Pines–these trees are ubiquitous in Georgia. They’re messy and full of character (not to mention all manner of critters: squirrels, birds, bugs, and the occasional snake). I stepped out into my backyard tonight and snapped this quick image along with a few others. With all of the flashes, my neighbors eventually trekked outside to investigate. To maintain civility, I guess I’ll venture out into the real woods where no one’ll be bothered by my impromptu photography. This should make for some interesting exploits. By the way, I inverted the photograph below to see what kind of effect I could produce. The resulting image was haunting.
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I can’t claim bragging rights to this photo. My wife snapped it when she accompanied our child on a fieldtrip to Magnolia Springs State Park near Millen.
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I spotted this soggy site by the side of the road on my way back from Sylvania. It’s in a place well below the highway. I’d have missed it were it not for the fact that I was behind a very slow driver. I’m glad I glanced in the direction of this sunken scene. Although it’s swampy and assuredly full of snakes and other crawly things, there’s something special about the place. I know it isn’t beautiful in the conventional sense. However, just knowing that this verdant venue for water and wetland life is providing a haven for living things is comforting. I’m sure the plants, animals, and insects that reside in this bog hole appreciate their home. The stumps in this place are a testament to mankind’s desire to encroach upon even those places that aren’t quite the epitome of splendor. Still, nature patiently reclaims what we mar.
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Live in southeast Georgia for a while and you’ll eventually come across a house that no one wants but everyone accepts. They punctuate the rural areas of the state. I drive by this old place when I get the chance, just to see the bricks in the chimney and rust on the roof.
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Savannah is often referred to as the City of the Squares. At one time there were 24 squares in the downtown area, but development claimed three of them before the restoration of the city really begain in the 1960s.
Columbia Square is the home of the Isaiah Davenport House, which you can see in the right of the photo. It was completed in 1820, and was the first restoration project of the Historic Savannah Foundation in 1955.
The house on the left is the Kehoe House, which is now a popular bed and breakfast inn. It was completed in 1892.
One other note, the photo was taken on St. Patrick’s Day several years ago. That’s why the water in the fountain is green!
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The best pets we’ve ever had have been “happy accidents.” This is Honey, she is such a “happy accident.”
I’ve always believed the saying that “You can tell the measure of a man by how he treats pets and children.”
Well, the man who had this cute little dog was not much of a man (or woman) in my book.
My Aunt Nan found Honey and her sister WAG put out beside the side of their country road and half starving. Wag came running out but Honey hid in the bushes. Honey obviously had a difficult youth but has now earned our trust as our children have loved and hugged her. The first week she hid under the jacket of my daughter and slept as Susan rocked her. She is now a very happy (and loyal) dog.
I love pets of all kinds. They are like potato chips - you cannot have just one!
The people who are so small that they think cruelty to animals is a sport or OK to do often grow to do the same things to humans. (This has been proven.)
I am greatly saddened when I come across animals such as honey and mourn as I think that the person who owned these two beautiful animals may have children.
Pets are a great responsibility. We adopt strays and get pets from the Humane Society. That is the way MOST people are in the South: kind and loving to animals and children.
As I educate children, I work to inspire a love, respect, and kindness to all living things.
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Confederate jasmine has perfumed the spring air of Georgia for hundreds of years. It starts tiny and takes over most anywhere you plant it. It thrives on neglect. Oh, if someone could bottle this smell!
For hundreds of years, those of us who left home and returned, the smell of jasmine means one thing — I’m home. In Georgia! Where red clay and pine trees and flowers abound like the grace and hospitality of the people.
Spring!
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I took these pictures of this little guy on my recent trip to Kennesaw Mountain. He wasn’t much bigger than a ball of cotton, and he wasn’t afraid of me at all.
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Turner Field opened for the Braves in 1997. It was built for the 1996 Olympics and then it was converted for the Braves. This photo was taken from the building I work in.
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My great grandmother was a 5′2″, 92 pound dynamo till the day she died. She had eight children and many nieces and nephews and lived to be 102. Due to the fertility of her and her sisters I have over 100 cousins in this small town of Camilla.
It is confusing for newcomers. There’s a saying down here, “Don’t say anything bad about anyone because you don’t know who they are related to.”
Family runs deep. These flowers have been transplanted several generations and now grow in my yard too. I don’t know the species but we call them “heirloom old fashioned roses” and they bloom on long spindly vine like extensions of a sort of a bush each spring. I prune them severely after they quit blooming and they spread profusely.
When I look at these, I think of my family and how what I do will be passed down long after I’m gone. Flowers, habits, traditions, kindness, love, and even my faults. I am reminded to pass down the good.
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This was taken from atop Kennesaw Mountain, about 25 miles north of Atlanta. There are several cannon on top of the mountain, and the area is a national park. A Civil War battle was fought here in 1864.
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I thought I needed to post some flowers to keep up around here. This is Reynolds Square, about a block from the Savannah River.
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Wisteria is one of the most beautiful spring vines but is so very invasive that in the throes of summer we are often sweating and swearing as we deal with its winding tendrils and running roots. This particular vine was killed last summer using several applications of round up after being cut to the root and pulling up many roots by hand. I guess I’m glad it resurrected this spring (amidst my old fashioned roses) because it was truly a beautiful display, but I dread the work that will be coming in a week or two.
Wisteria, like the azalea, was an Oriental import that took exceptionally well to our southern acidic soil. Many people do not know that the azalea and wisteria aren’t native to Georgia but were brought from the Orient in the early 1800’s as trade opened between China and England. I found a copy of a sales bulletin for an azalea in a London catalog from the 1810’s. You can learn a lot about trade and the world in the 1800’s simply by studying the azalea (and wisteria), its proliferation and uses.
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Flowers in the South are not only meant for gracing our yards but our tables as well. Here, I have the first bloom off my variegated vinca vine in that most veritable of southern casual china patterns, Blue Willow. On both sides of our family, the use of this blue and white pattern goes back several generations. Most recently, my husband’s mother, Grace Davis, loved this pattern.
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Georgia’s most famous street, right in the heart of downtown Atlanta. I especially like the Go Thrashers message on the sign!
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My mom took this picture today at her house. I was very proud of her as this was her first experience with a digital camera, and look what she found!!! Not one, but TWO butterflies in the same shot!!! I just had to show it off!!!
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This is Steffi. She’s 14 years old, but she shows no signs of slowing down. She does enjoy her naps, however. (Don’t we all?)
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This is a pic I took through my telescope. It’s not great because this can be difficult to do. The moon moves fast through a telescope, and I don’t have one that is hooked up to the computer. This is something I’d like to get better at, but it’s going to take time. I want to be able to get clearer shots of the craters and all. Not bad for my cheap little Kodak that does all of my other shots.
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Atlanta’s National Hockey League team, the Thrashers, are named after the State Bird of Georgia. They are fighting for a spot in the NHL playoffs, and I attended several games this season. They play at Phillips Arena, which replaced the Omni.
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Y’all know how high the heat and humidity can be in our state, so it’s somewhat unusual to see the sky be so blue. It has really been crystal clear at times this spring, but the clouds this evening didn’t cover it up too much. This picture was taken in the late evening just before dusk. The clouds are non threatening and very pretty. I thought it made a nice scenic photo.
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