garden tomatoes

photograph by rinne allen

secret quarry

outside carlton, ga off of a dirt road, there is this abandoned rock quarry. i love the colors and shapes of the stone reflecting in the water..

photographs and words by kristin karch

peegee hydrangea

photograph by rinne allen

secret meadow

i came across this glowing meadow as the sun was setting. there is a hint of fall color. it seemed so magical….

photographs and words by rebecca wood

sky water

photograph by rinne allen

gas station bathroom

i told you this was a whole other blog! so much beauty in such a small space. once again, inspirations for large abstract paintings…from olar, sc.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

butterfly & joe pye weed

photograph by rinne allen

pinks & reds

we have had a longer heat than normal this year...because of this, our dahlias are barely hanging in there...it has just been too hot.

so, when our friend mandy dropped off this bouquet of dahlias and cosmos to me, i was so happy! i have been in a dahlia-deficit...enjoy!

photographs by rinne allen

blue sky and apples

photo by kristen bach

apple picking

Every fall our family heads North to go apple picking.  We try to choose a different orchard and location each year.  This year we went to an apple area outside of Asheville, NC.

Naturally the next couple of weeks are filled with lots of apple eating and baking.  stay tuned for some apple recipes!!

photos and words by kristen bach

meadow

photograph by rinne allen

goldenrod

there is a big patch of goldenrod at the botanical garden here. they let it grow wild by the river, and it is 6 - 10 feet tall! right now it is still mostly budded up and in chartreuse mode. i will go back in a week or so for a full on golden explosion!

photographs and words by rebecca wood

carrot flower

photograph by rinne allen

by the river

i love to go to the botanical gardens here and walk the river trail. we are having a long summer here. still 80's every day, so not much signs of fall. it's also been dry, so lots of plants are just giving up the ghost. the vines and overgrowth along the river are either still green or have withered away. at any rate, overgrowth is a love of mine.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

reflection

photograph by rinne allen

trinity church

edisto island has lots of history, of dinosaurs, extinct mammals, indians, slaves, and plantations. there are a some beautiful churches that have survived hurricanes and wars.

here is one called trinity church. it was built in 1876. all the old churches are surrounded by ancient live oaks dripping with moss.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

joe pye weed

photograph by rinne allen

bits of pre-fall

it isn't officially fall just yet, but there are signs of it sprouting on the trees and plants around here. pods and seeds are bursting in my favorite colors: copper, dusty pink, pale cinnamon and a light lichen green.

words & photographs by rinne allen

kudzu flower beauty

photo by kristen bach

kudzu blossom sorbet

i have been having so much fun experimenting with kudzu. this kudzu recipe was by far my favorite things that I made. the color is magical and the sweet floral and grape essence is lovely.  but really.... the bright magenta color won my heart right away!  have fun!

Kudzu sorbet
2 cups of kudzu flowers
2 1/2 cup water,cool
the Simple syrup:
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
juice from 2 lemons

-soak kudzu flowers the cool 2 1/2 cup water, in a non reactive bowl
-put a plate on top of flowers to act as a weight and soak overnight
-strain the kudzu water through cheese cloth or a coffee filter to sift out any impurities
-make the simple syrup by heating up the water
-remove from heat and add the sugar
-stir until sugar is dissolved
-cool for 15 minutes and add lemon juice
-cool until room temp and add the kudzu water
-combine and pour into a non reactive container and put in the freezer
-check every few hours and break up the sorbet
-when frozen, place in a blender to create the sorbet consistency and put back in the freezer to chill
-enjoy!!

photos and recipe by kristen bach