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/                                                               

Upcoming Exhibits

There's only a few days left to visit Puppy Love, a photography exhibit at The Novel Experience bookstore in Zebulon, Georgia, which benefits local animal shelters and guide and assistance dogs for soldiers returning from combat.  One of my photos was juried into the exhibit and I plan to be at the closing reception on February 25.   Here's a link to the Puppy Love exhibit on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Puppy-Love/309180192457241?sk=wall

The same day I have a solo exhibit opening at The GardenKeeper shop in Marietta.  I'll be exhibiting flower photos from gardens as well as wildflowers from some of my travels.  The GardenKeeper is a wonderful little shop filled with flowers, garden accessories and unique birdhouses.  The exhibit opening is Saturday, February 25, from 2:00-5:00.

ABG Garden of Lights

The Atlanta Botanical Gardens was awash with lights during the holidays this year.  The Garden of Lights began in November and ran through the first week of January and everyone I talked to that had visited the gardens loved the lights.  Lights are hard to shoot in the dark and it was especially difficult to photograph the spheres and tall forms that were on the Great Lawn and changed color to the music that was being played.  Before we left the gardens, the clouds opened up and we had to take cover in the Garden House.  After the rains stopped, there were some great reflections on the wet sidewalks.

Adventure in the Smokies

The last week in October, I headed to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with photo friends, Marshall and Clay. Our first stop was Cade's Cove, one of the first pioneer settlements in Tennessee, with log cabins built in the early 1800's. Three churches still stand in the cove and we visited the Methodist church and explored the area around it.
The next day it poured rain all day long which wasn't conducive to a photo shoot, but made the creek along Tremont Road full of water for the next day's shoot.
Later that day, we headed to Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the Smokies and in Tennessee. An early snow storm had hit the East and Clingman's Dome was covered in white! We arrived just before sunset and experienced a gorgeous winter wonderland.
Our last day we traveled to the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail just outside of Gatlinburg. While there are cabins to see here, the real view is the creek cascading alongside the road over and around huge moss-covered boulders. At some points along the trail, the creek is easily reached from the road, but at other points, it is a steep hike to the creek. This is such a beautiful creek, it is not to be missed by anyone visiting the Smokies.
The photo at the top of the page is Roaring Fork Creek.

Euharlee Covered Bridge

Clay and I took advantage of a beautiful Sunday afternoon in October to find Euharlee Covered Bridge in tiny Euharlee, Georgia near Cartersville. The bridge is very similar to the Red Oak Covered Bridge and was built by Washington King, the son of Horace King who built the Red Oak Bridge. Built in 1886, the bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The beautiful fall colors were reflected in the creek.