Marie's Flower Garden

Sometimes you find great photo opps in places you don't expect!  Last weekend I met 3 high school friends who I hadn't seen in years in Chattanooga for a girls' weekend.  We had a great time staying on the Delta Queen and catching up with each other.  On the way home, I visited my sister whose flower garden had started to bloom.  She has a variety of wildflowers including Shooting Star, Dwarf Crested Iris, and Virginia bluebells and perennials like Columbine, Canterbury Bells, and Bleeding Heart!  Marie's 6 year old granddaughter, Lillian, got into the act, telling me which flower to photograph next and using the remote to make the shot!  What fun!

Millions of Daffodils!

Last week I heard about a new garden which had opened in Ball Ground, Georgia, so Marshall, Clay and I decided to check it out.  So on Sunday we drove up to Gibbs Gardens to see the (literally) millions  of daffodils blooming on the hills of the gardens.  We spoke with Jim Gibbs, the retired landscaper who spent 32 years creating the gardens.  In addition to the daffodils, there is a rambling Japanese garden with beautiful sculptural trees and 4-5 reflecting ponds.  There is a replica of Monet's waterlily garden and bridge over the future waterlily pond which promises to be beautiful come summer.  We were so impressed we all bought annual memberships so we can return again and again!  http://gibbsgardens.com/index.php

On the way home, we felt like we were on a true road trip when we spotted an old general store, an ancient tractor and an aging barn.  You never know what you are going to find when driving through the rural South.  Fortunately, we were able to stop to shoot the scene.   The barn looked like it would fall down if you breathed hard on it, but the texture and shape were asking to be photographed.  Outside the general store was a tree with a birdhouse made out of a boot - pretty creative!

Downtown Atlanta

If you love the architecture in Downtown Atlanta, then check out the March issue of Atlanta Magazine-either print or online version.  The magazine includes a contest for identifying 16 photos of architectural details of downtown buildings.  One of the photos is my shot of _________, whoops,  I can't tell until the contest is over!  The online version identifies all the photographers with a very brief bio of each.  The contest was sponsored by the American Institute of Architecture Atlanta Chapter.  Here are a couple of shots which didn't make the contest.  Can you identify them?
Here's the link to the online version: http://www.atlantamagazine.com/architecture/