Friday, June 16, 2017

Countryside

Hello out there!  How is everyone -- I have missed you so!  I'm sorry I've been absent for awhile, but we're trying to get things fixed and cleaned up (still) from the basement flooding.  The weather has been hot (88°F here yesterday) but pretty with gorgeous summer skies, so I decided I had to get out and take some pictures.  These were all taken with my iPhone, so the quality is definitely not the best.  Hubby and I are signed up for a one-time class on taking pictures with your iPhone, so we're hoping to get some good pointers on taking better pictures.  It's often handier to use the phone camera than having to lug around the bigger camera with extra lenses, etc.


The flowers in the picture above are at one of the houses in our neighborhood.  The picture is a bit blurred because I had to take it from a distance, and I was using the zoom feature.  These are day lilies, and they're an old-fashioned kind that we call railroad lilies or ditch lilies.  I believe that at one time, the railroad companies planted these alongside the railroad tracks at various spots along the line, and we still see some beside the tracks today.  Also, you see them a lot here in the south growing in the ditches along the side of country roads.  These flowers signify summer to me, and I just love them.  I mentioned in my previous post that we had some growing in front of our house in Greensboro.  I have some better pictures of this wonderful flower later in the post.


This is a little garden shop/nursery that I pass on the way to visit my parents, who live in a subdivision in the country, about 26 miles from me.  We can take the highway to get there, but it's actually the longer way round, not nearly as scenic, and usually more stressful.  I'd much rather drive through the country when I go.


The garden shop has this working waterwheel out front, so I took a picture from across the street.



Last Friday when I was driving to my parents' house, I noticed how people's gardens were growing and how they all looked so neat and precise.  The sight of vegetable and flower gardens laid out like this just makes my heart sing.  That may sound silly, but again, it just says summer to me. 


The sky was lovely yesterday.  This white house is not terribly big, but so cute and homey.  I've seen it from the front, and it's charming and neat as a pin.  :)




More railroad lilies growing next to this old barn.


Aren't these flowers just perfect beside the barn?  They add just the right bit of color and "summer" next to the old structure.  I love the old field stone foundation here.  You'll often see these cheerful lilies planted next to old buildings in this area, but people also plant them in their yards and they look just as nice.  Very versatile they are.  😊


Just around the curve and down the road from the old barn is this church.


It's been here for a few years...



Built in the carpenter Gothic style, it fits perfectly into this country setting.




Across the road from the church is its cemetery and this gazebo with arches that mimic the arched windows of the church.


I found the above picture online.


The cemetery has a pretty picket fence on either end.



I always love to see the flowers and American flags on tombstones.  I took these pictures from across the road, so they're blurry.  I need to go back and take these same shots with my Canon Rebel.


I saw other tidy little vegetable and flower gardens along the drive to my parents' house, but it was almost impossible to find a safe place to stop and take pictures of them.  People drive pretty fast on these curvy, two-lane roads, and you really have to be careful where you pull over.  I will try to share some more summer scenery with you as I get a chance.  I do enjoy visiting formal gardens like Brookgreen Gardens and Biltmore Gardens, but there's something really special about these little country gardens.

This is my favorite time of summer, before the earth gets that baked look and the asphalt feels like it's melting and the combination of heat, humidity, and automobile exhaust fumes make it so hard to breathe outdoors.  Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed the pictures.  What is some of your favorite scenery where you live?

Happy Friday to you all and have a great summer weekend!

Hugs,

Denise

6 comments:

  1. Lovely shots, Denise and (apart from the gravestones!) loads of happy images! We had our 'open garden' event in the village last weekend - huge fun and it's amazing what people achieve. One even had a miniature railway in it. Love the church - very cute - weatherboarding is very attractive. Sorry to hear about your flood - I don't visit blogs as often as I'd like - hope all is well now and that no permanent damage was done.

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  2. What a lovely little church you have featured in your photos. You have a good eye for what you focused on such as the stained glass window. And the cemetery is so well kept and lush and green. Have a nice weekend in this heat!

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  3. Pretty little church. I enjoyed seeing your photos of things that remind you of summer. Happy weekend to you.

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  4. You did a marvelous job with the pictures. Don't sell yourself short! I very much enjoyed the drive and thought how some views are similar to those I see...the little white house in the fields and the church and cemetery. Very pretty, beautifully cared for church.

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  5. Well hi there Denise...we have missed you so...I knew the minute I saw your photo of that darling church that it was a METHODIST church..reminded me so much of the one across from my Grandmother's home.....I could almost feel the drive along the countryside....you are so fortunate to still be able to visit your parents...I so miss that....have a lovely week.

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  6. Love that old white church . . . so pretty.

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