A trip with my Parents to Hatcher Garden

On Sunday, Amy and I took my parents for a little stroll around Hatcher Garden here in Spartanburg, SC.

My Mom and Dad

My Wife Amy

My favorite shots from our visit was of a Big Bee buzzing around some flowers:

Not how I planned the focus and depth of field, but it turned out interesting

There wasn't much color in this shot, so I decided to just convert it to B&W

A Big Fat Mushroom

And of course there were lots of flowers blooming.  Here are a few more shots

I was surprised to see a few Daffodils still blooming

Macro Fly

I took this shot yesterday morning.  Until now, I've never been able to get a good Macro capture of a fly.  They tend to fly away when you get a camera this close, but I got lucky with this one!

Parents

Yesterday afternoon we took my parents up to Rutherfordton, NC for a visit with Amy's Parents.

Amy's Dad greeting my Mom

Amy's Dad offering up some appetizers from the Smoker

It always amazes me to see the stuff that Amy's Dad builds.  His talent and creativity with metal fabrication and welding is incredible.  His latest project is a giant double decker wood stove for one of his buddies workshop.

Giant Double Decker Wood Heater

I took a stroll around the property to see what flowers were blooming.

Nodding Trillium

Not sure what kind of flower this is

Mayapple

Dogwood Bloom

On the drive back to Spartanburg, SC I noticed a cool looking sky just before sunset.  I got a little creative with these shots taken through the side window of a moving car.

Live Oak Farms

Live Oak Farms

Woodruf, SC

Friday, April 15th, 2011

My parents came down for a visit this weekend.  One nearby place that Amy and I have been meaning to visit but have never gotten around to is Live Oak Farms in Woodruff, SC.

Here are a few shots at Live Oak Farms:

Pucker Up

Live Oak Farms

My Dad

My Wife Amy

My Dad

My Mom

My Dad

My Sister

(Just Kidding)

Amy making a friend!

Blue Bells?

Here is another flower blooming in our yard.

I think these are called Blue Bells, but I am not 100% sure.

Whatever they are, they are definitely a pretty bloom!

Bleeding Heart

Here is another flower I spotted blooming in our yard yesterday afternoon.

Bleeding Heart

Lily of the Valley and an Ant

We have some Lily of the Valley Blooming in our yard which I decided would make a good photo subject.

Lily of the Valley

A lone Ant decided it wanted to pose for a few shots.