Fotografaire - Blog and Photography

Hay Bales Serene

There is something about bales of hay that always look so beautiful and serene to me…no matter the location…whether it be near a barn…on a field of green…combined with Civil War headstones…or next to a road.

Hay is actually fescue, alfalfa or other grass that has been mowed…and then it is cured…for use as feed for domestic animals…such as horses and cattle, etc. It is baled in either rectangular shapes, or rounded shapes, and stored for winter feeding.

Their shapes in the meadows bring an element of visual peace and joy to my day.

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Butterfly Beauties

Butterflies are one of nature’s most beautiful flying insects.

They have two pairs of wings, six jointed legs, and they have three different body parts (the abdomen, the head, and the thorax). Extremely tiny sensory hairs cover their bodies.

When the weather is cooler, butterflies sun themselves in order to keep warm. Their body temperature must be 86 degrees in order for them to fly. The can fly at speeds that vary from 5 miles per hour, to 30 miles per hour, for the faster butterflies.

Their beauty can be deceiving, as some butterflies are poisonous.

If you are fortunate enough to see them in your garden, try to get a photograph of them, to remind you of their beauty.

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Historic and Beautiful Carnton Plantation

Carnton Plantation is a beautiful and historic home, located in Franklin, Tennessee. It is filled with exact replicas of wallpaper lining the walls, taken from samples found underneath the layers of paint and grime, and reproduced, when the interior of the house was restored. The furniture, from the time period is stunning, reminders of the beautiful craftsmanship of days past. Walking from room to room is an extremely poignant reminder of the history the house holds, the whispers within the walls, the life, the festive moments, and joyous family times spent at the Plantation, and, of course, the hospital atmosphere, where so many lives changed, that November day.

November 30, 1864, was a bleak day in the history of the city of Franklin. The historic and beautiful Carnton Plantation home was used as a hospital during the Battle of Franklin, during the Civil War. In fact, blood stains remain on the hardwood floors in most of the rooms…a poignant reminder of those who had surgery, and those who died on the Plantation grounds.

This Plantation is the setting in the historical novel “The Widow of the South”. Widow Carrie McGavock personally grieved for all of the lost lives that day, in the Battle of Franklin, where 9,000 soldiers died. And, 1,481 Confederate soldiers are buried on the grounds, on two acres of land, in a private cemetery, on the Plantation. It is very sobering, indeed.

Carnton is a beautiful home, filled with exact replicas of wallpaper lining the walls, taken from samples found, and reproduced, when the interior of the house was restored. The furniture, from the time period is stunning, reminders of the beautiful craftsmanship of days past. Walking from room to room is an extremely poignant reminder of the history the house holds, the whispers within the walls, the life, the festive moments, and joyous family times spent at the Plantation, and, of course, the hospital atmosphere, where so many lives changed.

If you have the opportunity, and if you are a history buff, then it is a must that you visit Carnton Plantation, take the tour of the mansion, tour the smoke-house, the original home, and self-guided tour through the gardens.

© Copyright - All Rights Reserved - No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography or poetry in any form/format without my expresss written consent/permission, and without negotiation of any fee.

Cheekwood Botanical Gardens

Cheekwood Botanical Gardens is a fantastic place to visit for a one-day getaway.

Any season is nice, as the gardens are devoted to seasonal flowers and trees, but the spring and summer seasons, in my opinion offers a plethora of delightful and beautiful tones accenting the architectural beauty.

There are ten gardens that are located among the grounds, including a Japanese Garden, Turner Seasons Garden, Wills Perennial Garden, a Herb Garden, Burr Terrace Garden, to name five. Each one devoted to specific plants, flowers and trees.

Cheekwood Botanical Gardens also houses a Museum of Art, with varied art exhibitions. The Museum is housed in the former Cheek Mansion, a beautiful Georgian architectural structure, surrounded by the calm of the gardens, a reflection pool, lovely statuary, and landscape waterfalls.

You can spend an entire day there, walking through the gardens, listening to the song of the landscape waterfalls and architecture, having a picnic lunch within one of the lovely gazebos or within a specific garden setting, and also viewing the current exhibit on display in the Art Museum.

If you want to experience a serene and beautiful setting, architecture surrounded by flowers and nature’s loveliness, then Cheekwood Botanical Gardens is a place to visit!

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Former VP Al Gore Signing An Inconvenient Truth

Former Vice-President Al Gore will be reading from, and signing his book, An Inconvenient Truth, at Davis-Kidd Booksellers, at the Green Hills Mall, in Nashiville, TN, on Friday June 23, 2006, beginning at noon. Once you have purchased the book, you will then be issued a “line number”.

Gore’s book is a compelling book, both a photographic visual, and written journey into the depths of Global Warming, an issue that he is trying to bring to the forefront of each and every citizen on the planet, informing them of the crisis. The photographs are intense, and exhibit, in detail and urgency how Global Warming is affecting us. The images speak volumes on our environment, and on the corporate sector’s contribution to Global Warming.
We are shown how the ecological balance can be undermined by corporate pollution, rising temperatures, for instance, causing massive flooding, extensively drier and drought-induced climates, in areas not normally known for those weather related issues. The photographs bring the issues to our eyes, illuminating us, through overwhelming settings and captures, of how the severity of Global Warming is affecting the Earth…causing temperatures to almost do an about-face in some areas.
The An Inconvenient Truth has also been made into a film, which is just as compelling as the photographs and prose of the book.

The book focuses, in photographs and prose, on the scientific studies, facts, and information garnered from resources, to bring us information for the current times, and for the generations to come. It is a must read for those concerned with the ongoing environmental issues that involve our planet…we are all one underneath the sun We must all be aware, not only for ourselves, but future familial generations.
I have my line number….see you there!

~~Book Diva