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The Country
next to christ church on edisto, there is a wonderful community building, equipped for cooking or meetings. i love a red roof faded by the hot hot sun.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
couldn't resist the color schemes here. a bight blue summer sky fading everything in sight. more diebenkorn inspirations in olar, sc.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
this place is a mindblower, down in olar, sc. wonderful bones. so many diebenkorn-esque shots from here. and the bathroom is a whole other blog. . .
photographs by rebecca wood
if you're ever heading down hiway 64 from augusta to edisto, stop in olar, sc. and take a look. lots of great spaces to inspire. maybe we need to move down there and start a commune. this one was killing me with its' red painted brick and faded trim.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
time for my annual visit to edisto island. i always make a trip out to botany bay, a 4800 acre park. it's the combined remnants of two old plantations, 'sea cloud' and 'bleak house'. finally there was one man living there that had inherited it all. he ended up donating to the DNR. it's a half mile walk to the beach, over expanses of marsh grass. once you're there, it's 2 miles of undisturbed natural beauty.
the shoreline is changing, and the salt water is encroaching on the woods by the beach. the oaks and palms aregradually dying. they fall over into the surf and are sanded clean in no time, becoming bleached bones on the beach, becoming endless stark beauty.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
everywhere in the south you can find kudzu growing and going about its business of covering old houses, roadways and trees. it was brought over from japan to help control erosion, which it does nicely. however, it is hard to get rid of and will grow up to a foot a day in our subtropical climate, reaching out and wrapping its' tendrils around any and everything. if left unattended, it will gradually cover everything in site. here is a kudzu patch right in the neighborhood, taking over all the trees and shrubs in an undeveloped gulch, and creeping onto the porch of a nearby house.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
i visited the william harris homestead near monroe, georgia recently. the home was built in 1825 and is still in the same family. the house sits on a hill overlooking the food gardens, and all kinds of intact wood, stone, and brick outbuildings are still in place. a smoke house, a salt house, stables, and several other wonderful old shapes. here's a tour. worth the trip!
words and photographs by rebecca wood
i recently took a trip to central illinois for a family reunion. one of the best parts of the trip was driving around these farm roads, paved with gooey tar, to see where my grandparents and great-grandparents lived. most of their homes are not standing anymore, but this barn remained next to the site of my great-grandmothers old home. my mother and grandmother with me, and it was so interesting to hear their stories and memories from this old barn. whoever owns it now will probably let it sit here to rot and disappear into the corn fields like so many other old structures in rural illinois.
photographs and words by kristin karch
i heard about this old homestead recently. it is off hiway 11 near monroe, georgia. this homestead has been in the same family since it was built in 1825. there were originally 500 acres, of which 300 acres were farmed for cotton. the old home is still mostly original. as usual, once the people quit living there, it all went to hay and farm storage. now it is restored and even has the original kitchen table.
originally it was two rooms with a sleeping loft above. william and his wife had 12 children, so things were pretty cozy. they spun their cotton into thread and made cloth to make their own clothing. it took about 3 months from cotton plant to shirt! otherwise, they were busy growing and putting up food. there's a smoke house, a salt house, and a large root cellar.
the homestead is open to the public 1st and 3rd saturdays in warmer months. loads of outbuildings that i will shoe next week!
photographs and words be rebecca wood
i've passed by this building for 30 years or more. it has always looked the same, and i always wonder "why doesn't somebody do something with that?" it probably was a mill. still has some good bones to it. near the intersection in arnoldsville, where mostly everything's closed up and quiet. well, maybe someday someone will buy it and make a cool house out of it.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
it's always a treat to ride out in the country and visit goodness grows. it is located just outside scenic lexington, georgia. people come from all over the south to see their beautiful displays and their extensive collection of classic southern flowers and native plants. they have many varieties of old fashioned southern favorites like camellia, hydrangea, ferns, day lilies and hostas, and all so attractively arranged! i got a lot of ideas and went home with a few bee friendly perennials. don't forget that native plants feed many kinds of local bees and birds.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
after all that work of wood firing pots, it's time for the sales! most of the potters around here have 2 sales a year, one after each firing. first weekend of june and first weekend of december. it's a great time to ride out in the country and see the potter's studios and their latest work. i went to geoff picket's, where i helped in the firing, because i had spied a couple of pieces when they came out of the kiln that i really wanted. the pieces i wanted were still available, so they went home with me and i also got a large garden pots my mom requested, so happy all around.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
the giant wood kiln holds literally hundreds of pots. all the potters take turns tending to the fire, usually in either 6 or 8 hour shifts. every hour we write down the temperature in the log book. we load 6 foot slabs into the kiln all day and all night until we reach a temperature of 2300 degrees. salt is added into the kiln at intervals, where it instantly vaporizes and forms a glaze on the pots. the fire leaves it's mark also.
when finished, it will take a week to cool down. it feels like the longest week! finally, the doors come down and the potters gather round to see the results. each piece is unloaded and inspected, admired or questioned, mental notes are made, and we already thinking about the next firing.
wood firing is probably one of the most labor intensive arts you can imagine, with the most unpredictable results! lots of the time things turn out so differently than you had imagined, that it's hard to do anything but shake your head. it's a lot to process when you get 100 things out of the kiln!
with wood firing, all parts of the process are so fun that it's hard not to do it again.
my pots looked totally different than i imagined, but still good!
photographs and words by rebecca wood
this is the last step before starting the fire. the kiln has been carefully loaded, each pot in a spot where it has the best opportunity for the desired amount of salt and heat. now to seal it up.
wood kilns do not have a door. they have an opening, and it must be closed with brick and mortar. there is a lot of measuring, cutting shim pieces, and using the level to make sure it all fits tightly.
next comes the layers of mud and newspaper, which must cover all the gaps from the top of the kiln to the bottom. several layers.
next comes another layer of brick, but these are soft bricks, and can be sanded or cut to fit the door shape. after that, one more sloshing of mud and layers of newspaper over the top for good measure. 9 hours later, the work is finished, and the kiln ready to be lit….
photographs and words by rebecca wood
we have written here before about the different rock quarries we swim in each summer…
the recent warm temperatures have made it a perfect time for swimming, so this past weekend we headed out with some families to swim and camp for the night at one of the quarries nearby. while the children swam & played, i did my usual wander around and looked at all the patterns in the stone and textures. i love the lichens, wildflowers, and craggy plants that grow here. part of this quarry is still mined for stone, while the other part is abandoned and safe for swimming. we look forward to many days of swimming and exploring here this summer!
words & photographs by rinne allen
after a few years, i'm doing a wood firing again. the wood kilns are out in the country at geoff picket's. there are two kilns to load, and i helped for two days loading one of them. it holds 100's of pots, so it takes a long time. geoff knows every square inch of the kiln, and always takes great pains to put each person's pot where it will have the best chance of success.
there are 6-8 potters that all brought pots to fire. it seems like there are so many we will never fit them all in, but they all go in .all the potters will take turns feeding the fire.
we work all day under cover of the kiln shed to protect us from sun and rain. i attach wads on the bottom of each pot to hold it slightly off the kiln shelf. the air smells of honeysuckle and the wind is gently blowing all day. we work at a steady pace.
today i will help put the doors up on the kiln. more on that next week!
photographs and words by rebecca wood
rebecca draws flowers constantly. flowers are her signature subject. plus, the way she talks about drawing them is so great. first, she instructs you to just look at the flower...for a long time. at the workshop she said this may be the most important thing you do all day and she was right. taking the time to really look at something- in this case, one of mandy's beautiful booms- is a great way to slow down and appreciate the moment and the flower. by the time you are ready to draw your mind has already spent time looking at how the flower comes together and its structure and form. your mind has had time to work out where to begin and where to end. after that, there really is no wrong way to proceed, so you just begin.
photographs and words by rinne allen
words and photographs by kristen bach
lately, my head's been busy with cares, deadlines, inspirations, projects and concepts. getting to be a lot of static, so i headed out towards the country to clear my mind. i had far away in mind, but, on a whim, pulled into the nature center right outside of town. next thing i know, i found myself surrounded by a welcoming sea of green, relaxing and finding peace. there's nothing like being in the woods to clear your mind and reconnect with all your senses. it's like hitting a giant 'reset' button. it's why i will get back to the country one day…
words and photographs by rebecca wood
most southerners have love hate relationship with the wisteria vine. when it blooms there is no smell that compares to the sweet and fragrant air that breezes throughout town. it's lovely white and lavender blossoms coat the trees and sky which make is so easy to look up and admire the spring canopy. when you have wisteria in your yard you tend to have a different take on the vine! it can take over a tree in no time and its large and strong vine is almost impossible to control. i still can't help but love this time of year and the sweetness that it brings!
photographs and words by kristen bach
