Happy New Year!  It's hard to believe its already January 27!  It seems only yesterday when I was spending New Year's weekend with my friend Janie in Tennessee.  It was a rainy weekend and not very picturesque, but Janie was willing to hold a huge golf umbrella while I made photographs on a back road near their farm.  The fog created  a mystical feeling and intensified the rust colored leaves. 

This old barn had a lot of character.  The support columns were made of stacked stone.  It's hard to believe it was still standing. The tidy white church on a nearby road had unusual architecture, with the steeple and bell tower at the corner of the structure between the gables instead of on top of the gable.  This church is in a little town called Cold Water. 

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!