shields etheridge farm

graves barn

words and photographs by rinne allen

secret pond

a friend took me to see a secret, spring fed pond. it was beautiful and dark, and surrounded by tall pines. chartreuse water lilies broke up the darkness. the bright color of the lily pads and the reflections of grey skies and floating pine straw was way beyond dreamy. must go back there to paint....!

local cotton

mandy and steve at 3 porch farm planted a crop of organic cotton this year. they planted a few white varieties, but also a brown one. both were beautiful, in the field and out. mandy said it was a fairly easy crop to tend...they planted it and let it be. i have learned more about organic cotton than i ever thought i would (see here and here) and love seeing it growing so close to home.

words & photographs by rinne allen

Factory Antiques

There are dozens and dozens of antique and junk shops in and around the south.  There are just a few that stand out in my mind to be gems.  The other day i headed to statham, georgia which is just up the road from athens.  i had been hearing about factory antiques for a year or so now so i wanted to check it out.  it's home was in an old two story builing on the square.  the building itself had lots of character and great natural light.  the shop was filled with thoughtfully curated and arranged.  it is worth a visit....again and again.

photos and words by kristen bach

edisto beauty

edisto island has miles of uninhabited shoreline and primeval forests that are so wild and beautiful. we stayed for a weekend in october and had the whole place to ourselves. we finally headed back to the car as the sun set, and i got these dreamy pastel landscapes pics.

words and photographs by rebecca wood

vickers

as we wrote yesterday, we always enjoy a road trip to our friends' dahlia farm in nearby greene county...the frost hit last weekend, so the dahlias are gone until next year. so, please enjoy this dash of color and some animal life from a recent visit to their farm!

words and photographs by rinne allen

little tin barn

this little tin barn is in rebecca, georgia. the back end is held up by the biggest chinaberry tree i ever saw. love old tin shacks!

words and photographs by rebecca wood

sarah and zach's farmington home

a couple of months ago i visited with a friend in her home in farmington, georgia.  farmington is just 20 minutes or so outside of athens and the tiny town is filled with potters and folk artists.   we always daydream about living there, seeing this house only enhanced that dream!  

i met sarah a few years ago, just as she and her husband purchased this house and dove head first into a major historic preservation project.  while i didn't see the house before, the finished home was one of those spaces that will forever be marked in my mind.   this expansive 1800's home is filled with tall ceilings, plaster walls, hand hewn logs, old furniture, and art.  zach owns oneta woodworks which specializes in reclaimed millwork.  there are elements of reclaimed wood all around the house that has given it some modern yet rustic updates while nodding to it's orginal time period. it sure is a lovey home and accomplishment.

photos and words by kristen bach

apple pickin'

as i mentioned in my monday post we just headed north for the weekend to pick apples.  we first visited georgia's apple country while we were expecting our daughter, maypop.  each season since then we have made it a family tradition to pick apples and all of the yummy goodness that comes along.  here are some moments from our fun trip!

photos and words by kristen bach

mcclellanville, SC

i spent time north of charleston recently and loved discovering the hidden town of mcclellanville. (kristen was actually there too just a few months ago.) i could not believe all of the architectural gems tucked away behind the spanish moss and along the marsh...enjoy!

words and photographs by rinne allen

brooklyn botanic garden

my sister sara lives right near the brooklyn botanic garden, so we usually go over there to see what's growing. after hurricane sandy there was a lot of trees damaged there, but they used the debris to build a kids fort! it's all nailed and woven together. it has great log stairs leading up to an enclosed deck up top with log seating all around. it almost looks like a giant birds nest when you first see it.

words and photographs by rebecca wood

deerhead oak

on a recenty trip to charleston we spent a day driving through small towns around the city.  we passed through McClellanville and had lunch at a local seafood place, afterwards walked across the street to see this century old oak....and it's tree swing.  it was amazing being surrounded by it's monsterous limbs!

photo by kristen bach

little river sock mill

our friends at alabama chanin first introduced us to little river sock mill in northeast alabama this summer. we had admired their collaboration, so when i was close to little river's home base in fort payne, alabama recently, i decided to stop in for a visit. gina locklear greeted me at the door of her family's mill and shared with me their history as we walked the aisles of machines at work. here, her family has made socks for almost 20 years, but gina's goal when she returned was to create her own line of organic cotton socks. she now has two lines, zkano and little river, that are sold across the country. i loved seeing the combination of old and new....on one machine, traditional tube socks were being woven, while on a machine right next door gina's socks in bright colors or neutral stripes were being woven, too. it is always refereshing to see southern textile manufacturing being re-invented, especially in a sustainable way. plus, the socks are beautiful!

words and photographs by rinne allen

frances beidler forest

the frances beidler forest is one of my favorite places to visit when i am in or around charleston.  this thousand year old cypress forest is filled with beauty and mystery.  this audubon forest has walkways that take you around for miles and every turn is just as breath taking as the last.  according to my daughter,  it's where the fairies live.

photos and words by kristenbach