I'm going to use more pictures and less talk since I'm doing a lot of catching up tonight.
Spikes of gold (my name for them)
One of the small fountain displays we totally missed the last time we were here.
The view from Pierce's woods looking west
Bald Cypress Knees look like little statues
A look back at the Bald Cypress
Italian Gardens and fountain area
....and the fountains
Indian Hannah Memorial -Hannah lived in the town of Embreyville but is buried on the Longwood Gardens Estate of Pierre DuPont
... and gravesite
We stayed at a campground next to Embreyville and drove through the township on route 162
... and by the Embreyville Mill still in operation as a feed store
Just past the Indian Hannah gravesite is this beautiful fountain in the woods. There is a swath of lawn from the fountain looking West to the DuPont home 300 yards away only 30 yards wide making this fountain visible in the woods from the back patio of the home - magical.....
To the north is a Huge meadow that begins at this magnificent tree.
The house is a lovely but not overly large one and it was more of a country cottage. It does include a very large indoor arbor but we just walked around the back of the house this visit. I think it's important to realize even the wealthiest of Americans sometimes enjoyed the less lavish and simplicity of a farmhouse environment (don't get me wrong they enjoyed the simplicity in some things - i.e. this home has a huge bank vault type safe for the silverware) but then everything is relative.
Just a leaf from a plant along the walk I love the colors.
There were gasps when a huge wall of water appeared at the fountains it must have been sixty to seventy feet high and eighty to one hundred feet wide.
Behind the fountain you can see the waterworks are very ornate.
The Chime Tower is located behind the main fountains and looks like something from Camelot.
Complete with dungeon stairs
The Topiary Garden is a wonder to behold when you think of the work it takes to keep them trimmed so neat.
The last of the visit at Longwood Gardens was the "Eye of Water" It is circular piece of concrete or stone about 15 feet in diameter painted blue. There is a hole in the center about a foot in diameter with a constant flow of water coming through. The water rises about 1 foot at the center and sheets over the circle like a 360 degree very gentle waterfall. This modern water feature sits above a 90,000-gallon reservoir that supplies the Waterfall and Main Fountain Garden. An initial surge of 8,000 gallons per minute at 9 am drops back to a smooth flow of 5,000 gallons per minute for the rest of the day. It was built in 1968 and was inspired by the similar Ojo de Agua near San Jose, Costa Rica.
The "Eye of Water" is remarkable and the headwaters of the waterfall next to the Chimes Tower
This picture and will give you some idea of the fountain at high flow.
Scrabble Score Scrabble Queen 313 - the contender 315 - a real squeaker
Quote of the day -
"If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen." ~Henry David Thoreau
1 comment:
a tree is truly a magnificent thing! as the muse said, this is the real thing. i was so envious of several groups of two, having this spectacular place to take their walks. talk about nature's health club! the scrabble queen
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