Monday, October 22, 2012

Barn Charm! Finally!

Double D and I drove to St. Francisville, LA after church to see the countryside. It was such a beautiful day, I told him that if he wanted to stay inside and watch football that it was fine with me, but I was going somewhere, anywhere, to enjoy this gorgeous weather. I didn't say it in a way to make him feel bad, but he said he'd rather spend the day with me. Cue the "awwws" now. :)

We ended up at Afton Villa Gardens. A quick history: In the mid-1800s David Barrow constructed a grand home for his second wife. It was well cared for until 1963 when a fire destroyed the villa. The remnants are surrounded by lush gardens, with various statues and pillars scattered about.

Imagine my delight when I saw a barn off in the distance! Although I have many other photos to process, the barn took top priority. Tricia, thank you for hosting barn charm. I'm so excited to finally participate!

Processed with a Katie Lloyd texture
One of the remnants of the burned villa
Edit: Just found out about Homestead Barn Hop, so I'm linking there, too!

As you can see, I reformatted my blog. A HUGE thank you goes to Brian King for helping me with questions on sizing my images and other blog issues. The time he took to answer my questions was very generous, kind, and deeply appreciated! Please let me know if you have any problems with the new layout. Thanks!

48 comments:

hootnonny said...

Your blog redesign looks great! The barn is a wonderful find! The edit is masterful!

Am listening to J.B. as I'm writing this. You must be so proud of him!

Have a great day.

TexWisGirl said...

the layout looks great! i do like brian's large format. :)

that barn is gorgeous!!! wowza!

Anonymous said...

Love the new design. I really need to give both of mine updates! And gosh, Gail, you find the most beautiful places to visit. What a fabulous barn and how cool that it's all still there!

Shug said...

Great new look! Now, this is one gorgeous barn....wouldn't mind having one that looked like this. Second thought, I wouldn't mind having a home like this, with lots of stability.
great pictures and I'm so glad you were able to spend a wonderful Sunday afternoon, out doors!
blessings

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Everything looks great!

I love the flower planters on the barn.

Anonymous said...

Wow wow and more wow! What a gorgeous barn - and such beautiful photos!

Brian King said...

That's a gorgeous old barn! I like the roof line and the rust! Your edit is great! I have to say, seeing the larger photos makes a big difference. Your blog looks really good and I have no display issues with it. I like it! You're welcome, although I didn't really do much.

Phil Slade said...

That's a lovely old barn with lots of colours and textures to play with and I reckon you made the most of it with your fine pics Gail. I like the new layout too but I don't have the confidence to change mine on the basis of "if it works don't fix it"

Starla said...

LOVE the larger format for showcasing your photos!!

Carletta said...

I saw you comment over at Theresa's Ranch blog and thought I'd go ahead and visit before the barn linky is up. You said you finally had something to post.
All I can say is WOW! This was worth waiting for! Gorgeous barn and those flowers give it loads of charm. Your photos are wonderful!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I LOVE the new layout -- and oh my goodness that barn definitely qualifies for 'barn CHARM'.... Wonderful pictures, sounds like a great place (and yay for your hubby picking the right thing to do on a beautiful day!!!)

The Cranky said...

Awwwwww, what a sweet hubby! Love the photos and the flowers on the barn are wonderful!

Suzan said...

You find the most interesting places Gail!!! What a wonderful barn - but how do they water all those flowers on the front side of that barn??? They don't get enough rain do they for it to be natural??
Love your new design!! give us an inservice please!!

Buttons Thoughts said...

Love the new sleek look. Brian is very smart indeed.
Love love this barn I could live in a cute little barn like that. B

Lisa/Fresh Eggs Daily Farm Girl said...

Beautiful barn. I would love for you to come link up at my weekly Farm Girl Blog Fest: http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/10/farm-girl-blog-fest-5.html

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

Wow! Just wow! That may be the most beautiful old barn I've ever seen. The gorgeous textures in the roof rust and the board siding lend themselves well to your marvelous photography. And the flowers just set everything off. Love it!

Rosemary Aubut said...

A ride well worth it! Great shots Gail so nice that hubby went with you! I love days like this!

Evelyn S. said...

What a wonderful building! I love how the structure shows wear, but someone shows love with the baskets of flowers!

Mary said...

Wow that is so pretty...very charming!

renae said...

Gail that is a lovely barn especially with the potted plants right on the walls of the structure. Brightens up the place - but I love it's own character, too.

Stewart M said...

Great looking building - I like the way it "flares" outwards - gives a very solid feel.

Stewart M - Australia

Elizabeth Edwards said...

now that is a true beauty wow... so lovely. great find. i need to go check out some of your links.

following you now. take care. big hugs. (:

Anonymous said...

This looks like an interesting place to see.

The Farmers Daughter said...

And, what a beautiful barn it is! You found a really great shot! Love the moss in the trees, too. I traveled a lot in Louisiana years ago and always loved the way the moss gave such a haunting look to everything. Beautiful country. . .

Anonymous said...

your blog redesign works perfectly in Google Chrome. congratulations sweetie. your second photo of the barn is my favorite, so beautiful with all those flowers. a big clap hands for your hubby, sounds like a keeper :) happy Tuesday! xxo

Jan n Jer said...

This is an awesome barn...the flowers really conveys the love the owners have for this rustic charmer.

Anonymous said...

Oh I love the flowers on this barn. Your pictures are so wonderful. I hope to one day be able to have the clarity that you are able to achieve with yours. Thank you for all your helpful answers to my questions!!!

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful barn! I like the painterly version also. Afton Villa sounds like a beautiful place to explore.

beth said...

oh how i love me some barns....and this one is gorgeous !!

love your new sizing...but it's a bit too big for my screen, so in order to read what you wrote, i have to move your post side to side....but hey, that's just me....on a laptop. maybe it's perfect on a desktop.

Anonymous said...

You found a barn, Gail! YaY! So glad you found one
i was saying, "awww" before you cued it! LoL! so sweet, esp when it comes to giving up football! =)
LOVE the rusted roof, that's just gorgeous, to me... TexWisGirl is mighty fond of them rusty roofs, too.
heheheee
Brian is the one that helped me with the same thing, too! He's very patient... Thanks again, Brian!

So glad you got to join... here's to finding more beautiful barns for Barn Charm =)

Bev said...

That is a beautiful barn!! I just love old barns and I'm sure you have alot older ones where you live!!

renae said...

I know, isn't' that lake inviting? We are planning on going their more often, let me tell ya.

Computer issues are so NOT fun! But I do believe EVERYTHING is remedied, and all it cost me was to drive to his home with my tower and zap - all better!

Rose said...

This is one glorious barn...and you took wonderful shots of it!

Dan said...

So handsome looking and dressed up to. No not Brian... the Barn... silly girl! ;-)

EG CameraGirl said...

The barn is such a handsome one. Someone must work hard to keep all the plants watered!

Lisa Gordon said...

Wow, Gail! This is one of the nicest barns I've seen. I love the shape of it and the way they have it decorated. Really, really beautiful.

Anonymous said...

what a lovely barn!!! Really beautiful!!! Big hugs, Mitzi

genie said...

This has to be one of the prettiest barns I have ever seen. Love all the flowers and the iron work on the side. Lovely pictures. I would like to do this to our barn. Such a nice post. genie

Unknown said...

It's very nice, thanks for sharing to us.
Anna @ sewa mobil jakarta

Patrice said...

That barn is just gorgeous, Gail - and I love your new blog design!!

Jenny said...

Oh my gosh!

That is serious 'barn charm'.

Love the fact that someone loves it so much they adorn it with flowers!

What a neat place!

Laura Delegal - Leroy Photography said...

Awwwwwww..... ;D It's a beauty and your hubby is a doll. Dave would (might) do the same thing for me.

Anonymous said...

am I imagining or you changed your banner to the left? I like it :) happy Wednesday! xxo

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

Now that is an AWH moment forsure! He wanted to be with you!! SO SWEET!

Your capture of this barn breathes new life back into it. The owners added pots of flowers and what a special touch!

Hope to get out Friday and do some shooting.

Thank you for your comment, this world does need more "Good Deed" doers. It does feel good and I suppose that is how the lord feels when he gives to us.

Keep up the good work and photography!

Unknown said...

That sounds like a perfect way to spend a beautiful afternoon. And your photos look amazing

Hugs, Linda

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

That's a magnificent old barn! Love the flowers adding a special touch to it.

Jori said...

SOOOO pretty! I LOVE it! Those flowers are just fantastic!

Kathy Shea Mormino, The Chicken Chick said...

What a majestic barn! Thanks for bringing us along on the tour!

I’d like to invite you to join us at the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/10/clever-chicks-blog-hop-5-happy-hen.html

I hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Kathy
The Chicken Chick