Saturday, April 16, 2016

Saturday, April 16, 2016



Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2009. Mattie was home between treatments and as you can see Mattie's room was being transformed with toys and gifts he received throughout his cancer journey. In addition, Mattie had me pull out every blanket possible so they we could build tunnels and tents. Though Mattie couldn't walk, he managed to scoot around on his bottom. 







Quote of the day: Doing for others takes the focus off you, and this is so freeing of the weightiness of the frustrations and emotions that you feel. ~ Jennifer Roskamp


Today we drove to Bristol, Rhode Island and had the opportunity to tour an amazing mansion and arboretum. The name of the property is called Blithewold!

In 1895, Augustus Van Wickle and his wife, Bessie Pardee Van Wickle, purchased 70 acres of waterfront land in Bristol, RI and named it Blithewold (Old English for “happy woodland”). They built a large, Queen Anne style mansion, and moved in during the summer of 1896. They would reside at Blithewold from May until November.  Bessie hired John DeWolf, Bristol landscape architect and Superintendent of Prospect Park, New York City, to help implement her vision of a horticultural sanctuary. 

Blithewold is a 33-acre summer estate with grand views of Narragansett Bay, is nationally significant in American history as one of the most fully developed and authentic examples of the Country Place era. The property features a 45-room mansion filled with family heirlooms framed by a series of lovely gardens that range in character from mysterious to exotic and from poetic to practical. 

There are several Giant Sequoia trees on the property! Typically they are seen in California. But there are several that were planted in 1911 at Blithewold and they stand at over 90 feet tall. I think we help to give this tree SOME scale!

This stone archway in the gardens caught my attention and I snapped a photo of Peter with his parents.

Blithewold, named in Yankee Magazine's 2010 Best 5 Public Gardens in New England. It is 33-acre seaside estate with over fifty thousand daffodils that delight visitors for nearly a month.

It was Daffodil Day at Blithewold and all I can say is WOW! There are over 50,000 bulbs planted and when I tell you, there is yellow everywhere I am not kidding. It was stunning. 

Get the feeling for the fields of daffodils?!

Daffodils close up! Their faces were all colors. Some had yellow inside, some white, and some orange. 

This was the Living Room
at Blithewold. This is where the Van Wickles entertained and socialized with visitors. It was a grand room that had amazing views of the Bay. 

The first Blithewold burnt to the ground. But Mrs. Van Wickle had it rebuilt in the early 1900s. The modern conveniences in the home are amazing, such as this elaborate kitchen. What you may not be able to see is the incredible fine bone china sets on display in the cabinets. All of the furnishings and items in the house are original. 

The Van Wickle's had two children. The eldest daughter, Marjorie inherited the house and bought out her sister's portion of the house. The curator at the house explained to me that Marjorie was the level headed and practical child and Marjorie viewed her younger sister as frivolous. Needless to say, when the parents died, the in-fighting over money and the house caused permanent separation of the sisters. 

This was the garden room in the house in which they now serve tea to visitors on fine china! Clearly with a beautiful view of the Bay. 

The 33 acre estate does not disappoint. It was a beautiful walk that even included a Japanese Garden, filled with cherry gardens. The perfect setting for a Monet painting.