Wise County VA

Poems

as the day breaks

09MAR26

and the world turns

we know no news
me and the big dude
we both choose
freedom of solitude

we don't get caught
we are hard to find
we're in the thoughts
of our own mind

we are spectators
of all as we hide
we like our taters
raw or fried

as the day breaks
and the world turns
our way we make
and lessons learn

like the Psalms
the lessons they tell
all is calm
winds we sail

Since last fall when I first started making plans to make the motorcycle/drone videos this summer I have become a customer of Cycle Gear. They are part of a group of internet stores that includes Revzilla, J&P Cycles and Cycle Gear. I think the name of the parent company is COMOTO. The neat thing about Cycle Gear is that they have brick and mortar stores in several cities. The one in Louisville is on Hurstbourne just below Shelbyville Road. It is really nice to have a local store where you can go in and actually try things on and then have them order you whatever variation that you want. Returns are super simple. You just take the item to the store in the box it came in and they handle it. The guys that work there are all motorcycle riders and they understand that not everything you order is going to work out. And they all love to talk about anything that involves motorcycles.

The reason that I mention this is that several times a year Cycle Gear has a Bike Night. From 5 to 7pm they have food at the store and invite people to come and hang out. Some people ride their bikes but you don’t have to. As far as I can tell every Cycle Gear across the country does this on the same night. The next one will be 10MAR26. So if you have any interest in motorcycles or motorcycle culture or apparel you might want to check it out.

As far as the poem goes. I am pretty sure that bigfoot likes “fried taters.” And if he doesn’t I like them enough for both of us. If you have never been to the south or the farm or Appalachia fried taters aren’t just a food. They are an art form. I remember watching a video of Ricky Skaggs introducing members of Ralph Stanley’s band. A lot of the band members were from the Wise County area in Virginia. I remember Ricky Skaggs saying “Boy they sure know how to fry taters there.”

Enjoy your Monday. I hope that this will be a great week for you.

NOTE: The blog has a menu with more video content. On a computer it is at the top of the screen. On a tablet or mobile device it is the 3 stacked slashes to the right of the word ASTRA. Enjoy the blog.

Poems

just don’t expect

02OCT25

a sharp dressed man

do not fear 
do not despair
bigfoot is here
bigfoot is there

in that he is Nationwide
we are blessed
they just don't hide
in the Pacific Northwest

their reach is long
it does not stop
Nationwide isn't just a song
by ZZ Top

you may think that we're weird
and we probably are
but bigfoot could rock a beard
and a fuzzy guitar

so show some respect
and try to understand
just don't expect
a "Sharp Dressed Man"

We have touched on the VIBE more than once or twice in this blog in the short time that it has existed. And the notion of bigfoot sounds crazy. So since we have already crossed the line into crazy land. We’ll go a step further. In some ways ZZ Top and bigfoot have vibes that seem to overlap somewhat. They seem to occupy a space in the pop culture psyche that makes people smile and enjoy themselves. That is just how they roll. Just when you thought that this blog couldn’t sound any crazier.

I attended the Woodbooger Festival in Norton VA last Saturday. I would encourage you to attend next year. The bigfoot festivals are all a lot of fun. You have a lot of open minded people showing up determined to meet new people and have fun. The town of Norton blocks off several blocks downtown. Even if you have zero interest in bigfoot it is fun to walk up and down and back and forth across the street and look at the old buildings and the beautiful mountains that surround the town. I really like the town of Norton. It seems like that any way you drive into or out of it is beautiful and scenic. But bigfoot will not be outdone. He will let you in on a little secret. He can make you smile even if you do not believe in him. It is part of his magic- how he rolls.

I am working on finishing the slide show of photos that I took of mostly people in bigfoot t-shirts from the festival. On Tuesday I put a new video up on the blog and you tube. It is a little over 2 minute long video of a goose and a donkey who are big buddies from the holler.

If you have problems navigating the blog to find the link for the goose and the donkey video there is a paragraph in yesterday’s blog post dated 01OCT25 that explains specifically how to get to it.

Enjoy your Thursday! Find a way to make someone else smile. If you are reading a bigfoot blog you are probably already over half way there : )

Poems

not to be missed

30SEP25

it’s ladder worth the climb

the truth is free
some of the time
bigfoot's home is a tree
it doesn't cost a dime

a tree is a pole
that grows to the sky
on his soul
he keeps a close eye

in Heaven and Earth
and the in between
it may be worth
studying the unseen

his tracks like fossils
usually really tall
follows tha Apostle
that we call Paul

soon as this is heard
I could get skewered
but bigfoot's words
they're a bit fewer

by truth the angels are bound
on their wings
it is to be found
listen as it sings

not to be missed
it's ladder worth the climb
it always exists
throughout all of time

I am still in the holler this morning. I flew the drone yesterday and took some more video of the goose and the donkey. I then spent the entire afternoon trying to weed thru the clips to whittle the video down to about a 2 minute length. At this point I probably have the goose and donkey’s moves and mannerisms memorized. They seem to have a pretty good life. At least that’s the way it looks from my side of the fence.

Today I will continue to work on that video. I would like to get the photos resized from the Woodbooger Festival so I can put them into a slide show video. But it was so beautiful outside yesterday that I may try to get out and enjoy it some today.

I hope you have a great Tuesday!

Poems

making sure his soul

29SEP25

stays in bounds

swing the axe
swing the gavel
move thru the facts
the truth to unravel

evil hides in fraud
and remains aloof
the path is broad
that explains the truth

you will learn
after you begin it
you can turn
and still be in it

bigfoot rolls
out on his rounds
making sure his soul
stays in bounds

remaining unbroken
looking with peeks
all is mind spoken
that he speaks

in the unknown
out of the view
feel it in your bones
as it rings true

This poem was inspired by a sermon that I listened to a Baptist preacher give yesterday where she explained some of the differences between facts and the truth. It was very well laid out and thought provoking.

I had planned on returning to Louisville today. But when I started to pack I realized that the drone batteries are 100% charged. I think it is recommended that you store them at 40-60%. So I will probably stay one more day so I can fly those batteries down to recommended storage power levels. While I am here I will also start putting the pictures that I took at the Woodbooger Festival in Norton into a you tube slide show that I will link from the blog.

If you are new to the blog you can access almost all of the links to videos in the Drop Down Menu section of the blog. You can access that on your mobile devices by tapping the 3 slashes to the right of the word ASTRA in the upper right hand corner of your screen. If you are on a laptop or desktop the menu should be across the top of your screen.

I hope you get your week off to a great start on this Monday. And if you do not there is still plenty of time to straighten it out and have fun. Smile a lot – like all week!

Poems

it sounded like fighter jets

28SEP25

rumbling in the thunder

festival of the Woodbooger
it sure was nice
smiles sweet as sugar
offering bigfoot advice

the bigfoot talks
couldn't have been greater
even got to walk
into a beautiful old theatre

almost got wet
but plenty tents to get under
it sounded like fighter jets
rumbling in the thunder

thunder and lightning
streets filled with rain
it was so exciting
it was almost insane

there dry under the tent
watching the rain fall
was the storm sent
to teach the way of the tall

making bigfoot calling sounds
they practiced their art
as the town of Norton found
a soft place in my heart

I attended the Woodbooger Festival in Norton VA yesterday. I had a blast. Today will be the last day. You can check out the schedule on the festivals website. The website that Norton does has the full schedule. I will write more about the festival in later posts. I will also be putting out a you tube slide show with the photos I took yesterday.

Enjoy your Sunday!

LInk to Woodbooger Festival 2025 You Tube Slide Show Video.

Poems

it’s a fun game

27SEP25

and really sweet

a festival & a grill
share a name
a beast in the hills
is called the same

together they gather
all together excited
bigfoot would rather
not to be invited

know he will appear
so stay alert
colorful and clear
on many t-shirts

time to unwind
and spend big bucks
in the lines
at the food trucks

it's a fun game
and really sweet
it's in his name
that we meet

we know he'll escape
but we don't despise
we love the big ape
in the county of Wise


The poem is probably not my best work but I am kind of in a rush to get over to the Woodbooger Festival in Norton VA this morning. My cameras should be ready to go. I am looking forward to attending the festival. It will be my first time. I plan to get there and take a quick picture in front of something with the top hat and ukulele. And then I will start taking pictures of the festival and people in their bigfoot t-shirts. Hopefully you will see it in the blog and on you tube in a few days or weeks.

Enjoy your Saturday. Smile a lot. I am pretty sure I will be in a sea of smiles all day. That is pretty much how the bigfoot crowd rolls.

Poems

it’s kind of a door

26SEP25

he opens for you

big is the dude
he is in charge
able to elude
& remain at large

will he be caught
probably no danger
but to our thoughts
he is a rearranger

on the open range
fought with clues
he will change
what you thought you knew

your mind will soar
hope will too
it's kind of a door
he opens for you

magic for certain
has a habit for that
for pulling the curtain
& the rabbit out of the hat

This is the second blog post that sets sail from the holler. It rained here most of the day yesterday. So I didn’t get the drone in the air. It was really pretty to watch all of the rain fall. It is supposed to be foggy this morning and then clear in the afternoon. The Woodbooger Festival starts this evening in Norton VA. I plan on attending tomorrow.

I think that there is a 48% chance of rain tomorrow. I am hoping that it does not rain very much. That might discourage people from showing up. But my bigger fear is that they may wear some type of rain gear that hides the bigfoot t-shirts that I want to photograph and put in the blog/you tube slide show. But I am not going to worry too much about it. Because after extensive study of bigfoot I know that it wouldn’t even faze him : )

Besides I will again refer you to one of my favorite quotes which talks about worrying about things that usually do not even happen.

My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened.

I hope that you have a good Friday.

Reminder: Woodbooger Festival in Norton VA. 26-28SEP25

Poems

to get the hell

25SEP25

out of Dodge

chase the uncaught
if you so elect
& end up getting taught
to show some respect

in your coat of Gore-Tex
& boots by Danner
learn that bigfoot expects
you to show some manners

big rocks he thows
your way they soar
uses them to show
your way to the door

to expell
you from his lodge
to get the hell
out of Dodge

know he threw them
to keep from revealin'
can refer to him
as Matt Dillon

reason he cloaks
so you can't see
this isn't Gunsmoke
on your TV

I am in the holler this morning. I am going to try to get the drone in the air this morning and test some new propellers. And I will also be checking to make sure that I have about 3 cameras ready to go for the Woodbooger Festival. I may try to make a short video of the goose and the donkey that have become fast friends in the field across from the house. If you haven’t seen them there is a picture of them at the beginning and the end of the “bush hogging up in the holler” video. You can find that video in the Drone Flyover Video section in the Drop Down Menu.

The leaves are just starting to turn a little bit. So my heavy rotation of drone flying and filming is still probably a couple of weeks away. In the upcoming weeks and months I will be redoing the Drop Down Menu. I will probably be adding a section that links all the bigfoot videos in the blog. I will also be adding a section that lists GoPro videos on the blog and you tube channel.

I hope you have super Thursday. Smile a lot!

Reminder: Woodbooger Festival in Norton VA. 26-28SEP25

Poems

you know a rainbow

24SEP25

it needs the mist

it is the storm
there you will learn
live in it's dorm
take your turn

you will get wetter
if you get caught
it is so much better
to be storm taught

we are all under
some type of construction
let the thunder
deliver your instruction

is what you like
the best for you
let the lightning strike
test if it is true

your soul knows
it almost insists
you know a rainbow
it needs the mist

bigfoot in the tree line
cloaked in the unknown
he does not mind
getting soaked to the bone

I am loading the car this morning and heading to the holler. The next post should set sail from there. Enjoy your day. Try to smile quite a bit!

Reminder: Woodbooger Festival in Norton VA. 26-28SEP25

Poems

be the thunder

23SEP25

that knows no borders

sing your song
let it fly
& take you along
thru it's sky

bend the notes
be the bell that tolls
let the wind float
well with your soul

bang your drum
make it sound
as they listen from
down on the ground

some things matter
like the truth
let it fall & splatter
on all roofs

be the thunder
that knows no border
you travel under
Heaven's orders

the love you put
through out your sound
will reach even bigfoot
out on his rounds

I will probably leave for Virginia in the morning. That will give me one or two days to settle in before the Woodbooger Festival. Some of my cameras are older. But for the you tube slide shows it really doesn’t matter. On almost any camera that I use I will be encouraged to resize the photos to a lower resolution to improve workflow and performance in the editing process and on you tube. Most people seem to be viewing the videos on mobile devices or tablets so there is not as much concern about detail as there used to be. I am tempted to just shoot the pics in a lower resolution to begin with. But just in case someone asks for a certain pic I plan to keep shooting in the higher resolutions. Learning to jump thru the tech hoops is good for me. And it is fun. It is more fun after you have done it. But a lot of life is probably like that.

I hope that you have a great day. Lead with a smile.

Reminder: Woodbooger Festival in Norton VA. 26-28SEP25

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