pickens county

my family regularly spends time in a special place not far from athens. nestled in the georgia mountains, near the beginning of the appalachian trail, this place has woods, meadows, streams, and lakes. some days it is sunny, some days it is foggy. on a recent visit we had both extremes- clear blue sky one day and grey fog the next. we explore all day long when we are there. woodland walks reveal huge mushroom outcroppings; along the lane we see butterflies and snails. we love the old hand-hewn bridge, rope swing, boathouse, and the diving tower. we love it here.words and photographs by rinne allen.

Lee's greenhouse

our friend lee has a charming little compound in the heart of athens.  the expansive property is filled with lots of character and history.  i always love a visit to the hill.  the other day i met some friends out there and we wandered.  lee's garden is neat and sweet....but his greenhouse caught my eye.  i love that it is tucked under into the earth and filled with green in and around it.  enjoy!

photos and words by kristen bach

antioch church road

i hope everyone likes shacks as much as i do.  i've decided it's high time i get out and document all the fading homesites, outbuildings, and barns that dot the countryside.  they hold so much history.  they're often hidden beneath an overgrowth of vines, trees, and privet on the side of the road. once you duck behind the wall of green, you find yourself alone with the mystery of who lived there.  i take pictures all around and peer in the windows to document the inside.  i have a rule, since i am tresspassing, that i don't go inside.  a lot of the floors are rotted out or about to.  i can be alone with the past, and i love it.  enjoy!

photos and words by rebecca wood

drayton hall

longtime fans of r.wood studio will remember that we had a space on their old website where we wrote about things we loved around the south, called Ideas for Creative Living. dating back to 2001, that space eventually grew into this space, beauty everyday, in 2009. today, we wanted to share one of our favorite places that originally ran, way back when, on Ideas... Drayton Hall, outside of charleston, south carolina. we will let the pictures do the talking...

words and photographs by rinne allen

favorite places

one of my favorite places to photograph is hancock county, georgia. an hour or so from athens, the drive down is through scenic farmland and river forests, but the best part really is arriving at the destination; you know you are there when the county courthouse looms into view. while exploring the patchwork of beautiful historic buildings, the deepness of this place comes across in its structures, whether humble or grand, restored or fallen. this church is one of my favorite places within the county lines, or anywhere.

words & photographs by rinne allen

nora mills

last week we had to do some things in north georgia.  just past helen, ga we stumbled upon nora mills.  This mill is an active granary that sits on the chattahoochee river.  you can find several types of flours, grains, grits, and more here!  it was a fun little stop!

photos and words by kristen bach

redcliffe plantation

built in 1857, redcliffe plantation is in beech island , sc (just south of augusta, ga).  it is a stately home with a basement and three floors.  it's built on a hill to catch the breezes.  there is a stable and two old slave cabins preserved there.  there is a wonderful alley of 150 year old magnolia trees along the driveway.  still have to go back for an inside tour!

photos and words by rebecca wood

our friend nancy's house

our friend nancy has an eye for detail, and a lifetime collection of cool artifacts.  here are a few vignettes from her home.

photos and words by rebecca wood

Saint Roch's cemetery

before heading to new orleans a friend told me to visit the saint roch's cemetery.  there are several amazing cemeteries around the city, but this one was special.  we visited the grounds on a hot hot and muggy day to check them out. 

the tidy cemetery was filled with hundreds of old carved tombs and inside its lovely chapel was a little room where folks have left offerings from answered prayers.  the tiny roomed housed hundreds of items including prosthetics, teeth, ceramic limbs, and more and they were arranged on the white walls of the chapel.  

a little odd and mysterious...yet lovely.

photos and words by kristen bach

dr bob's sign shop

dr. bob is a folk artist in the bywater of nola.  we we wantered through his studio the other day.  here's a peek, there is a lot to look at!

photos and words by kristen bach

jackson street antiques

while visiting new orleans we stopped into jackson street antiques.  we enjoyed letting our eyes wander through all of the layers.  I can imagine some of the lovely old new orleans homes filled with these old treasures.

photos and words by kristen bach

Simon's Signs

Our friend liz works at this sign shop just off of magazine street in NOLA.  the other day we stopped by for a  visit.  it reminded me so much of how rwood studio is run and feels. 

simon's signs has been around for quite a while.  He is originally from from france and started this little studio and shop alongside his wife's antique shop.  it is one of those gems that we were excited to see. 

photos and words by kristen bach

Vines of NOLA

while i was in NOLA i saw many vine covered buildings.  it doesn't take long for a vine to take over a structure.   while i know these vines are not welcome....there is something quite lovely about them.

photos by kristen bach

a beautiful barn

barns are one of those buildings that can stick in your head.  i have passed this one several times on random country drives and every time i say....that is the best looking barn!   it is one of those that i drive by just to look at.

photos and words by kristen bach

house of dance and feathers: new orleans, louisiana

kristen is going to new orleans soon, and it reminded me to share photos from a trip i made last year. we spend as much time as we can in new orleans… we love it there.

on our last trip, we visited the house of dance and feathers in the lower ninth ward. we were greeted by the warm grin of the proprietor, ronald lewis. he shared his enthusiasm with us for music (he was dancing the whole time we were there) and the mardi gras indians. i will keep it brief here, but i have long held a fascination with the indians – the few glimpses i have seen of them in real life have left me breathless. they are like magic. each indian creates their own costume, often over the course of a year, beading most of it by hand. mr. lewis told us that he and his friends often bead together while they are grilling out, and i just loved that image. the day we visited his backyard museum, it was the night of st. joseph's day – one of the biggest nights of the year for the indians, so they had the grill fired up.

there is a book about the house of dance and feathers and it is available from the Neighborhood Story Project.

words and photographs by rinne allen.

good bones

i spent last weekend in atlanta.  i stumbled across this old building in the heart of the old fourth ward.  this area is full of old buildings that are either being worked on or have been renovated.  we wandered around this one that was in it's early stages of something new.

while i love old rustic buildings-full of rust and peeling paint.... it is also great to see buildings with good bones, preserved.  who knows what is store for this one....

photos and words by kristen bach

a spring farmhouse wedding

they other day our friends kate and steven got married and had their wedding at their family farmhouse.  mandy from 3 porch farm did the flowers and they were beyond lovely. the arrangements were made from gathered wild flowers and flowers that friends grew. it was a rainy rainy day so mandy spent the day making arrangements and scattered them throughout the farmhouse. luckily the clouds broke just in time for the ceremony and we all enjoyed this sweet sweet day!

take a peek at mandy's arrangements.

photos by Kristen Bach

old graves

driving through the country the other day my eye caught a glimpse of this lovely grave yard.  i imagine it is a family plot on their farm land.  with the green of spring and the blue of the sky they really popped and still hinted a bit of mystery.  photos and words by kristen bach

the quarry

we have been going to this particular rock quarry for 9 or 10 years- no one seems to remember exactly. each time we go, i am always, always taken aback by its beauty.

granite is underneath all of athens, and therefore the granite industry is a big one, especially in neighboring elbert and oglethorpe counties. we have family friends who quarry and we have granite around our yards, fashioning paths. i remember swimming in quarries throughout high school, a different one each summer.

our friends purchased this one and cleaned it up. divers surveyed it for hazards and gave it the all-clear. now, families gather here and get refreshed in the cool waters, or sit in the sun on the warm granite. the owners, in true deep DIY spirit, have fashioned an outdoor kitchen and a huge tarped shade area. we have eaten some of the yummiest food here, cooked over a fire or in the kitchen.

we are happy that our children get to roam here...and learn about the tiny flowers and mosses and piney woods, climb the rocks, and enjoy swimming with each other in one of Nature's prettiest spots.

thank you.

words and photographs by rinne allen.