Out and About - October 2014

♫Here, There and Everywhere♫

October flew by just like leaves falling from the trees on a windy day!  This is what the maple tree in our woods looked like on the first day of October. . . .

Endless Mountains

Last weekend we attended a family wedding in Connecticut, then headed home by way of the Endless Mountains in Pennsylvania.  Our destination was Eagles Mere, a quaint little village that sprung up around the mountain-top Lake Lewis, now called Eagles Lake.  A bit more history of the region can be found here.  We arrived 10 minutes after 4:00--ten minutes too late to visit the Museum in the Visitor's Center. . . .

View Outside My Kitchen Window - October 2014

♫Autumn Leaves♫

It is the middle of the month already.  We are well into Autumn, although the upper 70's temperature and humidity we came home to yesterday belies that fact.  Today we are having thunderstorms!  We were up in Connecticut over the weekend for a family wedding and then spent two days in the Endless Mountains in northern Pennsylvania, where we had rain also, but we hiked in it anyway wearing heavy coats because of the chill.  Now we are home and must see to bringing in the plants and putting away outdoor furniture.  I've already brought down the storm windows.  The Dahlias are still in bloom, but the Cone Flowers have all faded. . . .

Waterford Fair

The October outing for the Maryland Chapter of the Tasha Tudor Museum Society was to the 71st annual Waterford Fair last week.  The little village of Waterford, VA closes their streets to car traffic and opens it up to hoards of people eager to experience a bit of colonial America.  Waterford was settled in 1733 by a Quaker from Bucks County, PA.  It soon became a thriving farming community centered around the Janney Mill.  You can read more about the history of the community here and how they have been preserving their community's view.

There were four houses open to us that day, but only one let me take photos inside.  I didn't photograph very many craft booths either because of their "no photography" signs.   But I did get lots of photos of the charming houses.  Below is a slideshow of my photos of the day with music from two artists that were playing that day, Bob Bellamy and Wendy Barlow.  If you love their music, as I do (I bought 2 CDs), you can purchase it here.  To view full screen, once you click on the Play ➤ , click on the YouTube icon.  This will give you a better quality picture.  Then click on the 4-corner box in lower right-hand corner to go full screen. . . .

                 
I also made this little video of the one-man band and friends seen in the slideshow. . . .

              
   
.•*¨`*•. ☆ .•*¨`*•

Take Joy!

Downton Abbey

♫Did I Make the Most of Loving You?♫

The costumes from the Downton Abbey TV series have been one of Winterthur's most popular exhibitions.  It continues through January 4, 2015, which happens to be when Season 5 begins here.  I will admit right up front that I lost interest in the TV series after the second season when PBS started running it past 10:00!  But I have kept up with the buzz about it from time to time whenever people have commented about the show on Susan Branch's website.  I know that I have several readers of my Blog who love Downton Abbey, so this post is for you. 

I hope you will enjoy this brief tour.  I did not capture every costume or every sign.  There were too many people in the way at the beginning of the exhibit to get good photos, and I neglected to go back later because of my gift shop "adventure" at the end. So, you might enjoy reading these articles by others who have visited the exhibit for more information:  Washington Post; Smithsonian; Huffington Post; and this is an interview with Maggie Lidz, one of the three co-curators of the exhibit.  Note:  To make the photos larger, click on them.

Outside the Museum. . . .

Out and About - September

 ♫Here, There and Everywhere♫

September brought just as much Out as About.  We babysat Olivia every other Monday.  She has two teeth!  Reaches for everything.  Squeals in delight.  Can sit up with only a little support.  Move backwards in the walker.  And what I love most of all smiles with delight when she sees me ☺. . . .

Children's Gardens

♫Fairy Dance♫

I must have fallen in love with gardens when I was a child in the 1950's because of Papaw & Mamaw's farm in Mississippi. Papaw, a widower, built the house for my grandmother soon after they were married in 1917.  This blurry photo was taken of the flowers that lined the walk up to Mamaw's front porch in 1974.  Mamaw was 77 by then and would live another 20 years in that house and another 6 in a nursing home.  We moved so often that my parents had no interest in gardening.  Mamaw's flowers and her farm were very special to me. . . .

We kids loved playing "house"around these big oak trees. You can just make out the huge roots that grew out of the ground of the one next to this one.  These made little compartments that we designated as the "rooms" of our house. . . .and the bushes in the back ground, cut into the shape of a chair and couch, further captured our imaginations. . . .

So it's no wonder I love visiting Children's Gardens whenever I can. . . .

Longwood Gardens

 ♫Chopin♫

In 1906 Pierre S. du Pont was 36 when he bought the Peirce farm because he'd heard the 100-year-old arboretum was to be destroyed.  George Peirce had purchased 402 acres in 1700 from William Penn's commissioners.  In 1798 his twin great-grandsons began planting 15 acres of various specimens of trees.  By 1850 the arboretum had become a place for locals to picnic.  By 1906, however, the Peirce heirs had neglected its upkeep and after passing through different owners the trees were to be sold to a lumber mill.  This is when Pierre du Pont stepped in.  Because of his love of the countryside and his boyhood love of running water, he set about turning his new summer home, Longwood, into what is now billed as one of the top 10 public gardens in America.

Longwood Gardens now covers 1,077 acres.  The Conservatory that Pierre built covers four acres.  It also houses a ballroom and music room.  This is where he and his wife, Alice, whom he married when he was 45 years old, would entertain their guests.  The couple never had children so much of their philanthropy work centered on the needs of children--public schools, universities, and hospitals.  The house they lived in was not at all grand.  It was built in 1730 as a simple brick farm house.  In 1914 Pierre du Pont had a matching addition built which was connected to the original house by an atrium. . . .

Architect's rendering of addition to the Peirce-du Pont House, c. 1913

Winterthur

♫Air♫

In 1951 Henry du Pont opened his home and gardens, Winterthur, just north of Wilmington, Delaware, to the public.  He'd spent years collecting Americana, adding on to the mansion in order to house his collections.  The du Pont de Nemours (they dropped the latter part of their name) came here from France in 1800 to escape the political unrest there.  As the brochure states, they would leave an indelible mark on the Brandywine Valley.  You can read more about the family here.  

After picking up our tickets we went outside to wait for the garden tram.  It was an overcast morning, threatening rain at any moment, but it never came, so we were able to enjoy a refreshingly, cool walk around the grounds. . . .