"Our Time of Troubles... commenced with the catastrophic events of the year of 1914... Our civilization has just begun to recover." - Arnold Toynbee

Friday, May 24, 2013

An Afternoon Walk through Dow Gardens

 The Rose Gardens: Nothing is in bloom yet, but there with be "fountains of roses" this summer.
 A couple daffodil fields are still very much alive.
There is nothing so fine to set roses in than in an iron trellis.

 "Then He said, 'What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches'" (Luke 13:18-19).
 The Rhododendrons are all in bloom.






 A spout of water in the distance.
 There are some new things growing out of the Herb Garden.


 "Edible Flowers," hmm, not much to eat, I think.
 This is my favorite garden decoration ever.

 "TEMPUS FUGIT," rendered from the Latin, the clock reads, "Time flees." Indeed it does! The clock seemed to be a full hour behind the time.

More Rhododendrons


 I have just discovered a nook of these Gardens I don't remember, with a little pond and spillway.

 Some detail of the spillway






Something is blooming near the H. H. Dow house

 Literally, towers of Rhododendrons grow up among these pines.
 Showers and showers of Rhododendrons

 A placid artist is at work rendering the stream's course
 Another wooden portal with a dogwood behind.
 A spout of water from a well of light.

 Up and up grows the dogwood



 Bells of Honeysuckle?


Monday, May 20, 2013

Always in Another Time

A funny comment for the day:
I was just informing my mother that I am about to start reading through the year 1907 in the Midland Republican newspaper. Mom said almost to herself, "He's always got something in another time period." Haha. That pretty much explains my mental state of imagination most of the time.

Some Visits to Dow Gardens in Midland

Midland's most famous capitalist, H. H. Dow was greatly interested in exclusive botanical gardens. While working in his backyard gardens, he often dressed like a country gentleman in his tweeds. His house, while not very small, was certainly very modest considering his means. He was a family man and his gardens still continue to inspire and uplift the wholesome and family-friendly culture of Midland today. Below are a few pictures from my April and May visits.

I was sitting there on a bench watching the pleasant stream roll on, when a family of young children (all under twelve) happened by. One little girl stooped to pluck a flower for her mother, but her sister in order to save the flower cried out in momentary anguish, "Don't pick the flowers!" I thought to myself, "That's what America's all about." Here was a rare and precious sight: a daughter with real love for her mother, and her sister with a real love of growing things. Most children today probably have the opposite inclinations, in regards to both parents and the wholesome things of life.  I was proud to be a Midlander in the USA. God bless my homeland forever! Here's a little history from the Dow Gardens website:

History
The Dow Gardens were started in 1899 by Herbert Dow, founder of The Dow Chemical Company. The Gardens, originally developed on eight acres of flat, sandy land, provided a creative outlet for Herbert Dow’ and his interest in agriculture and design. He created gardens, ponds and hills according to a simple philosophy that we still follow to this day: “never reveal the gardens’ whole beauty at first glance."

​Alden B. Dow, Herbert’s youngest son and an experienced architect, continued his father's work on the Gardens. The family connection continued with the involvement of Herbert Dow’s grandson, Herbert Dow II.

​Thanks to the dedicated guidance of the Dow family, the Gardens have grown to 110 acres. Alden Dow once wrote: “I think this garden is a most interesting side of my father's character.” Today, the creativity of Herbert Dow is still revealed to all those who visit Dow Gardens. ​












"The Pines" - Dow's home