Good Times - Old and New

Some of my favorite vacation memories from childhood were trips to Callaway Gardens with Mom and Dad.  With the arrival of spring, memories drifted through my mind recently, so I started doing a little online research.  I gave Mom and Dad a phone call on a Monday night to see if they would be interested in a spur of the moment trip to Georgia!  Daddy told me he and mom had just been to talking about Callaway, so I made arrangements to be off work and took Zoe to stay with neighbors and less than 24 hours later, I was headed to Birmingham.  The next morning we had a breakfast of homemade biscuits, eggs, and bacon, and we were off.  What a great way to start the day.  I took us off the beaten path thanks to Google maps "fastest route" option.  I'm not sure it was faster, but we saw the most amazing wisteria dripping from the trees. It was well worth the detour. 
We arrived at Callaway Gardens in the early afternoon and after getting our bearings, we headed to the Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl.  We were treated to beautiful azalea blooms and wild flowers and were taken by the beautiful spring green of new leaves. 

There were many types of azaleas and several groupings of wild flowers.  These are Virginia Blue Bells.

     

We came across a nice water feature and watched as a photographer took pictures of a bride and her father. I'm sure the results were stunning. 

We walked to the chapel and came across mountain laurel just starting to bloom.

                                    

The chapel is nestled into the woods, but even more beautiful from the inside.  There are stained glass windows on all four sides with pictorial descriptions of the natural beauty of Callaway. We were the only ones there so we sang a refrain of Amazing Grace.  The acoustics were amazing.  

                                    

I stopped to take a picture of a flower as we headed back along the trail and caught Mom and Dad holding hands.  A beautiful sight even after 54 years of marriage.  

We were treated to water-colored azaleas, rhododendrons, and even a snake as we walked back to the car.  

                                          

As we ended our day, we drove the trail around the lake and found a beautiful overlook with Japanese maples, Lady Banks roses, and more azaleas.  

                                          

We had a delightful southern dinner at the Country Store atop the mountain.  I remember having wonderful French toast there as a child. We retired early to the Mountain Inn to rest up for the next day's adventure. 

We arrived at the Gardens just as they opened and were treated with cool morning temperatures and ponds that were as still and reflective as a mirror. 

We stopped by the butterfly house and enjoyed walking around the gardens where the flowers were adorned with dew sparkling in the sunlight.  

Our final stop was the "Discovery Center" where we saw a red tailed hawk and its handler, turtles, and a lovely exhibit of nature photos.  On the way out I snapped a few more shots of the wild azaleas.  They smelled like honeysuckle-bringing back more childhood memories. 

A lot of time has passed since we first discovered Callaway Gardens. We have all aged a little, but the azaleas are still lovely and as always, we enjoyed our trip and especially our time together creating new memories.