The Strawberry Patch 2018

Fall is without question my favorite season. I utterly live for the barn sales, the changing leaves, the warm pumpkin spices lattes, and all the apple cider a person can handle. The official kick off for the autumn season in my world is always The Strawberry Patch barn sale in Hartsville, TN. The event is hosted by Christy Jo Stone on her family’s farm just outside of the tiny town of Hartsville. Each year Christy Jo brings together dozens of the very best vintage, antique, and hand made vendors from all across the south.

There are a few key elements needing for a successful barn sale, and Christy Jo captures them all. From fabulous vendors, to a mix of styles, to quality entertainment, and the best food trucks, and of course her signature fruit tea, Christy Jo creates a must visit event that is set among the rolling pastures and farmlands of the area.

This year I shot the event for a 2019 issue of Where Women Create so I can’t share too many of the photos here, but I do have a few of my favorites to give a taste of what you’ll be seeing in an issue sometime next year.

Until then, here are a few of my other favorite barn sales and markets to visit each fall:

A Day in the Country — Atwater, Ohio

Southern Junkers — Memphis, Tennessee

City Farmhouse — Franklin, Tennessee

Country Living Fair — Columbus, Ohio

The Hayloft — Port Royal, Tennessee

Gypsy Moon Marketplace — Bowling Green, Kentucky

The Strawberry Patch — Hartsville, Tennessee

Vintage Pickin — Fyfee, Alabama

A Kentucky Christmas Moment

On Monday Gina and I did our Christmas tour of Lexington. After college we both moved away from Lexington, so on occasion we like to go down memory lane. Here are a few images from our day in and around Lexington.

Our first stop was to the Bluegrass Stockyards outside town. I apologize that these photos are out of order, but they are largely self explanatory as to what is what. From there we hopped over to Versailles....pronounced Ver-sales...for coffee at our friend Emily's new shop...I'll have a full story on that place next week! We continued on towards Shaker Village and Danville to pick up birthday pastries from Burk's. We ended our night we a stop at Lexington staple Hillenmeyer's Christmas Shop. (be sure to check out our story from last year's Christmas season)

If you're interested in more about Lexington...we have an entire City Guild section dedicated to our favorite Kentucky city. 

Morning Coffee

 

 

MORNING COFFEE

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LA PUSH, WASHINGTON

The morning came fast, we had photographed until dark the day before. We began in Seattle and worked out way towards the coast. Stops at Crescent Lake and Forks, and a very long hunt for props and supplies and coffee made our arrival to La Push, Washington very late. We pulled into town as the sun was setting on the horizon. We ran towards the driftwood and rocks to capture the most magical glowing orange light. As darkness swept across the ancient lands of the Native American tribe that lives in La Push we remembered we had yet to find a hotel for the night. 

Along the shore were rows of A Frame cottages. We assumed the red neon sign proclaiming No Vacancy was accurate, but we checked anyways. We were rewarded with the final cabin. No TV, no phone, no wifi, and no cell service were the price we'd have to pay for sunrise views of the Pacific. 

As the sun began to rise I pulled out my camera and began to snap images of Brandon as he prepared his morning coffee. I had already been along the shore for the first hints of the morning greys and pale blues, but by the time I returned a soft light had filled the tiny cabin...