Waterlily Gardens, Gibbs Gardens

As beautiful as the lush Japanese Gardens were with the gorgeous foliage and large ponds with the Weeping Willow branches draped over the water, the Waterlily Gardens at Gibbs Gardens was simply gorgeous. Clumps of Waterlilies blooming in vibrant captivating colors graced the many ponds of the Waterlily Gardens. There are supposedly 140 varieties of Waterlilies that bloom here throughout the year.

The water source here comes from underground springs adding to the natural feeling you get as you walk among the ponds. As you meander from path to path, you encounter wooden bridges, covered bridges and even natural rock bridges, not to mention small waterfalls and even a Japanese pagoda. Remarkably, this Waterlily Garden has the largest natural display of Waterlilies in the nation.

The star of this feature garden though is the Waterlily flowers in bloom with their vibrant yellows, pinks, blues and lavenders. Before I left Gibbs for the day, I took a second walk around this particular garden as it was so captivating an experience. I was in my glory with all of the color and the beautiful Lily Pads. On this particular day the temperatures were milder than had been all Summer which I had noted on the forecast while planning this trip. I knew I would be spending three or four hours or longer walking throughout these gardens and I wanted the day to be somewhat mild. Thankfully, it was. What a magical place. I hope you enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed taking them. ENJOY!

Belle Meade Plantation

Belle Meade Plantation is a beautiful old Southern mansion accompanied by several outbuildings situated in Belle Meade, southwest of downtown Nashville. Belle Meade actually means 'beautiful meadow' and I definitely enjoyed the meadow surrounding the mansion today as I stopped for a visit. I wanted to photograph the property near the road away from the mansion.

John Harding purchased 200 acres in the mid 1800's and brought in slaves from the deep South to construct the mansion. Harding bought the land from the money he saved working for his father, who was also a farmer. Later Harding built a cotton gin on the property along with a grist mill and saw mill. Those buildings still stand on the property today. This image is the bridge off the main highway which is the entrance to the plantation.

As years passed and Harding's effort thrived Belle Meaade became a famous Southern Plantation visited by dignitaries, and at one time President and First Lady Grover Cleveland stayed at Belle Meade. Later Harding's son who was an avid horseman took over managing the plantation. Giles, was an avid horseman and raced at all the local race tracks. Giles purchased more and more land over time and eventually the plantation exceeded 3600 acres. As I walked back toward the drive that circumvents the property, I stopped to take a photo of a small Crab Apple tree in bloom.

Later, Harding's daughter married a general from the Civil War and they moved into the mansion. The general was also an avid horseman and maintained the property until the late 1800's when the economy weakened and by the early 1900's most of the plantation and the mansion had been sold or auctioned off. Luckily, the historical society saved the mansion and the outbuildings. Wouldn't it be fantastic if you could have visited back in the day of the great Southern Plantation. I can only imagine what it would have been like. As I walked back toward the main house I captured this image. I can't wait to visit and tour the house. It is a beautiful day here in Tennessee. Everywhere I looked there were flowering trees and pops of color from blooming tulips, daffodils and pansies. I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter Sunday. I'll be back soon to share a few other images I captured this week. ENJOY!

Linking to The Scoop

Fall, Versailles, Kentucky!

A special gift to all of my followers this Sunday morning. When we compose a photograph, our deepest desire is surely to capture beauty. After composing this image in portrait, I realized I was not very fond of it. Yet, there was something about this image that kept at me. So I cropped it to landscape. That mere step forced me to take a closer look at the highlights I had captured but could not readily see. Perhaps if I enhance the meager areas of green and bring out the yellow remnants of Fall. And that's when I felt I had found it . . . the beauty that was hidden before began to emerge. A subtle, yet definitive beauty that amongst all the blacks and browns in this composition there exists these beautiful splashes of color that until now seemed hidden to my naked eye. Do you see the greens hidden amongst the trees in the hillside and the yellows that force you to step across that bridge, only to find yourself on the other side of the river, and yet still you desire to walk down that rock laden old road to see what lies beyond just over the hill. If so, then you have taken the very journey that I took when I originally composed this image because our mind's eye will always see before we do. And that is why I shoot photography. Where do you find beauty? ENJOY!