Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, is having its yearly Chrysanthemum Festival. As always, the conservatory is filled with beautiful flowers and amazing feats of training the chrysanthemums to grow into unique shapes.
Here’s a close-up of one of the techniques they use.
There are shapes of all kinds to marvel over and enjoy. Most of these are created with only one chrysanthemum plant. Amazing!
Whatever the season, Longwood Gardens has something outstanding to enjoy.
“Rocklands was established by Lisa Salmon, a self-taught ornithologist , one of Jamaica’s first environmentalists. Miss Salmon or “the bird lady” as she was affectionately known purchased the Rocklands property in 1954.”
In the mountains of Jamaica, near the town of Anchovy, a thirty-minute drive from Montego Bay, my husband and I entered a world unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before. I posted a picture of a hummingbird on my finger a few weeks ago, and this is the accompanying story of that moment in Anchovy, Jamaica, at the Rocklands Bird Sanctuary.
Before we even encountered the birds, we were amazed by the surroundings. Sitting on the beautiful terrace, bordered by hand-crafted concrete planters, the abundance of lush green beauty began soul-soothing us immediately. For me, this was a slice of heaven on earth. I love plants, nature, and birds and Rocklands Bird Sanctuary perfectly combines all three.
The key to the experience is “patience,” our guide Fred told us, and we found it to be the case. The hummingbirds eyed us up a bit from their perches near the roof of the terrace, deciding if we were worthy of their attention.
My husband patiently held the small bottle of sugar-water and finger at the ready, and was rewarded with tiny bird feet touching down. (There is bird-seed spread on his legs to draw other birds in.)
I came away from the experience with Rocklands Bird Sanctuary forever imprinted upon my heart. I was also inspired to create a few bird feeding stations of my own, but that is a post for tomorrow. 🙂
Postscript: Don’t miss out on the trails that surround this beautiful sanctuary if you are able to take a tour.
Jamaica is one of our favorite places to visit. I love the land, the sea, and most of all the people. The DeCameron, a lovely hotel in Montego Bay, is one of our favorite places to stay. They are expanding in size, and we enjoyed watching the work going on around us. We were very impressed by this man’s ingenuity in shielding himself from the hot sun with a large piece of cardboard. The cardboard is light in weight, but its broadness cast a large shadow, protecting him from the heat. I would never have thought of such a good idea, but I will definitely file it away in my thoughts as a perfect solution for blazing sunshine.
On the way home from fishing this past weekend, we had plenty of time left in the afternoon, and nowhere we had to be, so we turned down a road that looked interesting and had the possibility of being a shortcut. We quickly realized a shortcut was not going to happen, but we came upon some really interesting sights as we headed back to main roads.
Coastal New Jersey is home to many sand pits. This is an abandoned section of one of those. Picturesque in one way, eerie in another…a good setting for a Stephen King novel.
Treasure Beach, Jamaica
Two islands that I love are opposite to each other, located in the North and South of the western hemisphere. Jamaica and Block Island, Rhode Island are two of my favorite islands in the world. Neither of these islands can be reached by car. Jamaica requires air travel, and Block Island requires a ferry ride, or a quick flight in a small plane.
I’d say the most obvious differences between these islands is the heat or lack of it. Block Island might become hot and sunny in the summer, but the water always feels a bit cold to me. Jamaica’s blue-green waters maintain their warmth, and are always inviting. Block Island is a place of bustling activity, Jamaica’s atmosphere is laid-back and more relaxed. I love both these islands, and enjoy the unique aspects of each.
Block Island, Rhode Island
The planet Mars is close to earth in June of 2016. This week will provide you with a good opportunity for viewing the red planet. Nasa’s website provides good information on how to best view Mars. Nasa – Mars in Our Night Sky.
“In 2016, the planet Mars will appear brightest from May 18 to June 3.” ~ Nasa Website
Since I don’t have a photograph of Mars for this post, I searched one of my favorite royalty-free sites for a good example. I found this interesting atmospheric photograph, taken of Mars in 2014, on the Morguefile site courtesy of Tom Wildoner.
The Brown Farm is located in Heislerville, on the way to the Delaware Bay. The owner sells the ‘odd’ plants I enjoy finding. I was excited to find penstemon, a tall perennial that attracts hummingbirds, and a new variety of purple bee balm. I also bought some butter lettuce, the rosettes so perfect, my husband thought they might be flowers themselves.
I try to buy from small businesses as often as possible. Plants and farm roadside stands always draw me in. I am a true believer in the Health Benefits of Eating Local.
Searching out new places to stop and chat with the owners is one of the joys of our weekends.
Have a little fun and visit a petting zoo this weekend.
This beautiful pair of chickens lives at the Creamy Acres Farm.
I love birds. The songs they sing as the sun rises fill my heart with joy. Watching them fly from feeder to feeder in my yard is one of my greatest pleasures. Birds often give my spirit an instant uplift of hope.
Recently, while visiting Creamy Acres, a farm and garden center located near my home, I expected to see the normal barnyard animals. While we walked among the goats, rabbits, chickens and calves, a piercing cry suddenly alerted us to the presence of the exotic. When we located the source of the sound coming from the top of the farmhouse porch roof, we were astonished to see the magnificent plumage of a peacock. Sometimes small surprises and pleasures can fill a whole day, and even beyond, with joy. In my own life, unexpected blessings, like the sighting of a peacock on a porch roof, bring a sense of hope, even if many of my circumstances at the moment are dark.
“‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—”
~ Emily Dickinson
The first stanza of this poem by Emily Dickinson is a favorite of mine. The rooftop peacock (the ‘thing with feathers’) is still perched in my soul, the remembrance giving me a bit of wind beneath the wings of my spirit.
I also cherish the multitude of hope-filled verses within the pages of the Bible, and use as an example this verse in Isaiah that compares hope with the image of an eagle. God bless your day with hope.
“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” ~ Isaiah 40:31
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
II Corinthians 13:14
I’ve heard some say they have a hard time believing in the Trinity. I believe. How could I not? There are three trees behind me in my shadow photograph. I can’t see them, but I know they are there. Why? Because of the evidence of their presence. The evidence of the presence of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit surrounds me every day. I only have to take pause from the unending busyness of life to dwell with them in my spirit.
“And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.”
—Percy Bysshe Shelley
Spring was evident everywhere yesterday. The calendar says “winter,” but the budding woods proclaims, “Spring.”
State of Mind
“This week, let your inner world and the outside one converge in a photo.”
“Photos show us the surface of things, but they often tell much deeper stories about the objects they depict — and about the people who take them.” WordPress Photo Challenge
One of my greatest pleasures is walking in nature in every season. These photos were taken in Ceres Park a beautiful woods covering fifty-two acres a few miles from my home.
The signs of Spring were all around us: wet, soggy ground, the budding of undergrowth, the touch of sunlight setting even the bark of the trees aglow. The mosses seem to be awakening first, sending up stalks that will soon bud into capsules filled with spores.
Ceres parked is dotted with marl lakes. The mineral turns the water a magical green. I will have to go back to capture the true iridescence of the water another day. The heavy rains of last week muddied them a bit, but if you look closely, you can see swathes of green within the waters.
Winter Joy is standing beneath this enormous display of anthuriums. The basket of tropical blooms is hanging from the ceiling of the Longwood Gardens Conservatory in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. In the midst of winter, what a blessing it is to have this lovely garden within an hour’s drive of my home.
An extra dose of winter joy awaited me as I browsed in the visitor center gift shop. The same anthuriums, probably grown in overabundance for the display, were on sale for a fantastic price…$6.50 for an 18 inch plant covered in bloom. JOY!
Color Your World – 120 Days of Crayola – Fuchsia
Today we drove to Haddonfield, New Jersey and strolled around town doing a bit of window-shopping. We stopped in the Posh Pop Bakeshop and tried their coffee and rose macaroons. Delicious! Fuchsia letters labeled each jar: Tiffany, Vanilla, Rose, Neapolitan, Chocolate and Nutella. I sampled the rose and it was fabulous! One day I would love to make macaroons.
Nothing is quite like a rope swing for defying, and then succumbing, to GRAVITY. When you are flying through the air life seems weightless.
“Show us the effects of gravity in your photo this week.” ~ WordPress Photo Challenge
“Wharton State Forest is the largest state forest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the largest single tract of land in the state park system of New Jersey, encompassing approximately 115,000 acres of the Pinelands northeast of Hammonton. ~ Wikipedia
In these dreary and chill days of January I enjoy paging through photographs of summer scenes. Winter has its own merits: warm fires, hot cocoa, ice-skating, etc., but if I had to choose I’d live in the summer’s heat year-round.
Here’s to a bit of weightless fun, an homage to defying gravity.
As you pass through the entrance of the Cape May Zoo you enter a free, beautifully maintained, eighty-acre park facility. The Cape May Zoo asks only for a donation as an entrance fee.
Some areas of the park resemble a savannah plain in Africa, other exhibits are maintained on New Jersey Wetlands. The green mosses of my state are one of my favorite sights.
The Leucistic White-tailed Deer are an interesting exhibit. The deer are not considered albino due to some pigment in eyes, ears, noses and sometimes spots on their bodies.
One of our favorite moments was the interaction between one of the deer and a groundskeeper.
Another moment of fun was discovering these winsome baby squirrels in the rafters of a pavilion. We were surprised to see a nest with babies in December.
The mother squirrel was uneasy with our attention to her babies and darted to and fro like an acrobat to draw us away from the nest site.
The reptile house is terrific. I loved this green snake hanging on a branch, posing like an illustration in a favorite children’s storybook titled “Verdi” by Janell Cannon.
I guarantee, if you enjoy animals in a natural, beautiful setting, you will leave Cape May Zoo with a smile on your face.
I like sharing the beautiful places my State of New Jersey has to offer. The Cape May Zoo, open year round (except Christmas Day) is one of the loveliest zoological parks you can visit. What a pleasure it was to visit this zoo two days after the Christmas holiday. Cape May Zoo is not in Cape May proper, but is in the town of Cape May Court House. Information: Cape May Zoo
This amazing zoo has a large array of animals lodged in beautiful, natural settings. Because I just couldn’t pick and choose only a few of the photographs I took, I decided to break our zoo trip up into three separate blog posts. Enjoy this winter walk through the Cape May Zoo.
The day after Christmas we visited Wildwood, New Jersey, a resort town located between Atlantic City and Cape May. In the summertime crowds of people descend on Wildwood and the neighboring towns of North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest; winter clears the boardwalk of all the summer’s revelry.
December 26th was a dreary, overcast day. I find boarded-up amusement parks and carnivals a little spooky. While we were there we had dinner at a restaurant called Alfe’s. The food was delicious and the wait staff excellent.
