Forever in Pictures

I took a ride in the country last week and took my camera along in hopes of capturing some of Fall's glory. It was a beautiful fall day, and I enjoyed just "being out in it." I managed to find a few things along the way that I thought were worthy of preserving in pictures "for posterity." This colorful possum haw tree was on a fence row, and there was no way I could ignore its bright red berries beckoning me to stop. You can find these growing up and down fence rows along the interstates in Mississippi and Louisiana, and they are especially pretty in January when everything is in its "winter drab" season. I love traveling old U.S. Highway 80, and, as I entered the city limits of the little town of Bolton, Mississippi, I spotted this garden that appeared ready to be "put to bed" for winter. The reason it caught my eye was because the bean posts reminded me of crosses ... I need to go back in the spring and summer and capture this garden at its peak season. It is always a sight to behold. Bolton is a very small rural community, but several things jumped out at me as "worthy" of being preserved in a picture. I usually try to capture the water tower of every town I visit, and the Bolton tower, looming above the Bolton police station, was easy to find ... I found this glorious tree beside the railroad tracks, not too far from "downtown." The red door on St. Mary's Episcopal Church beckoned loudly to me ... isn't it beautiful! There are several charming old houses in Bolton, and I stopped to capture a couple of them. This little cottage was beside a larger house, but the yard was a good bit higher than the street and I didn't want to trespass, so I'm afraid my picture is kind of "blurry." Isn't it sweet, though! I love its rusty red roof. And I love this pretty setting. The bench and chairs looked so inviting ... My next stop in Bolton was to capture this Gingko tree ... I had to be quick, though, because there were a couple of dogs barking at me and I wasn't sure if they were behind a fence, or not! As I was driving away, I did a double take when I saw these breathtakingly beautiful Morning Glories growing on a post in front of the house with the barking dogs. Dogs, or not, I was determined to capture those flowers and took these pictures from the safety of my car ... I was happy that I had my zoom lens with me and was able to capture a few close ups. Otherwise, I think I would have had to risk meeting the barking dogs face to face in order to get a closer look at those magnificent Morning Glories. As I headed out of Bolton, I decided to loop back over I-20 to one of my favorite country roads. Although it's just a plain little country road, I can always "find pictures" waiting to be captured. Here are the ones I found last week ... I love the contrast between the colorful foliage and the darkness of the woods in the background ... It's always nice to look back at my pictures and remember the sights and sounds that surrounded me the day I took them. Like the train that was whizzing past me as I took the picture of the tree beside the railroad tracks ... and the barking dogs that made capturing that gingko tree even more interesting. And the "how great Thou art" thoughts I had as I captured those glorious leaves beside that little country road. My drive in the country was refreshing and uplifting, and I'm so pleased I captured a little of it forever in my pictures.

An "Off the Beaten Path" Adventure

I haven't had time to go on many photo shoots recently, but a couple of days ago I left Vicksburg, driving East on Old Highway 80, and had a very pleasant morning just "looking for pictures waiting to be taken." I found several on Highway 80, but, unfortunately, had to leave them there because traffic conditions prevented me from stopping on the side of the road to capture them. Needless to say, that soon became very frustrating, so when I reached the small village of Bovina, Mississippi, I veered off the beaten path to explore the back roads of Warren County — and I wasn't disappointed by what I found. I am always inspired to see that the spirit of patriotism can be found just about anywhere ... This old country store is at a crossroads, and I would have loved to have gone inside, but thought better of it. I took these pictures from my car, and while editing the pictures, I found several things I would have liked to have gotten a closer look at (you can click on the picture, if you'd like to get a closer look, too) ... I always loved the old Bovina water tower, and captured this picture of it back in January of 2009. That old tower is long gone now, torn down in the name of "progress," and replaced with a bright, shiny new blue tower. Progress is a good thing, I guess, but, in some cases, it surely isn't as picturesque. And speaking of picturesque ... you probably don't think of a muddy creek or river as being pretty, but, as I crossed a bridge over this muddy river, I could see beauty in the contrast of the blue sky and the starkness of the trees along the water's edge, and in the swift current of the river's muddy waters. It was a very peaceful moment as I stopped to snap the picture, and listened to the wind in the trees and the sound of the river moving under the bridge. Some of you may recall this picture of two blue chairs which I captured in May 2009 ... I came across the chairs again on my latest adventure, and here they are as they look now ... Not quite as inviting in January, but I think they still make an interesting picture. Here's another picture I took that same day in May 2009 ... I was glad to see that old chimney still standing ... Just a few yards up the road from the chimney, I happened to notice this old rail car sitting way back off the road, almost hidden in a wooded area on the edge of a pasture (I took these pictures using my zoom lens, and you can click on them to enlarge them and get a closer look) ... I took those pictures from my car, and as I was sitting there on the side of the road, the owner of the property pulled out of his driveway and stopped beside my car when he saw me taking pictures. I explained what I was doing, and he very graciously told me that his father had been a vice president with Illinois Central Railroad, and had bought the rail car many, many years ago. I wish I could have asked more questions about its history, but he was stopped in the middle of the road and I didn't want to keep him. I was delighted to capture the train car, but as I passed by the owner's house ... I noticed this old family cemetery sitting on a hill next to the house ... I'm going to save its story for next time, and hope you will join me to find out what I discovered about it.

Springtime Lagniappe

There's nothing like a ride in the country in the springtime. Everywhere you look, there's lagniappe. Like clover blowing in the wind ... And the buzzing of honey bees ... Happily flitting ... From one flower to the next ... This big black bumblebee seemed to prefer the nectar of the wildflowers. And not far away, this sweet little Jonquil was nodding in the breeze, as if to say, "Don't forget me — take my picture, too!" These tangled wild rose vines were growing just out of reach beside the road. Grass and wildflowers were knee-high, and there was a ditch filled with water from a recent April shower between me and the flowers, so I had to be content with these pictures taken with my zoom lens. I hope your weekend is filled with lots of springtime lagniappe. Go out and find it ... it's there, waiting for you.