it looks like punxsutawney phil might have been right this year! the weather has been amazingly warm and the spring flowers are starting to bloom. even better, our flip-flops have been dusted off and are back in rotation! let’s cross our fingers we don’t have any more freezes.

on the oscars front, i went 19/24 on my oscar ballot last night! and that’s with only seeing inception out of the contenders. gub went 6/24, which is still respectable for only seeing one of the movies. overall, the oscars were fairly boring though.

– ryan

check out these beautiful quince flowers!

– ryan & gub

our gingko leaves have turned yellow and are falling down.

– ryan

here are some nice fall leaves i saw while working in gwinnett this week!

– ryan

check out this beautiful reflection!

– ryan

i’ve been working in senoia, ga this week. it’s fairly close to peachtree city, which is about an hour south of the atlanta. the fall foliage is quite pretty here, especially in luther glass park.

– ryan

on sunday afternoon we packed a picnic and headed up to amicalola falls state park. we soaked in the amazing autumn weather with a nice picnic near the top of the falls! after lunch we headed back to the base and hiked up the mountain for some beautiful views of the falls. although we heard the hike was fairly easy, the numerous switchbacks were definitely tiring. be sure to bring some water and stretch before making the trek.

if you are looking for a peaceful getaway from atlanta, consider the 90 minute drive to this beautifal state park. be mindful though that october is peak season for state and national parks and will be super crowded.

serenity now!

– ryan & gub

amicalola falls state park

240 amicalola state park rd
dawsonville, ga 30534
706-265-4703

fall is in the air!

– ryan

i recently visited oak grove plantation & gardens, which is about 45 minutes south of atlanta. it’s this beautiful 1830s plantation home nestled on 20 acres of land, 4 of which have themed gardens. the plantation features a bed & breakfast as well as acres of gardens for touring. if you’re looking for an atlanta getaway, oak grove plantation & gardens is a relaxing option for an afternoon visit or an overnight stay.

– ryan

oak grove plantation & gardens

4537 north highway 29
newnan, georgia 30265

with our hydrangeas in full bloom, we’ve been keeping fresh flowers throughout the house. the problem is our cut flowers kept wilting after only a few hours, which was very frustrating. we decided to look for a remedy and take action.

here’s what we found worked best for keeping hydrangeas fresh after cutting them from a garden. first, cut the flowers in the early morning when the weather is cool, not in the afternoon heat. be sure to bring a pitcher or bucket of water and place the flowers in the water right after cutting. when ready to arrange, cut the stems at an angle under cold tap water and dip the flower tips into a bottle of alum powder, found in the spice section of most grocery stores. after dipping, place the flowers in a vase filled with water. that’s it.

we’ve used this method numerous times now and it totally works! it’s impressive how much longer our cut hydrangeas last.

– ryan & gub