Gardens
While I don’t usually travel to my local gardens with youngsters, I find it refreshing to explore the children’s gardens. I’m referring to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and Winterthur in Wilmington, Delaware. Both former du Pont estates that are now open to the public. These amazing gardens are only about 20 minutes apart [...]
Continue reading about Children’s Gardens in the Brandywine Valley
Ever since I visited Winterthur (“Winter-ter”) in mid-summer a few years back, I wanted to return to see the March Bank. I am pleased to report that I finally made it! It was worth the wait to see the thousands of spring-flowering bulbs. Henry Dupont skillfully established an extensive naturalistic garden on this country estate. The [...]
Spring has sprung and I find myself thinking about gardens more and more. My absolute favorite (of those I’ve visited thus far) is Longwood in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Lucky for me, it’s nearly in my backyard. One cool thing about Longwood is you can visit at any time of the year and there will be [...]
Continue reading about Duponts of the Brandywine Valley – Part III – Longwood Gardens
Not far from the city center where I explored the San Antonio River Walk, The Alamo, and El Mercado marketplace, I arrived at the San Antonio Botanical Garden via the trolley system. This day of adventure started on board the trolley. This is where I met the Pentecostal women. Seriously, this is what they dubbed [...]
San Antonio is full of sites that fit my personality perfectly. It has history and interesting architecture at The Alamo and Catholic missions, cool neighborhoods to explore on foot, shopping with a local flair at El Mercado, and natural creations at the botanical garden. This city meets all my needs, and this trip ranks as [...]
I’ve never traveled over Christmas and New Years. We live within driving distance of both sides of the family, and we always have a lot of family events to attend. That doesn’t keep me from dreaming of Christmas adventures. So I’ve been thinking…what are some interesting, unique places to spend Christmas? Several places immediately sprung [...]
Largest home in the United States. 250 rooms. 8,000 acres. This is the Biltmore estate in Asheville, North Carolina. While the French chateau is quite impressive, the estate has a lot more to offer. Walk through the gardens. Take a horseback ride. Or walk your dog. Yes, dogs are allowed to visit the estate, too. [...]
Continue reading about Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina
Longwood Gardens is one of the top gardens in the world, and conveniently located near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This amazing garden is family friendly and has plenty to astound even the most experienced gardener. Longwood has a seemingly infinite variety of changing displays, and continues to reinvent itself. Check out the clever children’s garden with fountains, [...]
We’re off to Winterthur in Wilmington, Delaware, where Henry Francis du Pont was born, lived, farmed, and developed a naturalistic garden. A direct descendant of E.I. Dupont, the man that started it all with the gunpowder mills at Hagley, Henry was an avid collector of Americana. He acquired a large collection of antiques, which continues to grow to this day.
Continue reading about Duponts of the Brandywine Valley – Part II – Winterthur
I was out tending the tomatoes and squash, and came upon the giant columbine in bloom. Took a few shots with my iPhone 3GS, and voila – wow – check out this backlit shot. (note – all other shots went to the circular file)
