Highland Park Arboretum, October 2012

Hi, everyone - this is going to be a combination of words and pictures because it's also my personal record of my wanderings through the Highland Park Arboretum, literally a gem unknown to most of the people I've talked to until I say the word "Lilac".  Then they nod and say "I've been to the Lilac Festival". 

I personally have avoided the Lilac Festival like the plague, which is one of the drawbacks of being an essentially very shy person.

And I didn't make it in 2012.  But I have been to the Arobretum over and over again since early spring and have learned to love it for exactly what it is - a place where trees of dozens of different types live and thrive. 

Autumn and spring tend to be the "exciting times" of the year, and in the Northeast?  Well, I think we all know that autumn is a time of blazing color and grand exits as trees shed their leaves in preparation for the Grand Silence, which is winter.

So Colorful leaves it is. 

And of course Photobucket is acting up.  Why am I not surprised.  Le sigh...

It's back, so I'm posting.

This is Japanese Maple Red Prince (Acer Palmatum Red Prince).  It's just one of the many types of Japanese Maples in the Park (Arboretum formally, but Park)

This is Japanese Maple Lion's Head.  The tree is a very slow growing Maple and has been specifically bred to appear in an array of colors like this in the autumn.  It's a lovely tree indeed!

There are a couple of these Japanese Maples in the Park.  The tree above is Acer palmatum 'Tobiosho' and is known for its striking autumn color.

And just in case everyone is slightly bored with the Acer palmatums, I'm tossing in the Japanese Stewartia, Stewartia pseudocamillia.  This tree's great beauty lies in its bark which exfoliates normally to show shades of pink, light tan and grey.  The branches are graceful and the entire tree is a beautiful thing, whatever time of year you happen to find it.

Here's a slightly better picture of the exfoliation of the Stewartia.  The color tones of the bark are those of the tree in real life.  Neat, right?

This is Stewartia in your face (I couldn't help it - and this branch was so insistant!  :)  )

This is the fruit of the Oriental Spindle Tree.  The fruit is quite dangerous and should never be eaten.  But it's lovely, nonetheless. 

And this is what the tree looks like.  Again, the bark is extremely interesting and the trees themselves are tandled and twisted like gnarled fingers.

I have better pictures of the tree that I'll put up in a different post. 





This fellow is Acer palmatum 'atropurpuereum' which was developed to show red leaves in the spring shading to light green in the summer and on to deep red in the autumn.  Like the other Japanese maples, its branches are as much part of the beauty as its display of leaves throughout the growing season. 

Another shot of the tree from a different angle.

This was half the fun with taking these pictures!  The light changed and the color changed with it!  My camera, I have discovered, tends to slightly overexpose things, but at least you have the idea.  It's VERY red!

This next tree is not noted for its foliage, but it's bark is a lulu.  This is the "raisin tree" .  It is native to the southeast coast of China.  The bark is marvellous...and the autumn fruits do look like little bunches of something between a grape and a raisin...Pretty neat!!!! 

 This picture of the tree was actually taken in the spring.  I was so impressed by the bark, which isn't dying or anything, that I wanted pictures of it to show folks.  Isn't it incredible?

And here's a shot of its fruit in the autumn.  There are some references to the fruit being edible, but not until it's been cooked.  Personally, I would be cautious until I'd spoken with someone with a great deal more knowledge than I have before I ever tried this fruit. 

But it IS a nifty tree!

Another shot of theTobioshio...the picture doesn't do justice to the color, although it's closer than some others I took.

 

I don't want to wear out my welcome, so I'm going to head out for now.  More posts in a day or two, now that I'm more conversant in getting pictures over to this blog!

Have a great day!

Until next time!

Leaves and Trees and Clouds

Hi, everyone.  I'm not going to do a lot of talking in this post.  I'm just putting some pictures out for you to see.  And I'll tell you where I took the shots...aren't you relieved?  (Stop the Huzzah-ing! Geesh!)

Autumn Trees so Far All of this first batch were taken at the off-ramp to Long Pond Road from the Ontario State Parkway heading west.  The day was variable - cloudy and then blazingly sunny, with a lot of sun reflecting off the whiter clouds.  It was also freezing cold and windy, but pretty trees are worth it! The clouds are at the end!

For the picture above - the only way I could get the leaf color to look all right was to lower some of the blazing sunny white of the cloud.  Otherwise, the leaves would have looked black.  Ugh!

 

 

And Photobucket is acting up AGAIN.  BAH!  So I'm going to close this post and go to work...More clouds and such things asap!  

I found it!

The Geology trail at the Nature Center!  I found it!  Yay me!!!

I have to get pics into Photobucket - but I am hereby posting my shortest input ever!  I found the trail!

Genesee Country Upstairs and Down

Yup, here I am and it's September!  I know, I know...but look at it this way, think of all the neat pics I'll be able to post all fall and winter!

Anyway, yesterday, as is my wont when the whim takes me and the season is right, I went to Genesee Country Village and Museum.  To anyone who remotely knows me, my instinct is to wax enthusiastic to a mind-numbing (for everyone else) point when I talk about the Village and what goes on there.

I actually had planned to find the (still) elusive Geology Trail in the Nature Center, which is part of the Museum.  However, imagine my reaction when I found out at the admissions desk that a test tour of some of the basements and upstairses (? I also become somewhat non-grammatic) in the village was planned for 11:30! 

In previous years, the Upstairs/Downstairs Tour was an evening event for members who made reservations.  However, the plan currently is to try small group tours of visitors to the museum on certain days during the season.  So I get to be a beta tester!  YAY!  I am happy to report I didn't break anything - much to my relief.

Usually you are forced to go from the beginning of things to the end of things with me.  But I'm jumping to the last house on the tour:  the Hyde Octagon House.  Why?  Because the Hyde Octagon House (built by Dr. Hyde - no relation to the Jekyll and Hyde story) has a cupola.  And a cupola means views from above.

Normally the cupola is not open to visitors.  BUT for the tour?  We got to climb the very narrow stairs and stand at each of the 8 windows on top and take pictures!  I messed up a couple (wrong exposure setting - I'm not good at this), but I got a few, as well.  And here we go.

This is the Hyde Octagon House:

A little about the history in a bit.

The cupola is at the top (yeah, I'm being a smart aleck.  It's my nature...)

And here we go for some views!!!!

The building in green is a pavilion restaurant that's open on special weekends and is also available for wedding receptions.  Its style is Victorian and it's quite lovely.  The white blotch you see directly behind it to the right is the town hallover on the village square.  The large white building in the left background is the Livingston Backus house.The horizon is everywhere.

See what I mean about messing up my exposure settings?  And this is after I got a lot of the blue out of the picture.

You're looking again at the Pavilion and in the center background, in additon to the Livingston Backus House, you are looking at the steeple of the Brooks Gtove Church.

This is slightly to the right of the first picture.  You are looking down at the George Eastman Boyhood Home.  This is the home he lived in until he was 6 years old.  It's also where the wonderful ladies who work on quilts for the museum do their stitching.  The light in the home is excellent.

This is another shot of the Eastman Home.  Beyond it you can see a barn in a back field, and the Jones farmhouse.

 

We're now looking directly into the backyard of the Hyde House.  The gardens are wearing their fall colors now, and seem to be muted, but they aren't, not really.  The gazebo is a modern addition, although it may very well be something the Hydes would have had.  The roof that looks so plain right now is actually solid copper and has developed a lovely patina with age.

Can you see the faint white lines in the back of the picture?  They mark the outside boundary of the Baseball Diamond.  There is a league that plays baseball according to the rules used in the 19th century (think no mitts, no face masks, and no cleats.  Ties were optional, at least in the early, early years).  And, yes, women played as well, although they were relegated to other fields than men.  Pitching was underhand.  Bats were wood although I don't think there was a standard for them.  The baseball field used at the museum has the dimensions used in the 19th century.  No pitcher's mound...it's really interesting to watch.  If you like Baseball.  Or history.  Or sweating in the sun and drowning in the rain (boxes meant that the bleachers had a roof and were not for the ordinary man).

A bit farther to the right we cross onto the plot of land upon which sits the Hamilton House, a Victorian mansion, Italianate, I believe.  We're looking at several of the outbuildings to the Hamilton House, as well as the back up bathroom for the Hyde Octagon.  That little green building with the mini cupola on the roof?  That's the outdoor plumbing.  Dr. Hyde actually had a basic form of indoor toilet installed.  The missus, however, remained a bit skeptical about the usefulness of something like that and insisted that a standard outhouse be built.

To your left in the back is the door to the carriage house for the Hamilton home.  The windmill in the back operated the pump for the home's water.  The building directly in front is either an outhouse, an icehouse, or a smokehouse.  I've heard all three.  Personal take?  I'm thinking it's an ice house.

Then off to the right?  The Hamilton Mansion.  Oh, some reflections off the glass (the yellow squidge is an insect repellent I was wearing around my wrist).  The flashing (the shiny line down this seam of the roof) is tin. 

The final shot from the Hyde House cupola shows the front yard of the Hamilton House.  The yews (those conically shaped green trees) are placed exactly as they were in a picture taken of the house in its original location.  The iron fence (you can't see it, but it's there) was the original iron fence for the house and moved with the house to the museum.

There is ONE other way to see things from higher up than the cupola of the Octagon House, and here is a picture of it!

This is the faithful replica of one of the Observation Balloons used by the Army of the Potomac (Union Army under generals too numerous to list, for the most part, but ending with U.S. Grant) during the Civil War.

Yesterday was the last day for this season, I believe, that the balloon ascended carrying people in the basket you see hanging down.

This is a stationary balloon.  It and its brothers were raised over battlefields and used to...er...observe what was happening.  The balloon is the Intrepid.  And the image on the side is the American Eagle (Civil War era) behind a picture of Gen. George Brinton McClellan.  Not much of a general, but a great strategist who knew a good thing when it was presented to him.  Indeed, he used information about enemy troop movements during at least one battle of the Seven Days, I think, although I could be wrong about which campaign it was.

I'm keeping this short tonight, because I promised not to word you to death.  So I'm going to post this and start on a little more detail about the rest of the tour of the upstairs and downstairs in the village.

I hope you like this much!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

 

 

 



Fashion Show! 1800-1812

Yeah, stop laughing - I DO know about er...dresses and such things.  They clash with my t-shirts, but I know about 'em!

Anyway, last weekend was the annual War of 1812 weekend at Genesee Country Village and Museum.  And (there's a hint here) because this is 2012 and the war started in 1812, it's also the bicentennial. 

I will admist that I know virtually nothing about this particular fracas, so I went to the museum to learn.  And I did!

I also went because there was a fashion show including dresses, etc. from the period 1800-1812.  The presenter is a specialist in the clothing of the period.  I need to check with GCVM because I don't have her name.  I apologize.

At any rate, I'm rather fond of the dresses of the period - especially in the US.  The sources of the dresses (which have been recreated) are either fashion plates, actual dresses themselves, or source records from states such as Ohio and Missouri.

I took notes (heaven help you all!)  So I can at least attempt to describe what I saw.  Keep your fingers crossed on that, okay?

I had the dickens of a time getting everyone in to a group shot (there was a professional photographer there doing the honors, and I just clicked and snapped from farther back.  Here's the left side of the line (this is after the show)

And here's the right (look down - maybe I'll get it correct this time!!!)

Okay - there are a lot of ladies and they all have dresses on.  One has a parasol (with a silk fringe, I might add!)

But I being the genius that I am?  Hush - I HEARD that!  I decided to crop individual-ish pictures and describe 'em.

Aren't you just excited?   I hope?

 The gentleman on the left is wearing hunting or sports clothing for the period. The  original of the coat was made in England; the coat is cut somewhat longer than it would have been in the 1790s.  He is wearing pants made of nankeen, which is cotton woven in the Nanking, China area.  I know you can't see them, but his trousers are precisely that:  trousers rather than the knee breeches that would have been popular in the 1700s.  He is also wearing spats (I'm sorry - I really didn't get a good picture) which both protected his trousers and provided the illusion that he was wearing boots when, in fact, he would have probably been wearing shoes.

The young lady to his right is wearing a dress from a Paris fashion plate of the very early 1800s.  The dress is made, as was the original in the fashion plate, from a sari.  In the first part of the 19th centure, the Oriental world and its wonders were the rage, and Parisian haute coutre reflected that.  Her headpiece is a variation (I think) on the old French liberty cap.  Up close, the effect was spectacular.

What you will see as a common element during this period is an Empire (ahm-peer) waistline in many of the dresses.  There is also an emphasis both on style and practicality, for this was a time before closets, among other things, so one was required to be gorgeous and exceptionally efficicient in terms of the space occupied by one's dresses, etc.

Another common theme is the emphasis on flexibility - dresses didn't have zippers (they hadn't been invented yet).  And many times a woman needed to be able to dress herself.  Soooo wrap around skirts, drawstrings and pull over tops were definitely encouraged.  The concept of using gores to define skirt and top shapes was also not done this early.  Therefore, pleats and more pleats, all of them in the back of the dresses, and of varying widths, were helpful in terms of modifying the line of the dress.

These two ladies are in two entirely different types of dresses.  The lady on your left is wearing a Quaker style dress.  The lines are simple and modest, and around her neck and bodice is a very simple white tucker.  The original was made of a silk/wool blend (yup, they did that then as they do now), but the lady above is wearing the reproduction in cotton.  Note that the sleeves, as are all of the sleeves of this period, cling to the line of the arm.

The lady in green is quite fashionable.  Her hat threatened to capsize her, I think, but she handle it with dignity (and probably a silent threat).  Her jacket, like the other jackets here (with the exception of the gentleman's) is called a Spenser.  It's cut quite short overall, and the back would have varying pleats depending on the seamstress, the material, etc. 

This lady's dress is corded cotton - that means that some of the cotton in the dress was of a heavier weight than the rest.  This helped to give the dress some form.  In addition, her dress has a back kick pleat, which was not all that common.

She's wearing cotton gloves (try keeping those white!  Lemon juice and sunshine...sigh) and has a small and relatively useless reticule.  But that's just me looking at it from my vantage point.

This dress is a two piece cotton affair.  The original is in the Ohio Historic Museum and was made in the period 1805-1810.

As the moderator reminded everyone, although Ohio was quite far west (enough to be called the Frontier), goods were available for making good looking dresses if one had both the time and the money.  As an example:  a fashion magazine from Paris could be seen in St. Louis 6 weeks after it was put on a ship to come to the US.  Things had changed a great deal in the preceding 25 years, and cloth was available in numerous patterns and colors, even this far wast.

The jacket is a more covering garment than the Spenser jacket. l And the dress has a drawstring neckline that could be altered to suit the situation.  The hat would have been something a local milliner would have made. 

And onward, although it's now June 27!

Let's see - where were we...oh, okay...

These two ladies were actually at the far right of the line.  Both of these ladies are dressed for afternoon calling.  The style of dress is as we've seen earlier, but the print is different, and the outfits were what a woman would wear out in the afternoon.

The second lady, in neutral tones, is wearing a hat in the neo-Roman fashion.  It's decorated with ostrich plumes.  Her dress has what to us seems a fairly modern hemline.  It rises above the ankle in front and gradually drops to touch the ground in back.  Yup, they did that then, too!

The lady on your left is the one who demonstrated the undergarments worn by women of this period.  Her plaid lined silk robe shows a strong Chinese influence, as did many things during this time.

And last in the show, but hardly least, is the young lady on the right...again, her dress is typical of the period and that hat!  Goodness!  Silk and flowers and enough to make ME want to wear one.  For a moment.  If my Earnhardt  cap isn't looking.

I think I'm going to post this lest I lose it by waiting too long!  Here goes!

Well, it's now Memorial Day Weekend!

And here I am!

Yesterday I went to Genesee Country Village and Museum with someone who'd not been there before!  It was blistering hot and I went through my water bottle faster than anyone SHOULD go through that much water.  BUT it was a great day and completely unlike this time last year.

I am going to post pictures of flowers for the most part.  I'm not a good enough photographer that they're going to be wonderful, but oh goodness, the poppies!   And the heirloom peonies!  And the foxglove!  Not to mention...

Okay - I'll be semi-quiet now...Stop it!  I CAN be semi quiet!  Sort of.  If gagged.

This is the blossom of the tulip tree.  No, it's not a tree full of tulips, but the blossoms DO look very much like a standard tulip.  To my surprise (mostly because I usually arrive at the museum after the last of the tulip trees is just about done blossoming) there are several of these trees on site!

Here is a shot of the tree - can you spot the individual blossoms?  I tried hard to get back light enough so they looked as illuminated as they did in real time, but the tree is quite high and I didn't have an extension ladder to get closer.

The tree's formal name is the Liriodendron, and they are related to magnolias.  But Tulip Tree is kind of a neat name and fits...sooo...

There were several spikes of foxglove in the formal garden at the Livingston-Backus house.  The colors were lovely, and I thought this one was the most striking of the group.  The flowers almost looked artificial, they were so perfect.

These are double peonies and very lovely.

I've put in several pictures of the heirloom peonies that can be found in the garden in front of the gazebo behind the Octagon House...There were banks of them and many were just ready to bloom.  It was a really spectacular sight!

The biggest show offs were the poppies.  And I don't mean maybe - I just wish I could have captured them better...!

This is the blossom of a horse chestnut.  The center of each little bunch of flowers is pink and quite festive!.  Remember, however, that horse chestnuts are not edible, unlike their non-horsy cousins...

Iris aplenty...

More forget me nots than there had been two weeks ago, and there were bunches then!

And the tiny flowers that can appear underfoot when one isn't looking!

There were even flowering things in the vegetable garden - these are, possibly, the blossom of the chive although I could be way off in left field on that one!

That rarity, a shy peony!  It was, I have a feeling, somewhat overwhelmed by its bright orange cousins next door!

And there you have some colorful creaturse that defied the heat, the wind,and the presence of any number of school children visiting the Museum for the day.  There were many more, but I don't think my pictures did them justice, so these are what I decided to post today!

Next time?  A Japanese meditation garden in Gateshead, England!  

Hugs to you all!  Have a most excellent day!