Good-bye to Spring with a Stroll Through Miss Loy's Garden

I have been meaning to get these photos on the blog for some time.  I realize that today is the first day of summer, so I guess it is time!  They are special.  As much as I love what I do, it is sometimes nice to photograph with a different intent - these photos are just that.

Miss Loy is a living legend in my town.  She is a beautiful southern woman, smart and witty, and she is a gardener unlike any I've known.  A stroll in her garden is a gift.  Every time I get to visit the garden, which she so graciously shares with us all, I am reminded that it's important to slow down and notice - really look at what surrounds us.  Miss Loy's garden is the perfect place to look with careful eyes.

Many times I have photographed precious children in this garden, and each time the child or children tiptoe through the garden, knowing they are amongst magic and love.  They see the beauty, without being reminded to take a closer look.  I love to watch them, as we round a corner and they peer carefully to see if there is a surprise.  There always is . . . there is always something more beautiful with each new look.  The only thing I don't like about photographing in Miss Loy's garden is that it leaves me no time to take long, selfish looks - to watch carefully enough to remember some of the beauty until the next time I'm there.

A few weeks ago on a Friday afternoon, I found myself with a few free hours.  Yes, I could have cleaned my house or edited photos or gone grocery shopping, but I thought of something better.  The kids had just finished a long week of school and were content to hang out at home, so I loaded up my bag and headed over to Miss Loy's.  I relished in the quiet, in the beauty, and I wandered along slowly.  I only took a break for a wonderful conversation with the gardener herself, as she told me stories of some of the trees and plants, her ideas and what this amazing area had once looked like.

I did not have to hurry.  I was not chasing happy children.  I was just alone with my camera, a few well-designed foot-stone paths and the birds.  I decided as I strolled and looked that I would experiment a bit and look for opportunities for photographs I had not taken before; that I'd take images that represented the garden in a different way.  It is not possible to completely capture the beauty of something this special, but I enjoyed trying.

I hope the photos, coupled with this beautiful hymn sung by Beth Neilsen Chapman, will remind you to slow down when you can.  I hope this slideshow will remind you and me, and all of those who hurry , that beauty awaits us - if we'd only look.

Miss Loy, thank you for your vision, your perseverance over these years of gardening and for showing us what is possible.


Thank you, too, for sharing your special gift with us all.

I hope you all can take a few minutes and enjoy the movie.  Click on the link below:

Strolling Through Miss Loy's Garden