Every Fifteen Steps

I began the story of my trip to Garvan Woodland Gardens in last week's post. I went to the gardens with a list of intentions: things to photograph for four classes I am taking.

Mission #2

This exercise was for a class I'm taking called A Year With My Camera. It started with the basics of taking your camera off automatic and then moved forward into light and composition. Most of those first lessons were things I knew, but it never hurts to review. The lesson for this past week was a creative one. She gave us several options to pick from. I chose to go on a photo walk taking a picture every fifteen steps. 

As you can imagine a photo walk through a garden would bring endless possibilities of photos every fifteen feet. Knowing that, I chose to take a woodland path where there weren't many flowers blooming.

Sometimes as I stopped I had to look very closely to find something interesting to photograph. This lesson was not about taking amazing photos. It was not about learning our camera. It was about looking closely, what I call seeing. It was teaching us to let our eyes slowly scan the area instead of taking a quick look and snapping the shutter at the first pretty view.

I took a total of sixteen pictures for this exercise. My last steps brought me back to a paved path that led to the welcome center. And who was there to welcome me back? George, the peacock greeter! He's been at the gardens for several years. Last year he was alone, but this year he has two peahens to keep him company and oh, how he loved to show off his feathers for them! He was the perfect ending to my photo walk!

"We look at the world and see what we have learned to believe is there.

We have been conditioned to expect . . .

but, as photographers, we must learn to relax our beliefs."

~ Aaron Siskind

Spring Has Sprung

Our spring seemed to come early this year. Maybe because we didn't really have a winter. So, I wasn't even thinking about a trip to Garvan Woodland Gardens to see the tulips until it was almost too late. My sister, sister-in-law, and I made the trip to see if any tulips were left. Some of them were already gone, but they plant so many, I'm talking thousands, that there was still plenty to see. It wasn't the best of times for photography. The wind was blowing, the sun was too high creating dark shadows, and pollen covered everything including my camera lens! I included the photo below just to show you how everything was covered in pollen. 

So, if everything looks blurry give credit to the wind, if the colors looked washed out give credit to the sun, and if they look a little cloudy give credit to the pollen. In other words, these are not the best of pictures, but it was the best of days and that's what's important to me!

As many of you know, I love hearts found in nature. My sweet sister-in-law knows this and has a great eye for finding them. She pointed this small one out to me. It's a broken pine needle caught in a cedar tree. She saw this right as we began walking the trails. This was a great way to start my day.

Like I said there were plenty of tulips to see. I love the beauty and lines of tulips. In fact, I thought I liked them more when the petals were upright and closed together, but I think I've changed my mind. Their petals gracefully open and their beautiful centers stole my heart. 

I was standing looking at the tulips when I witnessed one of those wonder moments of nature. In the picture below notice the yellow tulip and the light that seems to come from within. As I mentioned earlier the wind was blowing. As it blew the tree branches above, the flower would be in the shadow, then the branch would move just enough for the flower to be in the light. It was as if this lovely tulip had a lantern inside that was going on an off. It was amazing to see. Now I wish I'd gotten a video of it!

The 210 acres of Garvan Gardens are on a long peninsula. The winding trails lead to the tip of the peninsula where there's a beautiful overlook landscaped with flowers, rocks, and waterfalls. We took a little break, ate a snack, listened to the water, and enjoyed the beauty of Lake Hamilton and Mount Renati in the distance.

Although I went to see the tulips and they were incredibly beautiful, it was the cherry blossom that took my breath away. I've never been at the gardens when they were blooming. I don't know a way to describe them, simply breathtaking!

We had a great day together. We saw incredible beauty, we walked, we talked, we laughed, and had a wonderful lunch at the park. The only thing that might have made it better was less wind, less sun, and definitely less pollen!   Achew!! 

Seeking Color

I anxiously await as I go through the long hot summer for cooler days and the brilliant colors of fall. Only this year in Arkansas, it didn’t happen. There are a few trees that have some color, but overall we didn’t get fall colors. We’ve had an abnormally warm fall and have been very dry which has caused the leaves on the trees to just turn brown, curl up, and fall to the ground. As far as fall colors go, this year was a bust! So, I had to turn to other things for autumn color such as pumpkins and mums. I knew just where to look for them . . . Garvan Woodland Gardens.

Not only were there pumpkins and mums, but the azaleas were blooming and the coleus was beautiful.

Notice in the picture below how green everything is. Of course, the garden is watered daily, but my goodness this is the middle of November and everything is still so very green. The plants are loving the warm temperatures.

It was quite a busy day at the gardens. I almost waited too late to see any fall colors, they were quickly being replaced by Christmas lights and decorations. The garden begins its Christmas light show this week. It was quite a challenge to take autumn pictures without Christmas lights in them. 

The Camellia trail was quite beautiful and led to the end of the garden where there’s a spectacular view of Lake Hamilton.

Well, I finally got my fall color fix, so I’m ready to move on. In fact, after watching with fascination, the Christmas decorations being put up I’m ready to go back and see the lights. I’m going to wait a couple of weeks, hoping it will be colder. It just doesn’t seem right to walk through a Christmas wonderland of lights in a T-shirt, capris, and sandals!

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed,

and to have my senses put in order."

~ John Burroughs

Spring Garden

You see the flowers before you even enter the garden.

The sound of water greets you near the welcome center.

As you leave the visitor center and enter the garden

you pause, you breath, and you relax.

Some of the earliest spring flowers to bloom are the daffodils

which celebrate the end of winter with their bright yellow trumpets.

In addition to the daffodils

there are crocuses, hyacinths, and wildflowers.

A nice breeze blowing off the nearby lake stirred the flowers,

filling  the air with sweet scents.

Have you every stood near a field of hyacinths?

The smell is amazing!

The flowers weren't the only gorgeous thing in the garden. 

Now, to the reason I went to this beautiful botanical garden

"the tulip extravaganza."

Thousands of breathtaking tulips line the pathways

and are scattered on the hillsides;

every color, size, and variety you can imagine.

I took hundreds of pictures of the tulips. I couldn't share them all here, but if you'd like to see a few more I'm posting today at Focusing On Life. I'd love to have you drop over and see them.

If you're ever in Arkansas you must visit the beautiful Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs. Every season is spectacular.

Beautiful Discovery

I'm sitting comfortably in my warm house looking out the window at our first measurable snowfall. Yesterday we had sleet and freezing rain and today we have snow. It's a little too early to be out, still too dark for pictures. Since I'm stuck inside waiting for daylight, I'll tell you about the fun time I had with my sister last week when it was in the sixties!!

We discovered part of Hot Springs National Park that we didn't know existed. I saw a Facebook post with pictures of an old mill and pond along Stone Bridge Road. My sister and I were both born and spent part of our childhood in Hot Springs. We go back several times a year and we pass this road almost every time. We had no idea that there was such a beautiful area so close by.

Have you ever gotten to a new place and your heart beats a little faster as you realize the beauty of what you've discovered? That's what happened when we rounded the corner and saw Rick's Pond. On one end was the stone bridge, hence the name of the road, and on the other end was a stone dam.

If you look closely at the picture below in the right lower corner you'll see a pipe sticking out of the stones. Keep that in mind. I'll get back to it later. 

As we were walking toward the other end of the creek, that's formed from the overflow of the pond, we spotted this very unusual house up on a hill. It looked old and looked to be a log cabin. Through the trees we could see an open cupola on the roof right behind a very tall chimney.

When I was searching for information on the mill, I discovered that this beautiful home was built in 1909 by Col. Samuel W. Fordyce, an early pioneer who came to Hot Springs in 1873 for the therapeutic hot waters. He called it his cabin. Pretty nice cabin if you ask me! The house has a little more history. In 1937 Earl T. Ricks purchased the property and after W.W.II he returned home to become mayor of Hot Springs, then Adjutant General and Chief of the U.S. Air National Guard. The home and grounds are now used for events such as weddings.

(picture courtesy of Old Houses )

Further down the creek we saw the old mill. It didn't have the look of a gristmill. There was a pipe that went up the side of the building where water would move the mill. The inside workings didn't look right either. We didn't have a clue, so it was time for more research. The stone mill house is the remains of an old hydroelectric system; a water-powered generator designed and built by Colonel John R. Fordyce (Col. Sam Fordyce's son) in 1921. Remember the pipe I mentioned coming ouf of the stone dam? Water was channeled from the lake through the pipe to the mill. The water turned the wheel creating free electricity to those who lived in the mansion/cabin.

Part of the workings were still inside the building.

Note the wooden spokes of the wheel. 

In order to get to the mill we had to cross a stone walkway over the creek. It's not very wide and you know as one ages your sense of balance gets a little off. I was a a wee bit nervous about it, but my curiosity won out. We both did fine, no falls in the water!!

It was a gorgeous day to be out wandering around, unlike today which is cold. Will the cold stop me from going out? No, I'll be out there shortly to take pictures of the snow. So, goodbye for now, I must get bundled up. The snow is calling my name!

Just Me And My Camera

I woke up early full of anticipation for what the day would bring. You see, I had a free day. A day I could spend with my camera. A day away from worries and concerns. To make my day perfect I only needed two things: moving water and solitude.

I had a little difficulty deciding where to go. There's lots of water around; ponds, creeks, lakes and the Arkansas River, but those didn't appeal to me. I wanted moving water AND quietness. I happened to remember the creek where my dad and I had lunch a few weeks ago. It's such a pretty little area that's part of Hot Springs National Park.

Although it's a camp ground it was quiet with very few people around. I figured everyone must have been out sightseeing before it got too hot. There was one strange lady who rode her bike and sang very loudly in what I believe was German. Thankfully she had a pretty good voice and passed by quickly! The only other human noise was the giggles of a few children wading and splashing in the creek. The giggles of playing children always make me happy, so that didn't bother me at all. 

It didn't take me long to pull off my shoes and do a little wading myself.

Walking beside the creek I came to this arched concrete bridge built between 1936 and 1937. I've driven across this bridge many times and didn't know what a beautiful bridge was underneath me.

Of course, anytime you have a blank space someone wants to fill it up. At least the graffiti is done with chalky rocks and not spray paint.

After a relaxing stroll along the creek I was ready to rest and have a snack while I listened to the gurgling water, the wind whispering through the trees, the many birds, and the occasional tree frog. Absolute bliss!

Sufficiently rested I decided to follow one of the trails in the area. This one was the shortest only .8 of a mile. It may have been fairly short, but it was up the mountainside. Up, Up, Up the mountainside!  Not a bad uphill, but strenuous enough for me. The bright side, when I headed back it was all downhill!  

It was a warm day with high humidity and you probably know by now that I don't tolerate heat very well. Somehow the heat in the woods with a breeze blowing and my camera in my hand isn't quite as bad. I almost turned around a couple of times. I couldn't tell how far I had gone and it was pretty warm. I kept saying I'd go just around the next corner. Finally, I'd had enough and decided to stop at a clearing I saw in front of me and head back down. When I walked into the clearing this little rest area awaited me!  I had made it and I had a cool place to rest before heading back down.

My  day was good; just what I needed.

I headed home feeling tired, but oh, so much more relaxed.

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into the trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn."

~ John Muir

It's not Autumn, but the rest of this quote perfectly describes my day.