a garden tucked away

My fascination with gardens began with books, where they always seem to hold a special place in a quirky character’s heart or a mysterious role in the plot. What follows are images from my aunt’s garden, which she takes special care of and treats her guests to thoughtful strolls through it, coffee (or wine) in hand.

the view from the house

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these accents of blue are in each nook

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the goldfish pond

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the master gardener

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these days (island edition)

This summer, I took a proper vacation. A full 6 days of no work or responsibility.

It was weird. And good.

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First stop was my Aunt June’s place, just south of Atlanta. She has this amazing garden that you can get lost in.

Also, it’s dotted with a variety of items- all robin’s egg blue- and a few friendly, fluffy kitties.

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Next, I headed south to Savannah, where I stayed at a beach house on the sleepy little tourist town of Tybee Island.

I took no one with me. What else didn’t I take?

My day planner, hair product, my laptop, a structured schedule of any sort, or the willpower to check email…

First stop in Savannah was at this old pub on the river in Savannah for some great beer, fish & chips.
Everything very simple, but very good.

(pictured below: that famous Spanish moss, a wandering kite on the beach at twilight)

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After I got things set up at the house on Tybee, I spent most of my days wandering the picturesque, cobbled streets of historic Savannah, browsing through old bookstores and taking up a seat at the local coffeeshops before finding something good to eat.

Afternoons were reserved for a whole lot of nothing on the beach.

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A lot of nothing.

And maybe a little reading.

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I’m not a huge fan of summer, but when you have one of these, it sure helps.

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There was a decent amount of rain while I was there

but the only persistent shower ate up the better part of a day, giving me quality book time.

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Strolls took me past coffee roasteries, street art and vespa stores.

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Also, the old theatre, the chapel where the opening scene of Forrest Gump was filmed, and more of these beautiful, ivy-laden entrances.

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I got sucked into Vinnie Van Go Go, a little hole-in-the-wall pizzeria that uses Vincent Van Gogh’s face in the logo.

There was barely room to sit down, but the staff was friendly, the dough was made in-house, and locals would chat easily with you at the bar.

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It was lovely, not having a schedule, but some things must come to an end.

But not without a little Elvis. (When in Tupelo.)

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Where are your summer travels taking you?

these days

It was suggested that I cut back on my freelancing during spring semester so that I could have more time for my thesis proposal writing. I agreed with the logic at first, but just couldn’t help myself. I love what I do. It’s the whole reason I’m working on a master’s degree: I want to write.

I want to write about issues that matter, events that are interesting and people who are compelling, reasons to keep my work a priority. I’d hate to stall my chance for a career by focusing on something as subjective as a grade. Education comes in many forms, including on-the-job experience.

So, here are a few things of mine that have been published lately (thesis proposal or not):

The 18th Annual Greening of the Garden benefited the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks educational programs last week. I showed up to take pictures of all the white tents, pretty flowers & large floppy hats for The City Wire and ended up running into a number of friends. That’s the great thing about Fayetteville. You might intend to go somewhere alone, but you won’t be lonely. There’s always a friendly or familiar face waiting.

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There’s one more week left of the traveling Norman Rockwell exhibition at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and a couple more exhibitions to come this summer. In my piece for AY Magazine, I explore the lesser known political side of Rockwell.

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The spring edition of The Arkansas Engineer focused on water quality, which is something I know very little about. After a few interviews, several meetings and countless drafts, I came to a basic, tip-of-the-iceberg understanding of a project headed by the Arkansas Water Resources Center. What happens when two neighboring states have different water quality laws? Research.

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In this feature, I catch up with the Arkansas Engineers Abroad group to see how their international projects for improving water quality is going. The students have such a big heart for making healthy lifestyles possible around the world. Over the years, I’ve seen them spend their nights and weekends working on these projects and even a couple who skipped birthday festivities in favor of raising additional funds for construction supplies going to improve communities that they don’t live in.

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Saturday brought me a story that required a workout to get it. Clubhaus Fitness’ first urban challenge was a series of exercises from rooftops in the city.

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So I hope you find something interesting or informative in these articles. And if you’re reading something great, please, please share! I have three wonderful months to catch up on the books & articles I’ve missed this year.