The Barn Series - Day 6 - See Rock City

Today I am sharing a vintage barn featuring the SEE ROCK CITY logos. You can find these logo barns all over the South. You can find this barn outside the gate entrance to Maker's Mark. While we are in Kentucky, I wanted to share a little bit about Rock City which is situated atop Lookout Mountain, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and features massive ancient rock formations, beautiful gardens, a waterfall and caverns. You can walk on the Swing Along Bridge or hike the Enchanted Trail, or if you fancy it, visit Mother Goose Village to shop and dine. It's an experience to see the least!

If you take the state road from Loretto to Louisville, in Kentucky, just pat Bardstown sits another Rock City logo barn. I admit I have never been to Rock City. It is on my list of places to visit in Tennessee, I would love to photograph the waterfall and take a few snaps of the overlook on top of Lookout Mountain where you can see 7 states in that one spot. Impressive!

Stop back by tomorrow for another barn in our Barn Series. You never know where we might end up. And I love having you along for the ride, as much as I love reminiscing about these old barns I photographed over the years. Have a wonderful evening. ENJOY!

Happy 4th of July!!

Everyone have a safe, Happy 4th of July America! ENJOY!

My Old Kentucky Home

Have you followed my blog long? If not, then you don't know how tied to this great Bluegrass State of Kentucky I am. If you've been here a while, then you already know what I'm going to say. I spent a few hours in Bardstown yesterday checking out their holiday decor. Grabbed a quick BLT at Mammy's Kitchen, my favorite place to grab a bite. And then proceeded to stop by My Old Kentucky Home before heading back home.

My love for this state and this particular area of this state is etched in my mind. My father grew up in Springfield which is a hop, skip and a jump from Bardstown. Needless to say, I've spent many a day driving through Bardstown on my way to Springfield or Loretto or wherever we were going that particular day. We always passed through Bardstown to get there and we always had to pass by My Old Kentucky Home. Yesterday as I walked toward the house, the wind was blowing what Fall leaves were still left on the trees down leaving a beautiful carpet of yellows and browns and oranges.

Before I leave you today, I have to share one more thought as I show you the beautiful house itself. Every now and then an interesting thing occurs to every photographer. You take photos. You drop them in your archives to review. And then you see something you didn't see when you took the photo. This photo was one of those photos. Can you see her? There at the door of My Old Kentucky Home stood a lady in period dress peering out into the yard at the door. I never even saw her when I snapped the image as I was busy making certain I got the entire house in the frame. When I caught sight of her last night as I reviewed the 'day's catch' my heart skipped a little beat. Do you suppose Stephen Foster himself stood peering out that same door many, many, many decades ago. My thought is a decidedly, yes. Have a fantastic Sunday all. ENJOY!

Grounds at Maker's Mark, Loretto, Kentucky

A few weeks ago I spent a Saturday afternoon shopping in Bardstown at some of my favorite home decor shops. Then I drove the twenty minute drive to Maker's Mark. I hadn't been to the distillery in over ten years and I didn't have any of those old images. So, allow me to give you a quickie tour of this famed distillery . . .

As you make your way from the parking lot to the main grounds, you'll pass this old painted wagon filled with, what else, but bourbon barrels.


Next you'll walk over a bridge and please do notice the creek which I'm sure plays a big role in the 'making of this mark'.



Oh, look. Here we are at the distillery building where you can go in and take the tour. No, I've never done the tour, but perhaps one day.


As you make your way back to the parking lot, you'll pass this black and red painted barn which no doubt plays a role in the bourbon making process. Tomorrow, as it happens, is the last day for the annual Bourbon Festival that's been going on all week in and around Bardstown, Kentucky. There are bourbon enthusiasts from all over the globe visiting Louisville and Bardstown this week just to tour the many bourbon distilleries and participate in the festival. Have a fantastic weekend all. ENJOY!

Photographer's Note: Before I close this post, I wanted to share that at one time I played a role in the branding of Maker's Mark. Back in the beginning of my career in advertising, I worked for a major ad agency here in Louisville. I managed the typesetting department and typeset many a Maker's Mark ad and billboard. One holiday, Bill Samuels gave me a signed bottle of Maker's Mark, with my name printed on the label and the top was dipped in gold wax instead of red.

Red Door

What is not to love about a red door? I ask you. I had to make a trip back to Bardstown for work again today and it was a beautiful day to boot. I noticed this beautiful red door the last trip I took to this 'most beautiful small town in Ameria'. So I stopped on my way out of town today and took a pic to share with you guys. Oh how I love these wreaths. The weather is cooled off, the humidity has backed off, the skies are blue and clouds are white and fluffy and I have 'absolutely NO complaints'. Thank you Mother Nature. I have had bronchitis now for two weeks, but I can tell I've turned the corner towards health and well being which only means I might be able to get out this weekend and take some photos somewhere other than Bernheim. Yipppeee. ENJOY!

Hungry Fledglings

It's feeding time at the Pavilion at Bernheim and the Barn Swallow fledglings, who haven't flown the nest, are ravenous. I spent a mere few minutes taking these images yesterday, before getting back in the car out of the heat. Check out the frown on the top left and bottom right fledgling. He's almost comical. Another heat advisory today. We did get 'some' relief yesterday, as storms came through late afternoon. However, there were major lightning strikes which ignited several house fires and an apartment building in town. Aside from that, I welcomed the rain. ENJOY!

PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTE: I happened to take a short drive to Bardstown yesterday to visit several shops I discovered on a previous trip. While there, I noticed one of Louisville's television crews busily shooting video. Later, when I turned on the news, I learned Bardstown was named America's 'most beautiful' small town. Congrats Bardstown, Kentucky!

Where Were You In 2010?

The year seemed to fly by. I don't know where the time went. Did you stay close to home or travel far from home? In my quest to travel back in time to some of the many places I visited, I sought out images from my archives that may not have been posted on my blog. I chose many, many images before finally settling on a select few and then brought them together in a collage just for you.

Looking back at this past year. I traveled several times to Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, in southcentral Indiana, to view the wildlife in the wetlands. I visited the nearby arts and crafts village of Nashville, Indiana, in Brown County, to browse the shops and lunch at my favorite restaurant, Artist's Colony Inn. There were quick jaunts to Lexington's Bluegrass Region, one snowy February weekend, and to historic Bardstown, Kentucky, to capture images of My Old Kentucky Home, in late fall.



Of course, there were frequent visits to nearby Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest located in Clermont, Kentucky. I shared photographs of the purple foxgloves blooming in the Arboretum gardens in spring, captured many images of the water lilies basking in the summer sun in the pond, and least I forget, remember that beautiful golden sunflower I photographed outside Bernheim's cafe, where I would take a break from the sweltering record breaking summer heat and grab a quick bite of lunch. Best of all, I planned a week's long trip and ventured to Cape Cod to photograph the little towns of Sandwich, Chatham and Yarmouth, and viewed their harbors filled to the brim with every shape and size of boat. But, the real highlight of my vacation was the day trip to Nantucket Island, where I spent hours walking along the Boat Basin, shopping in town and touring the island on one of the many tour buses. What a trip to remember!

It's been a busy year and a great one in many ways. But we must keep moving forward. And there's a new year coming. So again, I ask you, where were you in 2010? I invite you to click on the image to view a full screen version. ENJOY!

Fall Foliage!

While at My Old Kentucky Home last weekend I took a few picks of the fall leaves. Nothing fancy mind you. The severe drought here in northern Kentucky, oh my, you should have seen the beautiful trees with dead leaves that didn't even get to turn a color for fall in Bernheim. I left feeling a little more calm than I went in as it's such a serene place but also sad as the beautiful leaves are all dying and falling off the trees and only the yellows of some trees were really making a splash. Despite all of that I was still glad I visited. ENJOY!

Historic My Old Kentucky Home!

There are many historic places situated "in my backyard" besides those beautiful horse farms in Lexington. One of those historic places is My Old Kentucky Home State Park, once home to Stephen Foster. Amazingly enough it's a mere 25 miles from where I live. After driving to Bernheim Sunday it was only a ten minute ride on in to Bardstown, Kentucky. I hadn't been to Bardstown in 4 to 5 years so I decided to make a quick visit. Here's a few photos I took. I thought perhaps you'd like a peek.
Walking up to the front of the house.

My Old Kentucky Home with fall leaves.



An old out building sits in front of the house down towards the highway.

Taking a stroll back to the rear courtyard.

The courtyard behind the house.

MY FAVORITE IMAGE! ISN'T SHE GRAND!

Hope you're having a good week. ENJOY!