A Family Getaway in Blue Ridge, Georgia

On April 14th of this year, I wrote a post about planning our family vacation in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Well, 138 days and a lot of planning and list-making later, today's the day we all have been waiting for since that day back in April.

This will be our third trip to Blue Ridge, and there will be ten of us, ranging in age from 4 to 84. We have reserved a mountain lodge located on the Toccoa River, near the quaint little mountain town of Blue Ridge ...

If you would like to read my post from April, and learn more about what there is to see and do in the Blue Ridge area, you can click here.

I'm looking forward to capturing with my camera some of the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains to share with you this week.

Scenes from the Mississippi Delta

Yesterday I shared some pictures I took of sunflowers in the Mississippi Delta (scroll down or click on the link, if you'd like to read that post).

Today I'd like to share a few more pictures I captured while up in the Delta, near Rolling Fork, Mississippi. They are of random scenes and landscapes that caught my eye.

One of my favorite scenes is this gorgeous plantation home near Anguilla, Mississippi, which is called Mont Helena. It is built on an Indian Mound, and you can literally see it for miles away across the flat Delta farmlands surrounding it.

The house is in the process of being lovingly restored by its owners.

To see Mont Helena from a different perspective (and some truly awe-inspiring photos of the Delta), please visit my friend Marty Kittrell's blog. Marty is a very gifted photographer from Vicksburg, and you will love his inspirational way with words and the way he captures God's glory in all of his photographs.

I love the Mississippi Delta. There is no other place quite like it. It truly has a beauty and mystique all its own.

Mississippi Delta Sunflowers

Yesterday I had a rare opportunity to visit a sunflower field in the midst of some of the most beautiful farmlands in the Mississippi Delta, near Cary, Mississippi. Thanks to the gracious hospitality of one of the nicest farmers in the area (who shall remain anonymous for privacy reasons), I was able to capture some close up shots of sunflowers in all their glory.

I loved every minute of my time spent in that hot and dusty sunflower field, and will long remember the kindness of the farmer and his manager who took time out of their busy day to help me get these pictures.

I have some more pictures from my trip to the Delta that I hope to share with you tomorrow.

Curb Appeal: Garage Landscaping Idea

Several months ago I did a photo shoot in the Garden District of Monroe, Louisiana, and took a picture of this carport featuring a pretty vine growing on it. I love that look, and have a similar vine (Confederate Jasmine) growing around my front doors. This past spring, I decided to plant some on our garage, too, and bought two Confederate Jasmine plants, approximately three feet tall, from Home Depot. I took this picture right after they were planted in April ... Confederate Jasmine is one of my favorite plants because it grows extremely fast and requires little maintenance (other than regular trimming during the summer). Here are my vines now ... The vines are attached to concrete screws in the mortar between the bricks, and we're going to train them to grow across the top of the trim over the garage doors. At the rate they're growing, they should at least reach the top and start across the doors by the end of the growing season. They should finish filling in next spring, and I'll be sure and share some "after" pictures.

Fall Decorating

It doesn't seem possible that it's that time of year again when there is just a hint of fall in the air. Perhaps it's just my imagination, or wishful thinking, but the sky seems bluer, the air clearer, the pre-dawn stars look like you could reach out and touch them, and the days seem less muggy. Summer flowers are fading, and even the butterflies' wings seem to be less colorful. Wishful thinking, or not ... this past weekend my thoughts turned to fall decorating, and I made several trips to the attic with my summer flower arrangements, accessories, and greenery, replacing them with fall accessories, vines, berries, and stained gourds (if you would like to read my post from last fall about how to stain gourds, you can click here. Here are the results of my decorating projects, so far, beginning with our front doors (you can click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you'd like) ... The iron baskets are attached with suction cups ... This is a view of the living room taken from inside the front doors ... Living room from opposite side of room ... Dining room table centerpiece ... The Welsh Dresser in our breakfast room ... I acquired the collection of old crocks from my mother-in-law's estate, and I love the way they look with the gourds and fall colors. The old hand painted tole tray was a flea market find ... I couldn't have done without my "little decorating assistant," Avery Grace. She loves making "arrangements" for me and I think she did a great job. As she put the sunflowers in the copper pitcher, she said, "What bright beautiful colors!" I foresee many happy hours ahead of us decorating and "piddling" together. Our next project will be a wreath for the porch door. Until then ... happy Fall decorating, Y'all!

Images in Sepia

I think some pictures look better, or more interesting, in sepia tones than in color. Here are a few of my photos I converted to sepia, just for fun.