Category Archives: Nature

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Fallingwater

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Continuing our ride through western Maryland and into southwestern Pennsylvania (see On the Road), we reached Fallingwater in Mill Run, PA with a few minutes to spare before our 10am tour.

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Fallingwater, “one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most widely acclaimed works, was designed in 1935 for the family of Pittsburgh department store owner Edgar Kaufmann Sr”. (comments taken from Fallingwater literature).

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Wright designed and built the house to rise above the waterfall rather than face it.  Fallingwater “exemplifies Wright’s concept of organic architecture: the harmonious union of art and nature”_MG_9080

Constructed between 1936 and 1939, the home was made of sandstone quarried on the property and was built by local artisans.  The stone serves to separate reinforced concrete trays that were cantilevered over the stream.

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Our guided tour (no indoor photography allowed) lasted about an hour and while a bit rushed, was fascinating.  We enjoyed hearing about Wright’s architectural themes, the extensive process involved in making this masterpiece, and the occasional design disagreements he had with the Kaufmanns.  New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger called Fallingwater Wright’s “most sublime integration of man and nature”.

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Fallingwater was the weekend home of the Kaufmann family from 1937 until 1963 when Edgar Kauffmann, Jr entrusted the house, it’s contents and grounds to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.  The home was opened to the pubic in 1964 and over 5 million people have toured the home since that time.

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After our tour we walked the trail to the Visitors Center, Museum Store, and Cafe.

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We enjoyed lunch in the environmentally friendly cafe with food that was healthy and locally sourced.  Reusable dishes and utencils! Recycling! and a relaxing view.

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If you are anywhere near this National Historic Landmark, I urge you to go.  Definitely a highlight to our trip.

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Next Stop:  Pittsburgh!

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Purple Rain

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Despite the rain on the Middle Peninsula last week, each morning I woke to the sounds of the Chesapeake Bay and the beauty of nature.  As you read this post, which I wrote and scheduled before I hit the road, I’ll be riding through southeastern Kentucky.

Cross your fingers and hope that it’s not raining where I am, and I’ll hope the same for you (unless you are in draught conditions, of course!)

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Fresh from the Bay

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The first half of my vacation is over but the memories of the Middle Peninsula on the Chesapeake Bay, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and the beaches of Delaware keep me smiling.  There is much I want to share with you but since I leave for Kentucky in the morning, I thought I would share just a few photos from our fresh crab and tuna steak shopping trip.

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Aren’t the colors of those crabs vibrant?  These photos are unedited; the color is true.

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The fisherman working that day, saw my camera and offered to let me walk out onto this fairly rickety dock.  From that vantage point I was able to photograph some of the surrounding docks.

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The weather those first three days was what some might consider less than “beachy”, but for me and my friends, it did not matter.

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We were happy just to be together and to explore the culture, marine life, and food that the Middle Peninsula of Virginia offers.

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What an incredible place!

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More photos from the coastline of Virginia and Delaware after I get back from my time on the bike!  Next stop … Kentucky!

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After the Storm

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Once the thunder, lightning, wind, and rain are gone, there is a calmness on the lake that lures me back outside.  Within minutes, my feet are in the water and the camera is in my hand.

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I loved the larger view of this image because of the movement, color, and designs on the water, but I just had to crop the photo a bit so the raindrops floating along in the curve of this leaf were more visible.

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The 4th

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You were expecting Fireworks? The Stars and Stripes?  Burgers and Potato Salad?  While I did enjoy all of the traditions of the 4th of July, for some reason, I wasn’t moved to photograph them.

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Instead, it was the simple things, on a clear, almost cloudless day, that drew my attention.

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It was a day of friendship, laughter, sunshine, and celebration.

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What a wonderful way to celebrate the 4th of July.

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Happy Summer Everyone!

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Do You Know Bud (Redbud, that is)?

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Many of you responded to my previous post about Redbud, scientific name Cercis canadensis, by saying that you were not familiar with the tree.   Commonly called Eastern Redbud, it is a deciduous, often multi-trunked understory tree with a rounded crown and is noted for its stunning pea-like rose-purple flowers which bloom profusely on bare branches in early spring (March-April) before the foliage emerges.  

The tree is native to eastern and central North America from Connecticut to New York to southern Ontario and the Great Lakes south to Western Texas and Florida( http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/ ).  Here in Virginia, we often see it in open meadows, and along roads and rivers.

My blogging pal, Pauline, The Contented Crafter, thought the Redbud looked familiar, and in doing a quick online search, found that in New Zealand they call it The Judas Tree.

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Littlesundog, writing from Oklahoma, commented that she loved the beautiful blooms and the heartshaped leaves.

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If you don’t have Redbud in your area, feel free to come visit Southwest Virginia in the spring and I’ll be happy to show you around!

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Redbud Community

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For over 15 years, the group Pathways for Radford (PFR – find us on Facebook!) has been working with the City of Radford to promote the development, maintenance, and enhancement of a network of bikeways, walkways, greenways, and trails.  Through both mental labor (grant writing, committee work, and fundraising) and physical labor (trail building & maintenance, river clean up, construction of various structures), the group of citizens have helped to create a 3.5 mile paved bikeway / walkway system called The Riverway, much of which runs adjacent to The New River.

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The Riverway also runs through Wildwood Park, a 57 acre urban forest which has been designated a Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail and is an ideal place for hiking, wildflower identification, and because of it’s easy access and nearby location, is used as an outdoor biology lab by the school age and college students.

In honor of Earth Day, members and friends of PFR met to plant several Redbud trees.  We’ve planted many trees through the years and it is always a time of fellowship and fun while at the same time doing good for the City and for Mother Earth.

The Trees Arrive!

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The unloading and planting begins,

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followed by the watering.

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We admire the beauty of the trees,

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the satisfaction of a job well done, and a community of friends.

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 Happy Earth Day!

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Youch!

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Also seen during a recent visit to the Botanical Garden:

The Silk Floss Tree (Ceiba Speciosa)

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Check out my previous two posts for more images from the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida, here and here.

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Botanical Gardens

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Other than the scary plane flight back home (oh my!), my time in Florida could not have been better. The company of dear friends, along with delicious food and drink, was more than enough to make me happy.  The addition of warmer temperatures, even if accompanied by rain and overcast skies, and a visit to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, made for a wonderful weekend.

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“Nested in 14 acres and amongst 12 buildings, the gardens are an open-air and under-glass museum of thousands of colorful and exotics plants.  The mission of the gardens is to provide an oasis of inspiration and tranquility, while furthering the understanding and appreciation of plants, especially epiphytes (a plant that derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and usually grows on another plant).  Selby Gardens is known for its living collection of more than 6,000 orchids, but it is also an established authority on other epiphytes including bromeliads, gesneriads, and other plants”.

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I’m not sure when I’ve been to a place where I’ve known so little and learned so much!  My ability with the camera did not do justice to the glory of these plants (tripods were not allowed iin the orchid house), but the photos do reveal their vibrant colors and uniqueness.

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This Fig Tree had the most incredible root system.

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Despite the focus on plant life, the Gardens are home to wildlife as well.

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I was so focused on capturing the color of this plant that I didn’t realize until later that I beheaded this little critter.

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The Rainforest Masks of Costa Rica were on display, in the 10th annual exhibition of the people of Boruca.  The masks are carved from native woods and are intricately painted in vibrant acrylic pigments.  Incredible!

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The historic Selby estate contains gardens devoted to Bamboo and Banyans, Cactus and Succulents, Bonsai, Hibiscus, Tropical Fruit, Fern, Native Florida Plants, Mangroves, Tropical Hardwoods, as well as Orchids.

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Even the gate that surrounds the property is a work of art.

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 Multiple visits would be needed to fully appreciate the gardens, a must see for plant / flower lovers.