A Garden Legacy

This past weekend we visited my parents in Louisiana, and I had a wonderful time photographing their beautiful little vegetable garden.

It's that time of year when the garden is just beginning to "come in," and they are already harvesting tender little green beans, zucchini, bell peppers, and squash.

It won't be long until the cucumbers and tomatoes will be ready ...

I love photographing the vegetables, especially up close. It amazes me to see how the pretty little blooms turn into squash or cucumbers, almost overnight.

I love the delicate looking, yet sturdy, little tendrils of the vines that latch onto the garden stakes and wrap themselves around the stems of the plants.

Our granddaughter Avery Grace was with us, and Mama and Daddy delighted in showing her the garden. She has always loved to explore their gardens, especially when it's harvest time. Here, they are looking for squash that are ready to pick ...

Inspecting the tiny okra plants ...

She was pleased with the "harvest," but had trouble holding it all ...

I think gardening is a wonderful experience for children. Not only do they learn about Nature as they plant their garden and watch it grow, but I think they also learn gentleness, patience, and nurturing in the process.

I'm so glad my parents have been able to share their love of gardening with Avery. I'm sure she will have many fond memories of the times she spent with them in their gardens — not to mention the delicious home-grown cucumbers and tomatoes that are her favorites!

Here are some pictures of Avery visiting their garden last year. Gotta love those garden boots, and look how little she looks. What a difference a year makes ...

One of my all-time favorite pictures ...

And here she is planting tomatoes with her great-grandaddy when she was four ...

Thank you, Daddy ... for this priceless legacy you're giving Avery by sharing your love of gardening with her.

Daddy's Garden

Yesterday, we took our five-year-old granddaughter Avery to visit her great-grandparents who live in West Monroe, Louisiana, about an hour's drive from Vicksburg. My parents are in their 80s, and have a very special and precious relationship with Avery. She is very blessed to be able to spend a lot of time with her great-grandparents, which I think is rather rare these days.

Avery is fascinated by my daddy's garden and enjoys the fruits of his labor, or perhaps I should say the vegetables of his labor, especially the little "cherry" tomatoes and cucumbers. Although it's a small garden, it always produces a bounty of vegetables for my parents to enjoy during the summer and still be able to give some away to family and friends.

The garden is just beginning to produce, and we enjoyed watching Avery as Daddy gave her a "tour," and let her pick some zucchini, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes.

It was a very special day, and I'm thankful I was able to capture it with my camera.

This is the front of my parents' house ...

And here is Daddy's garden ...

This is my favorite picture of all the ones I took yesterday. Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words!

I love this next one, too. Avery looks so tiny sitting there by herself. I'd love to know what she was thinking.

She had a ball exploring the garden,
especially in her shiny new red rain boots.

This is an old sign I made for Mama and Daddy many years ago, and even though it is faded and "weathered," you can always find it near his garden.

Here are some close up pictures I took of the vegetables ...

Zucchini

Eggplant

Cherry Tomatoes

Daddy is not the only one with a green thumb. Mama is in her glory when she is outside working in their yard, and has an eye for achieving a natural "old-fashioned" look. This is their patio area ...

As I said, it was a very special day and one I think Avery will remember for a very long time.