Showing posts with label Limestone Fences. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Limestone Fences. Show all posts

Thursday, March 1, 2018

In the Bluegrass State: Kentucky Woman Series

The Kentucky Bluegrass area is like no other place to visit in the States. As you travel the back roads, along the designated Kentucky Scenic Byways, you pass famed horse farm after horse farm, and you soon come to realize just how beautiful this area really is. Horse barns are painted in reds and greens with most all of them beautifully adorned in various styles of cupolas.


On this particular drive on a beautiful Summer's afternoon, I happened upon this gorgeous scene along the byway. Vintage, stacked limestone fencing, a large pond with tall Cattails and a sweeping Weeping Willow tree decorated this property with this beautiful horse barn featuring multiple cuplolas. Stunning is all I could think of as I stood photographing this landscape.


As I meandered along the byway, I passed this beautiful scene of hay bales scattered all throughout this farm field just waiting to be scooped up and hoisted onto a long trailer for safekeeping elsewhere.


Driving around the Midway area all along the byway, I took in the beautiful Bluegrass horse farms. I stopped in my tracks, however, when I happened upon this black stallion grazing aimlessly in this clover covered field. He was such a gorgeous subject to photograph. Did you know it's not easy photographing horses because they constantly swish their tails back and forth.


Just for good measure, and knowing full well I had several images of foals laying around in the fields or sticking close to Mom, I wanted to add this image. This foal was sticking very close to its Mom and never ventured far from her as I stood capturing images. This obviously was taken on another trek to the area in early Spring when the foes are plentiful to photograph.


Farther along the byway, I passed this large black barn with a metal roof sitting off in the distance. Tobacco plants were growing high in the field and hail bails were resting off to the side of the farm road as I stopped to photograph this image. It was mid to late Summer so the tobacco fields were nearing ready to put up the crops. Did you know putting up tobacco is a hard, hard job and quite tedious to say the least? I remember when my family visited my great uncle's farm in Marion County, Kentucky, and watching as they completed the time intensive and quite labor intensive putting up of the tobacco.


On a side road, very near to Keeneland Race Track just outside of Lexington, I happened upon a field of dairy Goats grazing in the warm Summer sunshine. A cute brown and white one kept an eye on me as I stopped to capture images. Aren't they adorable?


As a Kentucky born woman, now living in Tennessee, I am reminded of my visits to Midway and Lexington as I browse my archives. The famed, Bluegrass horse farms with the gorgeous thoroughbreds and stallions, dot the landscape. The adorable foals as they run about the fields or lay nearby always staying in close proximity to their Mothers. The quaint cupolas that adorn the horse barns. The black wooden fences and the old stacked, limestone fences that surround the parameters of the many famed horse farms. And finally, the crisp green Kentucky Bluegrass that tops off all this gorgeousness with every twist and turn in the road. I must get back here soon. I hope you enjoyed my trek around the region as much as I did sharing it with you. ENJOY!

Saturday, April 4, 2015

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

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Fences


One of my favorite images from my drive along the Bluegrass Scenic Byway a few weeks ago. I'm particularly fond of this photo as it features both the dark wooden fences that surround the historic horse farms, but also the beautiful limestone fences that this area of Kentucky is historically known for. Hope your weekend is going great. ENJOY!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Limestone Fences!



As you travel along the Bluegrass Scenic Byway, you'll notice these beautiful old limestone fences that have been there for decades and possibly centuries. They give the byway a natural feel and add such ambiance to the whole Bluegrass Region with it's beautiful thoroughbreds and gorgeous barns. I loved seeing the snow piled up on the tops of the limestones. The sun was shining so bright that day through the trees that I had to stop and take a photo for you to see. Have a wonderful weekend. ENJOY!