Windsor Ruins

Drove by Windsor Ruins the other day and shot these two photos in sepia. Neat.

Freeland Cemetery

A visit to Windsor Ruins in Claiborne County is not complete without a visit to the historic Freeland family cemetery, which lies in the woods not far from the majestic homestead. The ancestors of Tom Freeland, a fellow blogger and lawyer in Oxford, Mississippi, reside here. Visit his wonderful blog at http://nmisscommentor.

It is a beautiful old cemetery, sitting up on an Indian mound surrounded by a brick fence covered in green lichen. The last photo with the moss-covered brick is my favorite, just for the vividness of the green. The builder of Windsor is buried here.

Windsor Ruins

Stopped by Windsor Ruins the other day that featured fluffy cloudy and blue skies! Glorious!

Windsor Ruins

If you have never been to Windsor Ruins, this is the perfect weekend to do so. Grab those family members up off the couch and go for an adventure! For you see, Windsor Ruins will not always be here. For as time goes by, the columns keep deteriorating. Even on this trip, some bricks had come loose from one of the columns and were scattered at its base. Mother Nature is not going to wait for you and all it is going to take is one tornado to take this Mississippi treasure to memory status. Better yet, go for the stillness the place offers. Stand among the columns and just listen to the quietness of nature around you. It's a wonderful feeling...just you and the Lord together...again.

Windsor Ruins

My photo buddy, Robert Walker, and I ventured down to Windsor Ruins this Saturday. It was overcast and gloomy, but the photo opportunities were bright! I have shot photos at Windsor Ruins numerous times and you can see the results at www.martykittrell.com. This time I shot what I call tighter photos of the ruins, concentrating on views around corners and up close photos. I love finding new angles and hit the jackpot on this day. What a glorious place this is, a true Mississippi treasure. I will show you some more photos of Windsor tomorrow and then tag along with Robert and me as we head to Church Hill, Mississippi, and along some other Mississippi backroads. It's going to be a great week!

Up close at Windsor Ruins

Now for the rest of the story...

As I wrote on Monday, I was angered by the fact that there was no fog or even a good sunrise at Windsor Ruins when I went to shoot there Saturday. But something happened. As I was standing there in my funk, a still, small voice spoke to me. Six words and six words only.

"Marty, stop looking and start seeing."

I was standing next to a scraggly little bush near the fence line of the ruins and I looked down. The first thing I saw was the fungus in the top photo. I have never seen anything so intricate and delicate. It was amazing! I ran to the truck, put on a macro lens that I have and went back and started shooting. I usually am not too good at macrophotography because I am too impatient to carry around a tripod and take the time to set it up, get it adjusted, fix it just right, you know what I mean. So I slapped on my monopod and had the time of my life! I started walking the grounds of Windsor seeing all the little things that were all around me. It was a whole new world! Fungus, seed pods, tiny knots no bigger than a BB in vines, tiny water droplets looking like tiny diamonds, clover so small I could cover it up with the tip of my key! The detail in these miniature creations was just amazing and awe-inspiring.

Aren't you glad we have a great God! A God who would take the time to put teeny, tiny hairs around the top of a teeny, tiny piece of clover so the dew would catch on it and provide it nourishment. If these photso are too small, click on the individual photos and they should pop up a larger size!

I appreciate the lesson God taught me Saturday. I am humbled by a God who took such care to design the small things we never even take the time to see. 

Windsor Ruins in Claiborne County

The forecast for Saturday morning, Jan. 3, called for fog. That's my favorite time to shoot. There was a touch of fog at my house when I woke at 6 a.m., so I decided to head to Windsor Ruins to see what it looked like in foggy conditions. I have been to Windsor Ruins so many times that it is a challenge now to find an angle or conditions there that I have not shot. It's a challenge I relish.

Arriving at the ruins, I was disappointed that there was not one drop of fog. Plus, there was not a good sunrise because of all the cloud cover. I was bummed. The wet conditions did make for some pretty pictures and the angle with the tree in front is a new one for me. 

The favorite part of Windsor, for me, is not the ruins themselves but the bits and pieces of columns that can be found in the woods around the ruins. They are easily accessible in winter, otherwise they can't be seen. I love the color of the moss on the fallen column pieces.

I saw a few deer while I was shooting. Now that would be a cool picture...a deer inside the ruins. I wonder how long I would have to wait for that shot? Hmmm......

But these aren't the best photos from the ruins on Jan. 3. I'll tell you the story and show you the rest of the photos on Tuesday.