Photographic Expressions

I have had the ever fortunate opportunity to spend the past week in Asheville while attending Corey McNabb’s McWorkshop. Somehow after all the exhaustion of thinking/talking/shooting all things wedding (and some babies)….we found ourselves trekking up the highest mountain I have possibly ever been on. My passion started out in landscape so I’m surprised I was able to keep the car on the road since every time we encountered another overlook the clouds were so prominent and we saw the longest range of mountains I have seen this side of the Mississippi. I don’t believe I have been so high on a mountain that I was looking down on fellow mountain ranges with the Great Smoky Mountains. It certainly was beyond moving and since I truly didn’t want the week to end…it gave me another chance to hang out with Corey and Amber.  : )

I will miss you guys but I shall hopefully see you soon!

~C

We picked up Highway 411 as it snaked through the sleepy town of Fairmount and pointed the car’s nose southwest toward Cartersville. Fields of grass bent and rolled with the wind as we drove down the windy road taking in the quietness the empty fields offered. A town called White, so small that it was gone in an instant, offered a battered Coca-Cola sign or two that reflected the by-gone days.

Houses and businesses soon appeared more frequently as we drew closer to our destination. Prominent churches flanked the streets that lead us downtown to its inner core. A flash of red come into view and I knew we had found it. The fabled Coca-Cola sign, the first to ever grace the side of a building, was still there emblazoned on the side of Young Brothers Pharmacy for all of downtown Cartersville to see. The irony of the name Young was not lost on me as I hopped out of the car to see this work of art that has watched freight trains pass by since 1884. True the paint has seen a face lift years ago, but to have such a powerful marketing sign representing one of the South’s and Georgia’s iconic companies still adorn this wall over one hundred years later, gave me chills.

Years ago I recall my alma mater’s president, Ruth Knox, give regard during a luncheon of the Munroe sister’s families’ wealth back in the 1930’s. As the story goes, the three Munroe sister’s father is said to have invested his farming money in a little known company as Coca-Cola back in the day. Eighty years later, those same Munroe sisters who went on to graduate from Wesleyan College, donated money to erect the beautiful Science Center that now sits on campus overlooking all.

Crossing the railroad tracks to photograph this world famous symbol I was jolted back into reality with the cautionary traffic signals as they rang out taletelling of a train soon to pass. Though the town was serenly peaceful on a late Sunday afternoon, the treasures of Cartersville was not hard to find in its old Railroad Depot turned Welcome Center, its Grand Theater that commanded attention with the filigree, and my husband’s favorite, the biscuit place. Full of quaint shops and eateries, this city of wonders is definitely on my list to revisit and explore.
~C

The sun casts shadows dotting the green carpet of grass, playing pica-boo with the swaying stems holding fast to their brilliant colored petals. Tulips that were planting in the earth’s soil not by my hands, still allow me to enjoy their beauty in my flower garden.

Though their lives are short lived, I now have these six pictures celebrating their presence on my living room wall.

My mom came up from Griffin this weekend to lounge and relax before she headed back to school to begin her 30th year of teaching. With nothing planned outside of the ordinary we decided to explore our mountainous region. With my sister in town for the morning, we embarked up to Blue Ridge.

This town has become my absolute favorite as downtown appears to be untouched by commercial stores and buildings, it’s nestled in the mountains and there is always a festival of sorts under way. We began the morning at Mercier Orchards to take advantage of the glorious, fried, peach pie, apple fritter and blueberry scones. Oh.my.goodness. was the verdict for all three. Go and check it out yourself!

So as we sat stuffing our face with pastries we suddenly become philosophical and felt the great need to become cultured. Are you guilty of never visiting your town’s musuems, attractions, or historic buildings? You know you see them every time you drive past to get to Kroger or on the way to pay your bills but do you really see them or have them become a part of the scenery? I’m beyond guilty of this myself. I’m from the Monroe County/Macon area and I have been to my fair share of museums downtown, thankfully in part to school field trips.

So to nip this problem in the bud and embark on the South’s culture we came up with a list of Georgia attractions that we have either never been to or would like to revisit in the next year or two:

Gone with the Wind museum (who didn’t fall in love with Scarlett and her crazy dresses as a kid?)
The Fox Theatre (I have been on the behind the scenes tour but have yet to witness an event)
The Georgia Capital (was fortunate to witness legislation while in my Persuasion class at Wesleyan)
New Coca-Cola Museum
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Fernbank
CNN
Ted Turner Stadium
ATL Zoo
Hay House (one of Macon’s iconic homes)
High Museum
Sundial Restaurant (most spectacular view of downtown ATL and beyond)
Andersonville (my great-great grandfather was one of the last that was traded out of this place)
MKL Jr. Center
Jimmy Carter Library
ATL Symphony
Blue Ridge Train expedition

Later that afternoon my sister left to head into work and mom and I wandered into town looking for that classic, downtown eatery that made you want to curl up with a good book and nibble on their decadent desserts or long for that conversation that last hours with a long lost friend . Though I had passed Three Sisters several times I had always thought it was merely a dessert and coffee cafe but boy was I surprised when we stopped in and found scrumptious salads, sandwiches and more! This has officially become my new fave.

Something I truly have always ignored was the old Pickens County Jail, something that was still in working shape up until the mid 1980s and it was built back in 1906! It is open for tours on the weekends and proceeds go to help the Marble Valley Historical Society in their efforts to preserve the historical buildings. It was wonderful to finally hear about the history and stories of Jasper, Pickens County of long ago that was a vague insight from my husband and his history class from 4th grade. Sorry I don’t have photos of this remarkable building with the marble facade, the gallows upstairs, the steel cages, the food pass through, the wood burning stove but I guess you’ll just have to stop in and take the tour yourself.

Prior to their visit my mom had been insistent that there was a vineyard in Jasper itself, and I completely denied it the whole time but Google proved me wrong. Located just in the valley of Sharp Mountain itself is Sharp Mountain Vineyard and after my multi wine tasting affair, I can attest that their wine is hands down worth the drive.

As the wine buzz set in I shared with one of the delightful and fun owners, Jan Rathgeb, that as a little girl I had many a moments where I stomped grapes ‘a la Lucy style’ for my dad. My dad still makes some of the best wine I have ever gotten my hands on, but with Sharp Mountain in my backyard, I have a feeling I’ll be stopping in again soon.

Jan was wonderful and let me see the behind the scenes of her husband and wife team operation. Having grown up around the grape stomping, wine fermenting, bottling process it was so neat to see.

See the Lucy poster?
And to wake up to this everyday? Wow.

Just before we headed in for a bite at Davis’ BBQ place my eye caught sight of this.

PS. No I’m not receiving a penny from any of these places but I couldn’t keep these wonderful secrets to myself!

Little, big town of Jasper is nestled amongst the mountains of Georgia and has become my new hometown.
I just had to share with all of you the beauty that I came across every time I visit friends and take part in the countless low, country boils.

My view as I headed to Slade’s house for a gathering to celebrate 4th of July and Trip’s birthday.

Oh I can’t forget to slip in a shot or two of the smoker that Slade made for his brother, Ryker’s birthday. Isn’t it a beauty! I don’t know how he did it, but I had to grab a few snapshots of the details that went into it. The 4th of July celebration allowed to continue breaking in the smoker and enjoy one delicious pig.

So the hubby and I were finally able to break away for a moment or two to ourselves. With a full tank of gas we pointed the car North, to Chattanooga, TN. It’s crazy to live within an hour of this special city and having yet to visit until now, but it was well worth the wait.

Can I just say how awesome the clouds were? I couldn’t stop talking about them all day so we headed up Lookout Mountain a day early and spent a few hours crawling all over Rock City. We were met with amazing views and I had fun capturing the tiny details that dotted this place over.

Can’t wait for our next adventure! Any places that you would suggest?