Today includes two images from the "Places" category.  Many more are waiting to appear.

After taking many pictures in the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC, this image stopped me in my tracks as I was about to leave.  I stood there for a few minutes, sure that, somewhere in my view, something was about to happen but all the diagonal lines just stood there as if waiting for me to capture them.  All of my other images were left behind to stand against their appropriate walls and on their pedestals but I brought this one home.

Perfect ending to a perfect day with friends at Fort Bragg in Northern California.  All you need to do is sit back with some wine, a bit of cheese and some great San Francisco sourdough.  The ocean and sky will take care of the rest.

Even photographers get caught unawares.

The end of an exhausting but wonderfully special day... all that's left is happiness.

Even in the sun of the Bahamas, the Bride outshines everything around her.

Many years have passed but she is still just as beautiful.

Today introduces another phase of our Blog... faces that need little or no explanation beyond my personal comments on what made them so special to me.

The "Bennett Place," just a simple farmhouse near Durham, NC.  It was located between Confederate General Joseph Johnston's headquarters in Greensboro and Union General William T. Sherman's headquarters in Raleigh.  In 1865 the two officers met here and signed the surrender papers for southern armies in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.  It felt strange to sit in the front room of the farmhouse, at a small table with two chairs and think about the immense decisions and responsibilities that were undertaken at that table.

It was the home of James and Nancy Bennitt (the original spelling of the family name) and the reconstructed farmhouse, kitchen and smokehouse recall the lifestyle of the ordinary farmer during the Civil War.

You can learn more about the historic meetings that took place and the history of the Bennett family at Link to Bennett Farm .

Glacier National Park in Montana has so many dramatic vistas that one tends to overlook the small and beautiful things that sometimes get trampled underfoot.  A friend who saw this sent the picture to her favorite nursery, Annie's Annuals, and they replied that it appeared to be a "Clematis," most likely  "Tangutica."  They were also very kind to praise the photo as well.   I certainly had to admire the plant's  determination to get my attention as we walked along a rugged mountain path.  In a rarefied atmosphere and rocky terrain, it still managed to thrive where other plants couldn't exist.

We have a Clematis Street in our area but I never knew the origin of the name so I had to do some searching.  Apparently there are about 300 species of Clematis and Tangutica is one of the heartier ones... in fact, it's considered a "thug" in some parts of the world and can quickly overcome other plants if not regularly pruned.

The Brinegar Cabin along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It was occupied from the late 1800's until 1935.  Caroline Brinegar was a farmer's wife and a weaver on a four-poster hand loom.  The century old loom is still in use.  This and the earlier two pictures were taken on a trip along the Parkway in 2007. The trip was inspired by a close friend, Shirley, who loves old barns and farmhouses.  She was responsible for many trips across the U.S. and Canada.  You can read her travel blog at Seeing America With Ken and Shirley

The Mingus Mill, an 1886 turbine mill, along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Great Smoky Mountains.  You can go inside, upstairs and downstairs to see all the workings just as they were once used.

Mill along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.  Wish we'd had time to travel all the way to the northern end of the Parkway.  Hope to include it on the next trip.