The Old Church

Every week I drive my daughter to Hampton, Georgia for a marine biology class.  And every week I pass by this really old, interesting church.  When I pass by the church I think, "I need to bring the camera next week and take some shots while she is in class."  Well, "next week" was this week…

 

When I put the camera in the car Monday morning I had not even considered the old church.  My main thought had been about flowering trees, bushes, and weeds on the grounds of the place my daughter has class.  I was thinking that they had some Bradford Pear trees and I would get some shots of the multiple blooms with the Lensbaby.  While doing this I would have to hold my breath.  Have you ever gotten close to one of those trees in bloom?  Do the words "three-day old shrimp shells" mean anything to you?  Oh my gosh! those trees smell bad!

 

Anyway – good for me and my nose – I was incorrect that there were flowering trees or bushes around.  There was a nice crop of henbit growing near the parking lot.  OK – henbit I'll be back.

 

When I had stopped at the intersection directly across from the old church I immediately thought – I have to come back up here today to take some photos.  So that is where I went first.  The church has a cemetery on three sides of it.  It looks like it is still used – sort of – the sign out front is not very helpful.  But, the sign did have a message on it.  I spotted a garbage can set out on one side of the parking area – yes, I do think it is being used.  The church has the most interesting windows on the front and two sides of what appears to be the sanctuary.  I did not go up and peep int o the windows.  I stood back and got interesting photos of them.  There are two large trees in front of the church – still bare.  These trees' shadows that cast onto the church building were wonderful.  The church is white – painted wood siding.  All the trim is white.  So you have this white building – all the lines of the siding – the arches of the windows – in bright sunlight.  Add on top of all that white and lines the large, reaching shadows of the large old trees.  Yes, these photos begged me to convert them to black and white, so I obliged.  Three of them are on my Flickr page .

 

Back to the henbit – here is the link to see photos of this weed in various states of growth.  http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/lamam.htm  If you drove through my neighborhood, just about every yard without a service has it growing strong right now.  The parking lot near the class building has a nice crop of it with a few dandelions sprinkled in.  I went back there after I had walked around the church a couple times.

 

The henbit was OK – it was good practice for me to get down (and yes I got down onto the ground) and experiment with the Lensbaby; smooshing it, stretching it, bending it, and taking many photos of the purple blooms in and out of focus.  I even got a couple good ones of the seed head on a dandelion about to lose its puff.

 

This was St. Patrick's Day – I had on green socks – and I got a green grass stain on my jeans.