Farm House Table

The Barton Tree Farm was established by William Jackson Barton Sr. in the early 70's. The farm boasts 89 acres, most of which is covered by loblolly pines and harvested for construction timber. The farm is located in Clyo, Georgia.

Over the years, the farm has served many uses -- at one point it was a rental property, another housing bees for honey production; but it has always been a tree farm.

In recent years, the boom of shabby chic and DIY has taken over. The economy has forced the crafty to use their talents to make the old, new again. This was our such venture to the Barton Tree Farm. An old farm house, destroyed by a hurricane decades ago sits, lopped in place by vines and brick foundation. it was my goal to collect the forsaken wood paneling from the house and restore it for my creation.

I planned a trip from Atlanta to Savannah for the weekend. Savannah being only an hour from Clyo, seemed like the legitimate place to stay. It only took about an hour to gather the wood from the famr house. The wood was discolored, gnawed and broken. It was stained green from aging and I started to doubt my project. Still, we gathered enough wood to make 2 farm house tables.

Once I returned with the wood to Atlanta, the cleaning process began. JCP scrubbed the wood with a Clorox and water mix to clean the wood. Then, he carefully rinsed each panel.

We had to wait till the next day for the wood to dry.

Being novices, we needed a flat surface to construct the table. Our uneven backyard, simply was not going to work. We moved the project to the front yard and began to hammer.

Much to our surprise, we drew quite a crowd as the neighbors began to marvel at what we could possibly be constructing.

We even had an artist stop by and invite us to the Atlanta Auction House. He explained that he created furniture out of industrial materials. He remarked on the quality of the wood. We even ended up attending the Auction that Friday, but that is a story for a different post!

True to form, our Dachshund, Mosby, is in almost every aspect of our lives. He helped with determining stability of the table.

We used a few tutorials off Pinterest to get our barrings and then started hammering away. In hindsight, I see why screws are better. Nails tend to come loose with movement over time.


The last touch for the table was to sand the top, stain it, paint the base and legs, then to put finishing oil on the stained top. Sounds like a lot, but really just a bunch of painting. The wood was extremely dry being so old and subjected to the elements for decades. It drank up the stain immediately. We went a little darker than we wanted to because of this, but the finished product was still great!

Sweet Auburn Curb Market of Atlanta, Georgia

Always one to support local, as an artist, J and I love shopping at Farmer's Markets. We used this article  on the top ten markets from Metro Atlanta to narrow down our options and start exploring the new city. Our first stop was an indoor market called Sweet Auburn Curb Marketing. The market was huge and much more commercialized than most of the farmer markets I've been too. It also has the most convenient store hours, as well as ample parking. The market will even validate your parking inside so you can forgo the $5 parking charge on the way out. 

They had a plethora of lunch options. We chose a taco restaurant, but the variety even include a place called Afro Dish, which appeared to serve Ox Tail! 

The main reason we went to the farmer's market was to pick up fish at well below grocery store pricing. Fortunately, we found J and I's favorite fish, Red Snapper.  My youngest sister, E, also picked up some shucked oysters while we were there. The oysters were huge and well worth it! 

The market had a variety of meats, as you would assume. They even had pig ears and turkey legs for sale. There were not quite as many vegetable vendors as you would have thought, but still plenty to chose from. A few even had their own branding of spices and pickled onions, etc. We found one called Wild Bill, which E and I immediately purchased for my father, Bill. 

All in all, a great trip. I am certain we will return, but am looking forward to exploring some of the more mom and pop-ish farmer markets in the future. I would encourage you to try Sweet Auburn Curb Market -- even if you are an Alabama fan have a little trouble getting over the name. :) 

Athens, Georgia

On a recent trip to Athens for a GASFAA conference, I was able to enjoy the delectable and delightful local flavor. I was impressed with myself and how much my palate has changed in the mere 6 years since college graduation (it's not that long ago, right?!). Perhaps the draught of people was due to the summer time, but I couldn't help but think I was making more mature restaurant choices that avoided the staples of college life. There were after all people walking everywhere through out the city. I arrived Tuesday evening after a full day of work in the city.

Tired, hungry I pulled on jeans and walked to The Globe as recommended by Hotel Indigo. Void of Greek life, I noticed a couple on a first date, 2 hipster dudes and a solo guy with his computer -- whom I can only imagine to be a teacher. The Globe had tons of character. It was a great, seemingly authentic pub. I was shocked at the prices. A Kobe beef burger for only $12! I must be in a college town. Plus $2 10oz pours of Bells Heart. Sold.


It was prepared as wonderfully as you could expect a Kobe Beef burger in a college to be prepared. It certainly satisfied my hunger. I was slightly disappointed at first that the place wasn't crawling with college co-eds. Then I quickly rationalized, despite my age and maturity, I may have been embarrassed to be dining alone in a dining room full of judging students with ample friends to dine with in their college town.


Day Two, I ventured to The National. Foursquare posted that they opened at 11, though it was actually 11:30. However, an A++ for customer service they allowed me to sit at the bar until they opened with a cup of coffee, complete with fresh creamer and raw brown sugar.


I ordered the power lunch and it may be the best tasting purely healthy meal I've ever had. Their menus are printed on a daily basis which I have always taken to be a sign of a great restaurant. The power lunch included: heirloom bean and aromatic rice salad with feta, tomato, basil, and pecan, kale slaw with celery and mustard seed, grilled artichoke and fava salad with garlic, chili and sesame, roasted baby carrots with pumpkin seeds and sorrel for $12.

Stay tuned for Wednesday evening's dining choice and the remainder of Athen's dining choices.