Friday, July 6, 2012

Foto Friday . . . vacation part III, The Wedding Tree



"A vacation is having nothing to do
and all day to do it in."

- Robert Orben

I don't know about you, but one of the things I like to do whether on vacation or not is to explore.
 Since the beach flags were still red and it was overcast, we decided to do just that. My google search
found the Eden Garden State Park and it was only $4 per car, my kind of place! I mean who wants
to go shopping when you can traverse a place like this with ancient oak trees and a mansion?

The Eden Garden State Park is tucked away on the shore of Tucker Bayou and part of the estate that was owned by a lumber mill family, the Wesley's. At every turn there are these incredible live oaks with Spanish moss and resurrection fern. The fern grows right on the tree in the bark and stays dormant until there is a rain and it comes to life.


{shoot.edit.submit}

And just as we started out, before we got to those trees, a corn snake crossed our path. I'm definitely
not an expert of snakes, but I know a corn snake when I see one . . . I used to own one, only he was much
more handsome and colorful than this one.



And here she is, the turn-of-a-century plantation house. It was built in 1895 by William Henry Wesley with all the elaborate Victorian trimmings, that is until Lois Maxon bought it in 1963 and restored it in the Antebellum style. I mentioned earlier ancient oaks, how about 600 years old ancient? That would be the tree on the left and what they endearingly call "The Wedding" tree because of all the weddings that have been held under it. We all put our hands on this tree, and you could just feel it's energy.


The windows even have the original glass that gives a bit of a wavy reflection.


After all the renovations she filled the house with a very expensive collection of Louis XVI furniture, which is the second largest in the U.S. The needlework on this chair was exquisite!


This was one of the upstairs bedrooms . . .


And a reflection of the flag on the front of the house from the upstairs wrap around porch....

{Photograph life - patriotic}

I forget how many acres there were, we didn't get to it all,  but what we did see was magical.


We took some sandwiches and snacks with us and ate at a picnic table on the edge of the bayou.
There were a few beggar squirrels who enjoyed a some Cheetos, and this one cracked us up at how he would go up the tree and hang upside down while he ate.


One of the formal rose gardens, which wasn't in great bloom. There was also a secret garden, in fact it was so secret . . . we couldn't find it!


. . . but, there were these beautiful hydrangea's to make up for it.

{Flower Art Friday, Photo Art Friday}

I love finding little gems like this on vacation, or well anytime. What about you, what's your favorite part
of a vacation? Do you like to explore?

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! I'm so excited, I can hardly contain myself . . . a friend is driving down from Dallas for a short get away and I can't wait to see her. It's been 4 years . . .Whoo hoo!
Have a wonderful weekend! 

Love, Kim
XO

P.S. Next vacation stop, either the wharf, or the gators . . .hmmm


  photosbyleanne  Photo Art Friday



 
 
 

26 comments:

Andrea Dawn said...

Now that's my kind of adventure. Beautiful shots of the wedding tree and love the hydrangeas. Have a great weekend with your visiting friend.

tiarastantrums said...

thanks for sharing all your wonderful photos of your vacation

Linda/patchwork said...

This is a beautiful place. And, exploring new places and new things, is what we think vacations are all about.
Glad you're having a good time.
Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

What a beautiful place, thanks for taking us along!

Molly said...

What a beautiful slice of America's history. Thank you for sharing

Mollyxxx

Sommerfugl Design said...

I would say this is well worth the 4$! Beautiful pictures. And is it just me or does that look like the house from forest gump?

MixedMolly said...

I could spend hours there! What a great find. Love the shot of the house with the large oak trees in front.

Jeanne said...

What a fun outing, and love your photos of this!

Pat said...

Your photos of this park certainly do showcase all the beauty to be found there! The edit on the hydrangea photo is lovely.

Anonymous said...

Lovely photos and really like the chair and poppies. Yes, we spend most of our time exploring on vacation!

Muriel said...

Beautiful photos. That tree is amazing! The squirrel shot made me laugh!

EMily said...

Your photos are amazing! They look like paintings! Visiting historic sites like that is always so interesting.

Anonymous said...

Definitely looks like my kind of place... love that 1st shot, very beautiful! =)

Lynne with an e said...

"A magical place" is right! Those moss-dripping trees are other-worldly. I really enjoyed this mini- vacation here with you.

Anonymous said...

your pictures are absolutely stunning especially the first one!

Ida said...

Now this would be something I'd enjoy visiting. Your photo's are wonderful. The Hydrangea photo is so lovely.

Deborah said...

magnificent, beautiful, memory making captures!

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Oh, I bet they would love some of your photographs for their brochures! Lovely edit on the hydrangea, Kim. Thank you for sharing your work with Photo Art Friday.

Deanna said...

It certainly looks like you had a great vacation. We visited one of those old plantations in Charleston, SC a few years back...how fun. Beautiful pics...thanks for taking us along. And have fun renewing friendships!!

Sherri B. said...

Oh yes, I love to explore, especially since I discovered photography. Kim, your photos are beautiful - I love the huge, mossy trees down south! Thanks for sharing your day of exploring - what a lovely property this is. And I want to thank you also for your kind comment on my blog post/poem...it means so much when my words resonate with someone else. Thanks again! Have a great weekend~~ :)

Seraphinas Phantasie said...

Wonderful texture work with the Hydrangea.

Anonymous said...

Nice pictures.

Lori said...

All are so very beautiful! Love those tress, stunning!

Thanks for sharing with Foto Friday,
Lori

LeAnne said...

How wonderful are all these! Thanks so much for sharing your flower with Flower Art Friday! :)

Lisa Gordon said...

These trees are amazing. They must be very, very old.
What a wonderful place to be with a camera. Thank you for taking us along!
xo.

Kathryn Dyche said...

You had me at the first photo, looks like an amazing place . . . my kind of place.

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