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.

A Message from Mother Nature

This past weekend, my husband and I spent some time at our land, which is located in rural Madison County, Mississippi, about an hour's drive from Vicksburg. As we drove along the country roads, I noticed that there was just a hint of Fall in the air. The temperature was in the high 80s around noon, instead of the mid-90s, and there was very little humidity, which makes a BIG difference in our Mississippi weather.

It wasn't anything in particular that made me think "fall," but there was definitely a difference.

Perhaps it was because it's that time of year when some of the crops have been harvested, or are almost ready for harvest, like these soybeans which were turning yellow ...

This field of little yellow wildflowers reminded me of Fall, too ...

The cornfields we passed were brown and looked rather forlorn, their once lush green rows now dry and shriveled.

As I took these pictures, I could hear the cornstalks rattling in the breeze ...

But the most positive sign that it's almost time for Fall's arrival was this bright golden spray of Goldenrod entwined around a fence along the roadside ...

We enjoyed our drive in the country and the break, albeit temporary, from the heat and humidity we've endured all summer. But the best lagniappe of all was the message Mother Nature was sending ... letting us know that Fall will, indeed, be here soon.