I am a huge fan of "Gone With the Wind." Sometimes I think I should have been born in another time period. Recently our family had a chance to go back in time when we visited a 600-acre Southern plantation located on the outskirts of our town. A young couple in our church (I'll call them Mr. and Mrs. John) recently moved into the main house on the property to serve as caretakers. The house is on the National Register of Historic Buildings. The owner of the estate recently had to move into town due to his failing health, and Mr. and Mrs. John agreed to stay in the big house and keep an eye on things. This is what we saw when we arrived for our cookout. None of the pictures I took adequately capture the grandeur and charm of this old beauty. Here is the view from the front door. The downstairs rooms are filled with boxes and are sparsely furnished as the owners continue to move their things to their current residence, but I wanted to show you the window treatments and soaring ceilings. Can you imagine having to go after the cobwebs way up there? The owner's children occupied the upstairs rooms. Bookworm screamed when she saw this adorable girl's room and adjacent bathroom. Check out the toenails on the clawfoot tub! Oh, what a fun room! Behind the main house is a "summer kitchen." You can see the fireplace, but I forgot to take a picture of the huge commercial stove on the opposite wall. What a combination! Below is the pool house. The kids had so much fun splashing in the pool and jumping off of the wooden diving board. Mrs. John took me on "the Mule" (4WD vehicle) for a tour of the property. This outhouse is located somewhere out in the woods. I think it's missing something very important....a door! Below is a view of a little cabin on the edge of a 7-acre pond. It was such a peaceful spot!

I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse of our visit into the past. Scarlett O'Hara would love it here.