Friday, August 7, 2015

Friday, August 7, 2015

Tonight's picture was taken in July of 2007. Mattie was visiting Peter's family in Boston. That day we went out on my brother-in-law's boat with his children. Mattie was posing with my niece and and nephew. Mattie loved an adventure and he particularly loved boats. When Mattie was sick his one dream was that he wanted a boat. Not a toy boat mind you, but a real boat. He really wanted to save his money to one day captain a boat. Now I am sure that would have changed in time if Mattie was lucky enough to have survived, but at age seven that was something he was adamant about and truly wanted! 




Quote of the day: A little kindness from person to person is better than a vast love for all humankind. ~ Richard Dehmel 


Today we took a road trip with Peter's parents to Booth Bay, Maine. Which is between Portland and Bar Harbor. This is about a two hour and 45 minute car trip from Boston. However, unlike our busy roads in the DC area, the trip up to Maine was far more peaceful and less congested. I was amazed at the number of tolls, but what always is noteworthy is how friendly people seem to be in New England. They are a very different breed from what I am used to in Washington, DC. Or probably any major city. Where there is great caution to make eye contact and connecting with people in general requires great thought and planning. Here people seem to want to spontaneously talk and engage. This always catches my attention immediately when I am here. 

We had lunch by the water in Wiscasset, which is nicknamed the "prettiest village in Maine." After which we then visited the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. I have visited many botanical gardens, all over the country and the world, but the beauty about visiting different gardens is that you can appreciate each one for its uniqueness and for the flora of the region it wishes to feature. This garden is a must see. In many ways, you have to admire the fact that such an extensive collection is in Maine, which for most of the months of the year it is quite COLD. So in essence in my opinion these plants and trees are hardy, and yet despite the terrain in which they live, their elegance, beauty, and harmony they provide to their visitors is unmistakable. 

Here is some history on the Botanical Gardens......
After 16 years of planning, planting, and building, the grand opening of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens was celebrated on June 13, 2007. In 1996, after a thorough search for an appropriate site, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens purchased 128 acres of pristine land with 3,600 feet of tidal shore frontage in Boothbay. This was possible due to the unhesitating willingness of founders to use their own homes as collateral.

The Botanical Gardens comprises 270 acres of tidal shoreland and more than about 100,000 guests walk through the Gardens each year. 

One of the amazing flower features in the Gardens were coneflowers or its botanical name.... Echinacea. There seemed to be flower beds full of them, and attracted to them were honey bees!

What also captured one's attention were the sculptures integrated into the Gardens. This was a special exhibit called, Wind, Waves, and Light by George Sherwood, Sherwood's kinetic sculptures are both highly refined and elegantly simple as they move with each breath of wind. Inspired by nature, his abstract work is reminiscent of flocks of birds, schools of fish, shimmering leaves, waves of light and water. His choice of durable stainless steel reflects color and light brilliantly, and when sited on the landscape, Sherwood’s dynamic sculptures animate their setting and celebrate their place. Five monumental pieces, shown in the Hudson River Park in New York City last year, form the core of this show, with additional new works in a variety of scales. This is sculpture at its best.

I have seen hydrangeas before, but none quite this size. These flowers were as large as a human head! They were gigantic!

Check out this dragonfly! He almost blend into the flower! He was picture perfect. Of course I can't help but think of Mattie when I see these fluttering creatures. 

This would have been a Mattie favorite.... the Grasshopper!

I snapped a photo of Peter with his parents today at the Gardens! Right next to Don was this fascinating stone. If you leaned your head inside the stone and hummed, your head vibrated. 

As you can see the gardens were beautiful and we had a perfect weather day to tour them!

There were pathways to follow to explore each of the individual gardens and along these pathways are wonderful trees which to me reminds me of a rugged New England coast. 

In the Gardens are wonderful water elements. Some have fountains in them and others have ponds with beautiful water lilies. The Gardens made a wonderful impression on us today. The Gardens cater to kid. They give them fairy wings and have special activities geared to children in the "fairy garden." I am not sure Mattie would have appreciated this fairy garden, but he would have gotten a kick out of seeing kids wearing these wings and feeling special!!!