Spent a beautiful day at Afton Villa Gardens with a friend who loves photography also. Since moving back to Baton Rouge in 2012, I have visited Afton Villa Gardens every spring and will sometimes go in the fall. Spring is the best time, especially for the azaleas. But this year we missed the azalea extravaganza by two weeks due to our warm winter. There was nothing we could do about that because the garden doesn't open to the public until March 1st.

In 1849 David Barrow and his second wife Susan built a gothic style mansion and established a plantation on this property. The mansion burned down in 1963, but the gardens are still maintained among the ruins. Senator Alexander Barrow of the Whig Party, who died in 1846, is buried on the grounds. This old barn in the back got my attention. Not only is the architecture unique for Louisiana, the brightly colored flowers juxtaposed with the rustic wood add interest. 

74/366Barn Charm
100mm | f/4.5 | ISO 400 | 1/1600 sec