Tits and Balls

It’s been almost 70 years since Crystal Springs reigned as the largest exporter of tomatoes (in the world?), but locals still know it as the “Once  known  as  the TOMATOPOLIS   OF   THE   WORLD” A curious tourist will still be directed to the one-room Tomato Museum, and the annual Tomato Festival is the biggest party of the year. But just as every Rome eventually falls to barbarian hordes, and Night follows Day, so must every Tomatopolis someday be outshone by the South’s Largest and Most Unique Selection of Lawn and Garden Fountains, Birdbaths, Planters and Statuary. I enjoyed my visit to the Tomato Museum with its forlorn relics of a bygone era. But for me, Crystal Springs will always be Four Seasons Garden Art.

Tits and I stumbled onto FSGA by accident, on our way, in fact, to the TM. We’d been driving for days, and needed a little R&R. Unable to find the museum and intrigued by the armada of classical statues lining the highway, we decided to stop in. Good thing! The selection was immense. There were fountains and gazebos, life-sized Davids and miniature Davids, rabbits, lions, frogs, pigs, creepy little girls, dragons and hedgehogs, several versions of the 10 Commandments, birdbaths, benches, baskets, mermaids and more. I could have stayed for hours, but since an (exceedingly helpful and friendly!) employee gave us directions to the Tomato Museum, we decided to move on. Unfortunately our U-haul was full and our wallets almost empty, so we left without that special something to brighten up our yard. Someday, though, we’ll need lawn ornaments, and we’ll sure know where to get them.