of that Red....Dirt.....Road.........

Brooks & Dunn certainly could've been inspired by this very spot....

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBTpoKvre84

Definitely a sighting where I just had to "slam on the brakes"..........cause it was way too cool to pass up !

The play on light & shadows here was just magical.

Thanks for takin' a peek..........

View "Large" & Ya might spot a squirrel.......

Happy Friday & I wish you all a Great weekend ahead !

Oak Alley Plantation - Vacherie, Louisiana USA

At the time Oak Alley was built, the River Region sugar industry was flourishing, and a chain of stately plantation homes lined the banks of the Mississippi. Too many of these since have been devoured by the passage of time, exposure to the elements and mankind's struggle to move on, but Oak Alley remains as a testimonial to the old South's golden age.

There is a simple authenticity about her grandeur that reassures and frees the mind to contemplate and appreciate all facets of her existence. She offers the enchantment of one way of life without compromising the significance of another. Here indeed.......is something for everyone.

In the Spring, anywhere from 1,200 - 1,500 visitors each day walk the lovely grounds beneath the Spanish Moss draped Live oaks.

It's very difficult to capture this stately place with no one around.

I'm fortunate to live fairly close & it's enjoyable to see / meet tourists from all over the World.

Thank Y'all for taking a look at one of Louisiana's Finest Showcase Plantation Homes........

Have a great week !

Better Large-A closeup and panorama of the back hill at my mother's home in Georgia. A place of rest at a very colorful time of year. She probably has a fire going right now!

FOR THOSE INTERESTED I HAVE AN EXHIBITION AT THIS LINK www.flickr.com/groups/inspiringcollection/discuss/7215762...

Keeping The Colors Of Light I Saw (JHWatkins)

Keeping the colors of light I saw,

Hidden deep in my heart-

Here, chambered in silence they grow-

Where, watered by time they flow,

To places concealed at the start.

Each shade, a life of its own,

Gathering force like the wind,

Bursting with promise

And purpose renewed,

In heavenly dreams they ascend.

Returning to sources of similar schemes,

Gliding down currents of circular themes,

Reveried ideas of wondrous things,

Calling me now to attend.

Revelation perpetually rose,

From comical cracks and poetry prose,

Fractured infighting,

Formidable foes,

Deceived by games they portend.

Up through atmospheres,

Right through the stars,

Backed-down multitudes,

Battered and scarred-

Groaning, condoning,

Conditions bizarre,

Where correctional forces contend.

Keeping the colors of light I saw-

Hidden deep in my heart-

Here, chambered in silence they grow-

Shaping the future with wisdom I know,

In places concealed from the start.

J.H.Watkins 01/10/10

Better Large-A beautiful fall day at my mother's home in Georgia. The leaf colors make this shot of the lake and dock an ideal occasion for hdr to bring out detail and balance light/contrast.

FOR THOSE INTERESTED I HAVE AN EXHIBITION AT THIS LINK www.flickr.com/groups/inspiringcollection/discuss/7215762...

Every Season Has Its Own Glory (James Watkins)

Every season has its own glory,

Every purpose has its own time,

Every moment has its own story,

Every story has its own line.

I have walked deep into cities,

Shining brightly never to fail,

Listened to heart cries,

Lost in the morning,

Standing on corners

Stagnant and stale.

Where is the hope

That brought forth the laughter?

Where is the song?

The music unveiled?

Why are the choices so

Wasted and bitter?

Gathered in hatred,

Broken and pale.

I have seen (new) stars on the mountains,

Fed on the movement of heaven and earth-

Free on the framework

Of perfect perspective,

Fueled by the turning of terrible truth.

Come now and sing of mists in the forest,

Sensual sonnets of songs in the dirt-

Come and behold the delicate balance

Of seasons and reasons and rhythms

And birth.

There are the voices lost in confusion,

Crushed in the thriving, deepening swale-

Calloused and cold the circling conveyance,

Crippled emotion commotion prevails.

Beacons in quiet of last true performance,

Heralded nature in singular cause-

Perfect and pure

Though wasted and slandered.

Washed by confession

In smoldering awe.

Severed connections, squandered projections-

Revered reflections of stammering tongues-

Coined by controlling contriving convections,

In different directions now written in stone.

Now is the time to look to the heavens,

Now is the moment to take up the cause,

Now is the voice of blazing amazement,

Borne on the winds of the gathering storm.

Listen to stream, listen to forest,

Listen to flower, and staggering fawn-

Listen to voices rolling like thunder,

Come drink of the waters

And dance with the dawn.

Wrapped in the garments of natural beauty,

Facing the force of the burgeoning call-

Strong in the seasons of life and creation,

Firm on foundations that never will fall.

Another rare image taken of Oak Alley Plantation Home with no one around...........

Thank Y'all for your views and comments.........

Much appreciation goes out for that !

Have a great Hump Day !

Found way down South in Dulac Louisiana, the Schnnider Bo stands at the ready until her captain and crew return for the Inland Water Shrimp Season to open up again.....

Love these ole boats !

Thanks for popping in to take a look.

Comments are welcome and much appreciated.

Here's hoping your weather is promising for this weekend.....

(From a squirrel's point of View)

Just the other side of the alley of oaks at Oak Alley Plantation that most folks miss seeing.......

Thanks for stoppin' by everyone........

Have a great weekend.

I'm feeling this winter a little too much right now and could use some warm sunshine and breezes off the marsh.

at the Dallas Arboretum

My textures and some from Flypaper.

My first real attempt at capturing the snow falling. We don't often have snow in my neck of the woods, in north-eastern North Carolina but this winter we have had several.

Every visit to Oak Alley Plantation........I learn something new and fascinating about its character and history.

The design of the Oak Alley Plantation mansion is of Greek Revival architecture, and has a square floor plan with an exterior featuring a free-standing colonnade of 28 Doric columns on all four sides.......that correspond to the 28 Live Oak Trees that comprise "The Oak Alley".

Seen here is another rare image taken of the mansion with no one around...........not even a ghost.

(I'm actually thinking about submitting this image into their Summer Photography Contest)

To learn more about one of Louisiana's Finest Showcase Plantation Homes.......their website is located @

www.oakalleyplantation.org

Thank Y'all for your views and comments.........

Much appreciation goes out for that !

Have a great week !!

These old cabins were built in the 1830's in Deep South Louisiana.

They had a gallery / porch on the front (and sometimes on the back). It gave folks back then a place to sit to cool off and to socialize.

The roof was covered with wood shingles at the beginning of this time period, but these were often replaced by corrugated tin roofing later in the 1800s. The windows (as seen here) had no glass, and were covered by wooden shutters.

This was shot near sunset, & if you view "large" you'll see similar dwellings in the distant background.

Thank Y'all for taking a bit to visit.....

Comments and feedback are so much appreciated.

Have a Great Weekend !

Saw this fellow fisherman & his dog on Lake Martin one evening and just had to capture the pure solitude that it represented........

My wife says she'd bet that guy would really love to have a copy of this image.......if he only knew it existed........

Thank Y'all for stoppin' by for a visit here......much appreciated !

Happy Hump Day Everyone !

The Cedar Waxwings that pass through our area seem to be drawn to the Hackberry Trees over anything else. Not sure why.

As a young boy, I can remember seeing Waxwings by the thousands each Winter and Spring.

Now, it seems to be so far and few between each sighting and they're usually in groups of 20-30.

At any rate, such a treat to hear their unmistakeable "whistle" and watch them feeding upon the berries....

Thank Y'all for dropping in for a closer look. Much appreciated.

Have a great Sunday and new week ahead.....

Many of the shrimpers who fish seasonally live in settlements along the bayous of south Louisiana and along the lower Mississippi River. They come from a tradition of fishing and shrimping during the spring, summer and fall months....then oystering and trapping during the winter months.

The ranks of shrimpers have increased as others have entered the shrimping industry. Many left cities and industrial work, preferring to be their own boss.

While shrimping as a way of life and a family tradition is still present in Louisiana.... many fishermen are having to relinquish this heritage because of so many adverse conditions.

Their children will not learn to work the trawls and boats or share in the conviviality of a net repair session.

The community spirit of the fishermen along the bayous and the shared experience of a family working together will be lost to the changes brought about by government, industry, and development of a foreign market.

Before long.....shrimping as a way of life....may only live on in the stories of the ole fishermen.

Thanks for paying a visit.......Feedback and support is always very much appreciated.

Have a Great Weekend !

These old cabins were built in the 1830s to house the workers of a South Louisiana Sugar Cane Plantation.

They had a gallery / porch on the front (and sometimes on the back). It gave them a place to sit to cool off and to socialize.

The roof was covered with wood shingles at the beginning of this time period, but these were often replaced by corrugated tin roofing later in the 1800s. The windows (as seen here) had no glass, and were covered by wooden shutters.

This was shot near sunset, & similar dwellings can be seen in the shadows of the distant background.

Thank Y'all for visiting and commenting.

Have a Great Weekend !

The Louisiana Swamps offer such peaceful, surreal, and tranquil scenes like no other place in the World.........

There's nothing like actually being amongst those giant Cypress & the Spanish Moss on a cool misty morning in Late Fall.....

Certainly the time of Year to see it at its finest.

Happy Monday my friends !

Here's wishing Y'all a great new week ahead.

Former Worker's Living Quarters - shot at a Louisiana Sugar Cane Plantation in South Central LA. that happens to be the largest surviving, and most intact remaining 19th and 20th century sugar plantation complex in the United States.

There are nearly 60 original structures remaining. The oldest cabins were built in the 1830s to house the slaves of the plantation. The main plantation house was burned down by Union soldiers.

Many movies have been filmed at Laurel Valley including - "A Gathering of Old Men" - "Interview with a Vampire" - "A lesson before Dying" and "Ray".

Thank Y’all for visiting.

Here's wishing everyone a Marvelous Autumn weekend ahead !

standing tall.

I'm at home when I'm in southern Maryland....the land of pleasant living. And the people I love and care about most live right here.

Tyler's Tackle Shop

Chesapeake Beach, Maryland

by jwaits ift.tt/1enBRvE

From my 2015 trip. I'm totally going to have to go here again.

[Abandoned in Bradford County, c. 1890's]

Gathering of vessels belonging to Fishermen, Shrimpers, Crabbers, & Oystermen.

It's no Peggy's Cove......but it'll have to do.

Thank Y'all for stopping by for a look.

Much appreciated !

Have a Great New Week ahead.

Better Large-One more look at this beautiful tree in south Georgia. It took an especially spectacular change toward red this year.

FOR THOSE INTERESTED I HAVE AN EXHIBITION AT THIS LINK www.flickr.com/groups/inspiringcollection/discuss/7215762...

ONLY THE BROKEN KNOW

(JHWatkins)

Only the broken know

Where to turn in lonely hour,

When words

Strike like swords to heart

Or waves on thundering shoreline.

Where mercy could dive no deeper

Than the driving seas

Of love rooted sweet,

Or hope gently calling.

Across time-

Amazing gift that missed

Its mark, left its seed,

Then slew the giver.

Only the broken know

What comfort or strength

Heals the darkness

Or brings new light to

Wounded soul.

And by that light,

Lift the thing

That started the storm,

And from the wound

Bring new life.

Only the broken know

Who heard their cry,

Then quieted the night

Of raging voices

Demanding destruction,

When fear was silenced

By stronger hands.

To come through flames

Unharmed,

Though burning,

Hot, heavy, and finally

Easily heaving.

Only the broken know.

James Watkins 12-12-11

View on Instagram ift.tt/2zobdU0

For a few Flickr friends.....just to show that it actually does snow in South Louisiana.......

Friday Dec. 8, 2017 will be remembered for quite some time.....

Probably the heaviest snowfall and most accumulation that I've ever seen....

Apologies if I blew the exposure on this shot........I'm not used to photographing in such conditions.....

Thank Y'all for clickin' here for a visit......

Have a Great week ahead my friends !

west virginia.

Found in the Deep South, this weathered old cabin still hangs in the balance.......

Thanks for stopping by for a peek. Much appreciated.

Here's wishing Y'all a great weekend ahead !

Some Winter residents here down South.

Spotted at Cameron Prairie NWR - Bell City, LA

The only pair seen all weekend. They are rarely found in South Louisiana....so I was truly thrilled !

Happy Hump Day my friends.

Thanks for stoppin' by for a visit and thank Y'all for any comments.

Here is a first for me. Finally, after several months, getting close to a year. I planned this picture out. I took all three shots necessary to blend it together, but without the necessary software, I wasn't going to get it done. After months of waiting, I finally purchased a new computer that could support Lightroom and Photoshop, both of which would be necessary to create this photo. Then, last month I took the plunge and purchased my subscription to Adobe for both LR and PS.

Yesterday, I spent a couple of hours watching tutorials from a great photographer about how to use these products. I've learned several things that I wasn't aware of, of course only having used LR for a couple of months, I have a lot to learn. I think this came out looking better than I expected, which pleases me. Especially after waiting so long to do it. I have other projects that are similar. Bracketed out several shots, but never had the resources to do them. I think it might be time to find those and get them done.

Thanks for looking and if you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to do so. If you like it feel free to fave it.

Once again, thanks.