Have you ever seen something out of the corner of your eye that just pulls at you?  A building, a sunset, cows grazing on the side of the road?

That happens to me all the time. I’ll be driving and something will draw my eye.  It could be the way the setting sun lights up a window in an abandoned church,  trees growing so close to a house that they appear to be holding it up or a cow and her new calf.

I don’t know what it is and I never know when it will happen or what will cause it but the unexpected beauty in the ordinary captures my heart and pulls me in, causing my fingers to crawl towards my camera and my mind to start framing the shot, hoping that I can use my lens to capture that essence that speaks to my heart.

I pulled a U Turn on highway 21 outside of Bryan on Monday for one such image.  An abandoned church on the side of the road, surrounded by overgrown grass and tangles of weeds, it called to me and I answered.

The church may be falling down but the aura, the peace still remains and I felt it settling over me as I stepped from my car to take pictures.  That feeling stayed with me the whole 4.5 hour drive home and even afterwards.

Reminding me that taking a detour in life can have it’s own unexpected rewards.

I'm a deep-fried Southern belle, married to a cowboy boot wearin', Harley ridin’ Texan Prince Charming. I am the always proud and frequently exhausted mom to two 8th generation Texans My childhood was spent at my Granny's side learning to cook with cast iron, butter and that special southern ingredient -- love Today, I share my passion for food, family and photography with thousands of monthly readers on my blog, A Southern Fairytale. I love cute boots, my Canon camera, belly laughs with friends, the beach, my family and ellipses..."

23 Comments

  4. Oh yes, it happens to me.

    Lovely post.

    My husband and I lived in College Station for three years and for two of them, I taught at Sam Rayburn Middle School in Bryan. The teaching was difficult for me, but our years there were some very happy ones in our marriage and we’ll forever have a soft spot for Texas.

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  12. I love this shot – the light is perfection. (I pull over to take pictures of random things too. My kids are getting used to this crazy behavior of Mommy’s!)
    .-= amy2boys´s last blog ..My Head =-.

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  15. My grandpa preached in churches just like that in eastern KY. I love them-they speak to me and give me such a sense of peace no matter their condition. I have a 15′ long wooden church pew in my den. I can lay on it and hear my grandpa’s voice. It is my favorite possesion.

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  17. That is awesome and what a wonderful way to put it! I totally know where you’re coming from.
    .-= Krissa´s last blog ..Henritta is dragging me down, man… =-.

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  19. Oh, I know this very well! Awesome composition on this one!
    .-= Secret Agent Mama/Mishelle´s last blog ..{Eye} Love =-.

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