Cypress Trees, A Covered Bridge, and some Quilts

Glorious fall days are made for exploration and photography.

One day last week we took a ride to George L. Smith State Park, loading the car with cameras, quilts, and picnic paraphernalia. The cypress trees here are gorgeous any time of year, but now their leaves are golden and red.  And the tannin in the water enhances their reflections, so the beauty is doubled.

Above is an image of a cypress “knee”, a structure thought to be a buttress to the tapering trunk in soft muddy soil. Cypress trees growing outside of a swampy area do not form these knees.

I loved photographing the natural beauty and the covered bridge is a great background for a few quilts.

We photographed quilts inside and outside the bridge and perched them on other spots in the park, too.

Dots and Vines is a graphic quilt you’ve seen in other posts.  It may be my most photogenic quilt – I grab it most every time I head out the door.  I love its bold colors in contrast with the weathered wood.  

Likewise, Heaven in a Wildflower has posed in other settings, too.  Like Dots and Vines, the blocks of solid color are especially vivid in natural surroundings.  Note to self:  make more quilts from solids.

The quilt above is not one I made, but one I was given.  My dear friend Mary Ellen is a most prolific quilter and sent this star beauty on blue to me.  She’s the inspiration for all these quilts-on-location shots.  She and her photographer husband Bruce live in Minnestota and they set the bar for photographing quilts in rustic locations.  I’ve written about her photo journey before here.

We weren’t the only ones enjoying this serene spot on this glorious day; I caught this flash of color out the window of the bridge.

And it was picture day for a some four-year-olds from a nearby preschool. Here they wait in line to head to the playground.

This has been a busy week.  I took more quilts on this trip so there will be more posts to follow sharing those.  And, my guild had our Little Girls Challenge this week – so that’s coming, too.

More details on the Dots and Vines quilt can be found here.

More details about Heaven in A Wildflower are here.

And, we’ve visited other covered bridges with quilts here and here.