woodstack

photograph by kristin karch

family treasures

while i was home for thanksgiving, i came across this old catholic book. me and my dad both knew it was old, but we had a big surprise waiting for us..

turns out, the book has always belonged to our family and dates back to 1904. hidden inside were two large locks of hair, one brown and curly and one blonde, some dried flowers, and a folded napkin with three baby teeth inside. in the back of the book, we found written birth and death dates all with our last name, with some born in the 1870s. In different handwriting, you can see that someone went back in the 1940s to write the death dates. 

Lion H. Karch, written in the bottom right corner, was born in 1900 and died in 1905, so I would like to think that the lock of blonde hair and teeth could be his. 

photographs and words by kristin karch

camellia

photograph by rinne allen

approaching winter

a recent walk in the woods revealed a shift in colors to the bleached-out browns and grey-greens of winter...with only a hint of fall's color remaining...

words and photographs by rinne allen

fungi

photograph by rinne allen

arabia mountain

i have lived in georgia almost all of my life, but had never heard of arabia mountain...until recently.

usually overshadowed by massive Stone Mountain (and its surrounding theme park), arabia mountain is formed from the same granite and is wonderfully quiet and secluded. a small trail leads you from the nature center to the mountain. once there, you may ramble all across the rock face, or choose to walk (or bike) some of the surrounding trails. our children loved it!

i never tire of seeing the mosses and lichens that live in the granite, either...
 

words and photographs by rinne allen

blowing grasses

photograph by rinne allen

salmons and pinks

the last hurrah of fall's warm colors...

words and photographs by rinne allen

summer leftovers

photo by kristen bach

coconut and leek rice

after eating so much though thanksgiving, my family has been eating pretty clean and light these days.  we have been enjoying this leek and coconut rice with just about everything!  it's simple and light and the coconut milk gives it a bit of a creamy note.  I thought it would be nice to share this staple since we seem to make it just about every other night! 

Add some other veggies and some toasted cashews to it to make it a meal or serve dal or lentils on top too. 

ingredients
2 cups jasmine rice (other rices work but this seems to be the most flavorful and I like it's texture)
1 cup of canned coconut milk, full fat
1 1/2 cup water
a generous pinch of salt
1 small bunch of cilantro, stems removed
3 small leeks or two large leeks, white parts

directions
-add the rice, coconut milk, water, and salt to a saucepan
-bring to a boil
-cover and turn the heat down to low or simmer
-cook for 15 minutes
-meanwhile, thinly slice your leeks and saute in 1 Tbsp of coconut oil
-thinly slice the cilantro, add more if you love cilantro like i do
-when your rice is done cooking let it rest for 10 minutes with the cover off
-add the leeks and cilantro and gently combine
-viola!

cherry blossoms

photograph by rinne allen

dia de los muertos

I was just going through photos and was reminded of the sweet dia de los muertos altar that was at our local farmers market.  candles were lit and they encouraged peeps to bring flowers in memory of loved ones who passed. Maypop and I picked some roses and strung them up, and hung them on the altar. it was a sweet day!

photographs and words by kristen bach

golden hour

photograph by rinne allen

cotton

autumn in south georgia means one thing: cotton. it was such a treat to see so many fields of white on my drive south to jacksonville. this one field in particular lured me to a pull over for a quick stop. with no other cars in sight, all i could see was sky, trees, and cotton.

photographs and words by kristin karch

farm house

photograph by kristin karch

mule creek

my dad, our dog ellie, and i had a grand time this thanksgiving exploring my dad's new property.

my father recently bought this land in middle georgia that backs right up to mule creek. the creek is so slow moving and wide in this area that it resembles a small lake. during the summer, there are thousands of lily pads that cover the shallow areas of the water with a deep green ribbon that runs through it. right now, my family is just working on making the steep land livable, but i am excited for my father to build his dream cottage and make this land home. 

photographs and words by kristin karch

pink light

photograph by rinne allen

wreath-making with mandy

i have been writing some pieces recently for food 52's website…recently, i asked our friend mandy to create some holiday decorating ideas for their website. we got together a few weeks ago to make and photograph them. this is an outtake from the day, a simple wreath made from dried greenery. you may use any vine or tendril that you have handy…this one is made with 'love-in-a-puff' and we love that is still has a little bit of green, but there is some brown creeping in too…

just lay your plant material out flat, end-on-end, with some pieces overlapping…then, grab each end and twist into a circle. secure with wire, ribbon or a strip of thin leather. then, hang and enjoy!

words & photographs by rinne allen . wreath by mandy o'shea of moonflower design