutral density filter a whirl. I could only take a few experimental shots before the rain came down harder and I had to take cover in Stuart. But I think I've got the idea so will aim at taking more soon.
Later in the afternoon I walked over to one of the Tulip Trees we have on the hill. These blooms don't last for long and with the many storms we've been having lately, there was no time like the present to enjoy them. Last year I missed their flowering season completely, I had amazingly failed to notice these beautiful blooms, so today I was going to capture them. I'm glad I did, the ground was already littered with thousands of brown petals but there were still a few lemon and orange flowers gleaming amongst the leaves. I used my camera and macro lens on my iPhone.