Tuesday, August 14, 2012

In My Own Backyard


You would think that, living in Arizona, there would be a lot of barns around. And maybe there are out in the country, but here in the big city barns are few and far between. So in order to write something about barns as well as have some barn photos to accompany what I write, I decided to go to my old friend Google and see what I could find.

I Googled "barns in the Phoenix area" and, as you can imagine, I did  not get a lot of results. The one I did get was for a restaurant called the House at Secret Garden. I clicked on that and was greeted by a beautiful photo of a white barn next to a restaurant patio. It said:

"The House at Secret Garden is set in the historical South Mountain
mansion built in 1929 and the original barn still stands."

Great, a barn!  I still didn't know exactly where it was or if it was even feasible to plan to go there to take photos of the barn.  When I read further, I found this:

"Surrounded by beautiful gardens, shady tall trees and nestled against
Phoenix's South Mountain, this spot is a romantic delight. Our patio
is properly shaded with large umbrellas and an abundance of
flowering orchid trees. Patio tables are bordered by a
showcase of blooming pots of flowers and a small brook
filled with fish and tropical water plants."

Now I knew I wanted to visit this place! It sounded like a fun place to shoot even if I wasn't looking for a barn. As I continued to read, I discovered that the House at Secret Garden is a restaurant:

"The new casual, American eatery is just minutes from Central Phoenix."

Okay!  Minutes from Central Phoenix! I called a photography friend to see if she wanted to meet me there to shoot and  have some lunch and off we went. It was wonderful!  A place I probably never would  have discovered if I hadn't been looking for a barn to shoot, but a place I will definitely want to go again.
I have to admit that when I read that Carol's theme for this month was "barns", I had no idea what I was going to shoot and what I was going to write about. My immediate reaction was, "Well, where in the world am I going to find a barn?" As it turned out, right in my own backyard. This exercise reminded me that there are so many wonderful discoveries to be made if we keep our eyes and minds open. And so often we don't need to go far. We just need to be open to discovery.

So whether you have barns in your own backyard or have to go looking for them, please share your photos in our Flickr gallery for us all to enjoy.  Don't forget to tag them with "barns" so they can be considered for In Focus selection. Can't wait to see them!




20 comments:

Barbara said...

good find Terri, I love google also and thought I was the only one that used it for some crazy things to look up.

heyjudephotography said...

This looks like a beautiful place Terri. And so close to home! I had a similar finding this week that I will be posting about! So glad you found this!

Carol said...

Oh I so wish the rest of my life was like this: I say "hmmmmm, I'd like to see pictures of barns," and all over the globe, people run out and find barns....
But seriously folks, this is what photography does for me so often! It takes me to places I would not have thought of, or even known about! Your day sounds like so much fun, Terri. The restaurant looks adorable, and, only in Arizona do you see barns painted white! I love it!
I admire your never say die spirit Terri - you've been determined to find a barn and you succeeded!

Dotti said...

Actually ... we have a lot of white barns in Kentucky, too, Carol ... come one down and see! Many are horse barns which are more elegant than some homes. Seriously folks.

:-D

Dotti said...

Terri - I love this post and the photos! When I come visit you this place will have to be on our agenda! :-D

To our readers - You should all know that Terri is our FOL Google Queen. Whenever anybody asks a question in our conversations, Terri comes back with a Google link for us! Yeah - our own resident Google Queen. Now I ask you - What other blog has that? FOL gives you more bang for your buck!

:-D

Kim Stevens said...

Oh Terri, what a cool find . . . and if you could see me right now, I have a huge smile on my face...because, I did the same thing this weekend. And although I found a few, not exactly what I was looking for, we happened across a fun find. Of course we ended up being gone all day, but I love adventures! Crave them really....xo

Kim Stevens said...

Oh, and almost forgot, LoVe the collage. Totally magazine worthy!

stephmull said...

I love that first you googled barns in phoenix and then you found something, grabbed a friend and went out on a shooting party!! And the result was wonderful! Looks like a beautiful place too! Wish you lived closer so I could join you on your fabulous adventures!

Carol said...

I was only in Kentucky once ay about age 12 or so, but I have not forgotten the spectacular horse farms, and all that green, green grass. I would love to come - Thanks!

Deanna said...

Well, isn't that just too fun. You just never know what you will find in "your own back yard". As Kim said, collage is magazine worthy....you might want to send it to them or take it to them!!

Jan said...

Gorgeous, Terri! And what a fun outing. I'm with Deanna...send those great pics off! I'm sure some in-state magazine would want them. Thanks for a lovely start to my day.

Viv@Thoughts from the Desktop said...

We have deserted barns but our roads are very little and quite often it's quite difficult to find a parking spot. So many times I've seen a photo opportunity and we have sailed past with no hope of parking safely....

Claudia said...

About 5 years ago I had been hearing about "blogs". Something I knew nothing about. So, like you, I googled blogs and WOW. Political blogs, family blogs, and then I saw Photography blogs! I read and read and found my love.

Just by googling I found blogs that used prompts to get people out and participate with one another.

Thus our Prompt addicts as well as finding a community of like minds. I had always been an avid photographer of my family and friends, but this became a new adventure.

Just like your prompt, Carol, having an assignment is often exactly what we need to go on the "search".

I will get out this month, I promise, but last night I was been digging through old folders (which is also good) to review old memories.

Terri-- Love your Mosaic-- the story of your find was so fun!
hugs!

kelly said...

little adventures like this are one of my very favorite things in the whole world. and to be able to share it with a friend is the icing on the cake. :)

Linda said...

What a find! Isn't the internet wonderful? (sometimes) Someone really made that place special. Keeping the original barn was a bonus! Thanks for sharing! Lovely mosaic!

xo,
Linda

terriporter said...

Just wanted to pop in here and thank you all for your wonderful comments. Wish I could respond to each one individually but I have my 8-month-old granddaughter for the day and, well you know how that goes! But I did want to tell you how much your comments mean to me. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment so I know you were here. Love you all!

CarolHart said...

That is awesome Terri! Looks like a wonderful place.

Natalie DeLuca said...

Beautiful pictures Terri. Looks like a great place. I wanted to share with everyone that I am a city kid. I grew up in the city, I work in the city and still live in the city. One of the great things about Buffalo, NY is you can drive about 15 minutes and you feel like you are in another world. If I go north I'm in Niagara Falls and if I drive south I'm in the country. So last month I drove north to take pictures of the falls for the "water" theme. This month I'm driving south to find barns. I am having a lot of fun. Thanks everyone..

terriporter said...

So awesome, Natalie! I love that we are giving you a reason to do a little traveling!

leigh said...

What a cool place to discover! Love it!

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