Come to the Garden Cottage in early summer and you'll probably find the doors open to the caressing breezes drifting over the heart pine floors. Climb the steps to the columned porch when the air is nippy and you'll likely be greeted with a gently glowing blaze in one of the three fireplaces. Now tenderly restored by Photographer Ronnie Ownings, the 100-year-old house again pulses with life and charm. Here visitors are welcomed with cushy chairs covered in antique quilts, and examples of Pro Studio's treasured family and children's portraits are displayed among picturesque birdhouses and venerable cupboards of captivating collectibles. The necessary modernisms—the workrooms and all the latest in photographic technology, plus an array of artistic backdrops, including a 24-foot Victorian porch setting complete with white wicker furniture—are housed in a new two-story structure beside the garden.

But this building, too, is thoughtfully styled to look like an old barn that might always have rested amid the azaleas and camellias planted by Louise Carmichael, who lived in the house for over 50 years. Today, her garden, too, bears the imprint of Ronnie Ownings' creativity. With intriguing low stone walls and fountains and flower-bordered statuary, it's become a favorite setting for outdoor family portraits. You may even see a curious lamb peeking through the picket fence at the old diner bell outside the kitchen. For the Garden Cottage is an exceptional environment, ever inviting, ever family-friendly, just like an old-fashioned visit to Grandma.