Imagine a great chasm in the yard, not far from the front door, as though a long-ago earthquake had split the earth. Imagine the land full of sinkholes, fissures, limestone cliffs and underground streams, and all this the fantastic backdrop to a 25-foot-long natural bridge and a waterfall.
What would one do with such a setting?
James and Carol Meekins, in Marshall County near Grant, Alabama, have taken their special property and created spectacular rock gardens, as well as wandering paths through the woods, edged with rhododendrons, azaleas and other woodland plants. The Honeycomb Natural Bridge and Ghost Creek Falls are on the Meekins' private property, but the couple graciously allow the public to visit. Ghost Creek flows down the mountainside to the right of the bridge. It gets its name from the way it disappears and reappears as it runs down the hill. Eventually it spills beneath the bridge and then vanishes into the earth.
Recently I was in North Alabama and stopped by with my camera. I wished I had been younger and had surer footing, for I would have explored further. Nevertheless, I managed a few good photos even from safe, easily accessible perches.
I will never complain about my rocky soil again!