Impression: cherry blossoms

Last weekend I visited Meadowlark Gardens for the first time in at least a year.  Not only had my membership expired, the gentleman at the desk couldn't even find me in the system.  Ooops!  I used to visit a few times a month...

At any rate, the trees were in full bloom - in late March!  Beautiful.  I giddily wandered around with my 7D and tripod, snapping away.  Because I had the tripod I decided to take many slow slow shutter speed photos, to get some more depth to the photos.

Much to my chagrin I found out that a little-noticed smudge on the lens was magnified by each slow shot!  The handheld ones looked fine, but all the ones with the tripod looked like someone was sending smoke signals.  Bummer!

A number of them were salvageable by cropping.  I had to crop out well more than a third of some of them, but, the result wasn't too bad.

Have a look:

Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah

I've been an occasional local in Savannah for going on six years now.  Well, technically speaking South Carolina - the Hilton Head area.  Savannah is the town I fly to and from, and I visit Savannah each time I visit my home in the Low Country.  I love wandering its streets and the homes and squares surrounded by trees dripping Spanish Moss are so beautiful.  SCAD has really given the town a cool vibe, too. 

So it's surprising to me that it took me so long to finally visit Bonaventure Cemetery.  After The Book was written ("Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil") the cemetery was undoubtedly on everyone's short list to visit in Savannah.  Not to mention that I am a cemetery-freak...  I looooooooove cemeteries and visit them when I travel.  I find them to be peaceful for strolling as well as beautiful. 

So why did it take me so long?

Here are some photos from my February visit.  My Dad spent four days with me and we spent part of an afternoon wandering around the Victorian part of this cemetery.  I think you can tell I am in love with the little angel.

By the way, I hope that all of you know who Johnny Mercer is!  He wrote some of the most beautiful songs in the mid-20th century, including "Moon River" which is one of my favorite songs (can you just see Audrey Hepburn right now, in that gorgeous, gorgeous LBD?).  Johnny was born and raised in Savannah and buried in Bonaventure Cemetery. 

Let's hear it for Savannah (and Hilton Head Island)

I just stumbled across this National Geographic posting about Savannah, with a brief shout-out to Hilton Head Island.  Below is a photo I took in Savannah in November.

Things to do with kids in Savannah