Starr's Mill

One of the most known historic landmarks in Fayette County Georgia is Starr's Mill. It has graced the covers of countless magazines and is a popular attraction for families and photographers. Click here for photos taken last year (sans baby Jameson who slept through the entire photo shoot).

For readers who are unfamiliar with Starr's Mill, the property was part of the 1821 Land Lottery that was held at the State Capital in Milledgeville. John Askew, of Jasper Georgia, was the first to own Land Lot No. 129 in District 4 in Henry County, this became part of Fayette County in 1821. He sold the land to Hananiah Gillcoat. When Gillcoat died in 1825 the property was auctioned at public outcry on April 17, 1827. It changed owners several time through the years until it became a county park.

This year I met the Payne's on a picture perfect Sunday in an attempt to gather the family for a group photo. This was much more difficult than it first seemed. The boys were wild with excitement and Jameson wouldn't sit still for more than two seconds. I did my best. Here's a sampling.

Fall Leaves Fall

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;

Lengthen night and shorten day;

Every leaf speaks bliss to me

Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow

Blossom where the rose should grow;

I shall sing when night's decay

Ushers in a drearier day.

Emily Jane Brontë

Miniature Frog

Tiny little frogs like those in the photos below can be found everywhere in our yard. The first one is grey and looks more like a toad than a frog. Both have little suckers on their feet that allow them to hang on to walls, doors, any where. Aren't they cute? A Google search identifies the species shown in the first photo as a Cope's Grey Treefrog, or simply Grey Treefrog. You can even hear this frog's high-pitched call at this web site. In the middle of winter, you can click on the link and bring a little summer to a cold day :)

As tiny as they are, they are nearly unnoticeable. I almost missed seeing this little one on the door knob of the pool house. At first glance, can you see it?

There it is!

As cute as this frog is, I prefer mine encrusted with diamonds... don't you?

Praying Mantis

This strange little creature was hanging out on our deck. At first I didn't see it, but it saw me. It stood up on its hind legs and made sure to keep me in its sight at all times. If you haven't encountered a Praying Mantis firsthand, be warned. They are unusually defensive for being a mere bug. They don't attack, but they do strike a defensive pose when threatened. However, I wasn't threatening anyone. Nope, I was just minding my business. Really.

Okay. So I might have poked at it a little bit.

Another interesting tidbit of useless information is that the Praying Mantis is a carnivore. So, watch those fingers (just kidding). Aphid burgers anyone??

This photo really tickles my funny bone for some odd reason. It makes me giggle... and even laugh out loud. Several captions come to mind, such as...

Here's looking at you, kid...

The Eyes Have It

Betty Davis Eyes

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful

Are you talking to me?

Clearly I suck at this. What clever (or in my case, not so clever) caption can you add to the list?

Spotted Jewelweed

You'll notice a common theme to my posts this week. With no end to the gas crisis in sight, Doughboy and I stayed close to home this past weekend. This is abnormal since we are typically on the go. If a gas station was fortunate to have a supply of gas, invariably the lines were long as frantic customers lined up. People are crazy! Oh well, deperate times call for desperate measures. I was lucky to locate a station with a short line and filled my car. My full tank ought to get me through the week.

Anyway, the weekend weather was spectacular and we took several drives along the neighborhood path with our golf cart. Even Doughboy didn't criticise my numerous stops to photograph flowers and bugs (as compared to this post). My bloggy friend Kate, at Chronicles of a Country Girl, identified the Jewelweed from a previous photo post (here). Thanks, Kate! There are large bushes of this delicate flower close to the bridge that connects the two phases of our neighborhood together. Jewelweeds prefer marshy areas and will bloom until late fall.

The striking orange flowers of the Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) tell half of the plant's story. Look, but do not touch, often explains the other half of the plant's story, because it is also called a touch-me-not flower. The plant's seed pods pop whenever they are approached by humans, animals or birds.

Jewelweed is also celebrated as a natural treatment for skin rashes caused by poison ivy and mosquito bites. When you are out in the field and find you have been exposed to poison ivy, oak, or stinging nettle you can reach for the Jewelweed plant and slice the stem, then rub its juicy inside on exposed parts. This will promptly ease irritation and usually prevents breakout for most people. Regardless of the plant's medicinal value, it is still a fun and fine looking flowering plant.

Lichen

If the other fungi are nature's recyclers, lichens are nature's pioneers. Lichens find their homes in some of the most barren and inhospitable parts of the world. From there they slowly begin the process of creating a foundation for habitation by others. A lichen can literally eat stones, survive severe cold, and remain dormant for long periods without harm.


Structurally, lichens are among the most bizarre of all forms of life. That's because every lichen species is actually composed of two, possibly even three, distinct species of organisms. One species is a kind of fungus. Usually the other species is an alga, but sometimes it can be a photosynthesizing bacterium known as a cyanobacterium. Sometimes all three organisms are found in one lichen. Lichen is also very sensitive to air pollution. If you live in an urban environment, finding lichen won't be easy. See how many types of lichen you can find.

Ayden's Sleepover

Four-year-old Ayden had another sleepover with his Mimi and Bumpa last night. It was a cool fall evening and we shared a warm fire in the fireplace before going indoors to watch a movie. I think Ayden enjoys sleepovers with us because he has the undivided attention of his two doting grandparents and it's a treat to escape the antics of his younger brother. Whatever the reason we're glad he likes to hang out with us. One of Ayden's favorite pastimes is taking a bath in Mimi's bubble tub. After drying his hair and brushing teeth, Ayden delared himself clean and shiney!

Another of Ayden's favorite past-times is driving the golfcart (with a little help from Bumpa). Our neighborhood has several miles of a paved path that winds through forested areas, meadows, and an ancient pecan grove. The path and acres of green space are two reasons why we chose to live here. It's really beautiful year round, but fall is my favorite for taking a ride on the path. Last week we celebrated one year living in our new home.

Like any young inquisitive mind, Ayden enjoys all the wild flowers and bugs (especially the creepy ones) that we encounter on our ride and in the yard. Like this grasshopper that hitched a ride on the windshield...

We almost always end our ride in the 100-year-old pecan grove. This quaint little gazebo would be a great place to curl up with a book.

Sadly our time with Ayden came to an end and he had to go home. But he will return for another sleepover so long as we have fun adventures and a store of cookies. I hope he will fondly remember these times with us just like I recall memories with my grandparents who are long gone. I hope you had an enjoyable weekend!

Photo of the Month: Weather

As I mentioned in a previous post, Kacey at Wine On The Keyboard has a monthly photo contest. This month's theme is weather. Spending most of my life in the mid west where extreme weather is the norm, I've grown complacent from Georgia's mild winters.

However, in January 2005, Georgia was locked in a serious ice storm that halted all outdoor activity for two days. A mere prediction of bad winter weather - ice or snow - can cause panic in the lives of Georgians. People rush to the food stores and gas stations to stock up on enough essentials to last an average family a month indoors.

The storm began as rain and quickly changed to frozen rain as temperatures plummeted. Doughboy, our three canine children, and I hunkered down while the storm raged outside. On the day the storm ended, the sun came out and melted all the ice. It was like a fairyland - all crystalline and magical. The following photo is my entry to Kacey's weather contest. Click here to view other scenes from the ice storm...and rush over to Wine On The Keyboard at the end of September to cast your vote!

Would someone please pass the Puffs?

Black Box

I was checking in with Kate at Chronicles Of A Country Girl and read her post about the Black Box widget. It's very interesting, actually, and I have created a widget on my blog (on the left side) if you are interested in checking it out yourself. Click on DECIDE and you will be given a series of choices. At the end, you can click on the mystery link whereas you will be directed to a blogger who chose similarly. To be considerate, I always leave a brief comment on the blog site telling how I found them.

You may add the Black Box widget to your blog by following the directions here. I am constantly amazed by the talent of many bloggers. If I had all the time in the world, I could easily spend hours wandering from one blog to the next and glimpsing into the lives of others. But alas, my canine children are begging to be fed their dinner.

Before I go, I will leave you with a few photos taken today. Doughboy and I went for a ride around the woods on our golf cart. I took a few photos of more flowers...and a surprise caterpillar.

When venturing into the woods I sometime gets the feeling we're being watched. It must be my vivid imagination...

I hope your last weekend of summer is enjoyable!

Bugs 'N Flowers

Last weekend I was 75% of the way to completing a small album of my 2008 nature photos. I had spent countless hours on my photography, selecting and editing photos, and creating the album (from scratch using AccuCut dies). I was quite pleased with its progress. Doughboy had ventured into my scrap area to check in with me and say hi. Being the only person around, I handed my precious album to him for a look. I knew before handing it to him that his critique was likely to be over-the-top (it usually is). Why do I do this? When will I ever learn? Going from page to page he pointed out all its obvious, and not so obvious, flaws. Not being a scrapbooker himself, he doesn't understand that handmade items come with imperfections and uniqueness. But it was his comment after closing the album that got me thinking. He asked, "When are you going to graduate from bugs and flowers?" What!? My confidence was shaken. Are my photos boring? Repetitious?

Although I visited Madison Park several days this past week, I was reluctant to post my photos for fear of being more of the same. As I think more and more about Doughboy's comment, I have to agree to a point. However, I have a career that consumes most of my waking day. I rise each weekday between 5:15 and 5:30am to prepare my day, make the 30 minute commute to work, and spend my day inside an office until roughly 5:30pm. Once I get home, I have three canine children that need dinner and attention. Sprinkle in my evening chores such as laundry, picking up the house, washing dishes, paying bills, and preparing dinner for myself, there isn't much time before I go to bed and start over the next morning. I have 60 minutes each day - precious little time - to squeeze in a lunch break. Preferring to spend as much time outdoors as possible, and wanting to perfect my photography skills, I spend my lunch break walking around Madison Park or Summer Grove. There isn't much to photograph...except bugs and flowers. Just say the word, Doughboy, and I will gladly quit my job and travel so that I can graduate from bugs and flowers. Until I win the lottery, or someone dumps a wad of cash in my lap, it's off to work I go. And, because most of my readers lead similar lives, I know they will forgive me for my many photos of bugs and flowers. Boring or not, I thank you for looking!

Empty playgrounds seem so sad to me. It needs laughing, playing children. Don't you agree?

I hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend.