morning dew

yesterday morning i took advantage of the mild weather and went for a walk.  i couldn't stop staring at the morning dew sparkle like glitter.

cotton leaves

humidity's dropping, and so are the nightime temps. yeah!!  my cotton looks great; big bolls opening up into perfect white clouds.  the leaves are very handsome and turn the prettiest colors in the fall.

butterfly house

we spent a weekend at

callaway gardens

for a wedding over memorial day.

it was actually alot of fun because the bride is of the callaway family, so we spent most of our time in the countryside at their swimming holes and lakes.

but, it was also fun to walk around callaway garden itself. one of their neatest things is the

butterfly center

which is home to hundreds (maybe thousands?) of butterflies.

seeing them close up was a treat, especially for the two year-old that was there with us.

here are some hatching butterflies:

and here are some just flying about:

they have these beautiful watercolor studies in their entrance hall:

fried okra

after months of 100 degree days our okra plants are still hanging in there.

we made a southern favorite;  fried okra.  you only need a couple of ingredients to make this addicting treat. we ate it plain but it is great dipped in a homemade aioli or homemade catsup.  enjoy!

i don't really have a recipe to make fried okra....it is just that simple.  here is how i like to make it......

start by heat up some vegetable oil to about 350 degrees.  put about 1 cup of cornmeal in a bowl and add some salt and pepper.  i also like to add some cayenne pepper but that is up to you!  beat a couple of eggs and set aside until your oil is up to temp. when ready, take an okra and wet it in the egg, then dredge it in the cornmeal mixture and carefully drop it into the oil.  remove from the oil when the batter appears golden.

dreamcatcher antiques

i was walking through downtown greensboro, georgia, and spotted this awesome storefront. it's called 'dreamcatcher garden shop'. the roof is long gone, and now behind the front window are large trees growing out the roof, and vines are growing through the cracks out onto the sidewalk. i loved it! maybe we should all have  room with no roof to bring the outside in and let nature make itself at home in our home.

abundance

we went to the beach for two weeks in the middle of july, and when we got back the flower  garden was totally out of control.  it was too hot to try to whip it back into shape, so i just kind of let it go.  it took on a life of its' own, twining and rising and falling in a display of lush and tangled life.  it became a sanctuary for birds, bees and butterflies.  we just observed the beauty.

studio visit: block and brayer

hollis mcfadden started

block and brayer

last summer, and already her work has been featured

here

and

here

.

she carves her blocks, mixes her pigments, prints, and sews everything herself, in her studio in athens, georgia.

on the day we visited a dark thunderstorm hit, so we watched her at work while the rain pounded outside. the vivid hues and organic forms kept us company.

the clean white-washed space held two large worktables with projects underway and a few cozy corners for resting.

thank you, hollis, for letting us visit!

nature's bouquet

an amazing bouquet of shelf mushrooms at the base of an oak tree.

beach textures

i saw lots of sunbleached, sandwashed textures on a deserted strip of beach.  fallen live oaks and palm trees in lovely shades of silver.