A day trip to St. Francisville

Ok, so you might know...I have recently started messing around with photography.  And love it..
The weather soon will be turning to hot, humid, dank...lol, for me anyway.  So I asked hubby if he wanted to take a road trip.  To my delight he said, yes, where? for what?  When I told him I wanted to take photographs, he said he would take his camera a too.  yea, on board.
I have a fascination with the romance of the thought of the ethereal Murtles Plantation in St. Francisville, so for the 4th time..off we went.  This time, no tour, just walking the grounds and enjoying the beauty.  It was warm, about 80 degrees, but humid.

After some time here, we set off for the Historical downtown area.  We got a map of the attractions and made a few stops.
Of course to an old church and cemetery...Grace Episcopal.

The area I will show you in detail, is Afton Villa Gardens.  This is the drive way to enter, it is breathtaking.  A serpentine of live oak trees and azaleas.  Heaven...

"It is this intermingling of joy and sadness that gives Afton Villa a strange, haunting beauty that the visitor usually feels as he enters the gates and first looks down through the cathedral-like archway of live oaks that line the winding avenue for one-half mile.  It is this quality that endures even though the villa itself was destroyed by fire in 1963 and only the gardens remain."

the Gothic mansion

 "Since the main house had burned to the ground in 1963, their architect, Barry Fox, helped turn the pool house into charming living quarters for the Trimbles, who in 1972 embarked on their huge, 20-year project to restore the lost gardens. Thanks to their dedication, their gardening skills, and the quality of the original landscape architecture, Afton Villa again offers visitors to Louisiana a taste of the golden age of Southern living."

This is just a sample of the photos.  I snapped 192...
If you would like to see more, I have downloaded many to my Flickr page.  Click here!  There is also a [page] under my blog header.

I have been seeking something new and fresh, I haven't created art in awhile.  I seem to have needed a break from it maybe,  I am not sure, but for now...I am enjoying this new venture.
Happy Sunday to all, and Happy Mother's Day to my friends across the pond, xo