April 28, 2011
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May 13, 2011
There is a garden on River Street, here in Peterborough, that I pass each day as I walk to work that I have always admired. The stucco house on the Nubanusit River, which can be seen on the far right of these photographs, is called "Beside Still Waters" and was built in 1931. The original garden was designed by Fletcher Steele and had several American elm trees in the design. Steele's plantings are long gone but the replacement planting is quite beautiful.
Each spring, there is a succession on flowering trees blooming in the garden. the first tree to flower looks to be Magnolia loebneri 'Merrill', followed by Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis', Amelanchier x grandiflora, Magnolia x soulangiana and an unnamed crabapple. In the foreground, there is a kousa dogwood waiting in the wings to bloom. To my eye, the forsythia at the far end is a minor distraction to the white and pink parade of color that heralds spring each year.
What a beautiful road, Michael...I can't believe it's your way to work. To my eyes ( is it the onset of Autumn? ), the images appear bleached, so delicate. Beside still waters is where we'd all like to be.
ReplyDeleteLovely recent posts and pictures. I love seeing how much changes each day...
ReplyDeleteFaisal,
ReplyDeleteI think I walk to work when it is quite bright and the pictures are a bit bleached. Probably due to my poor photography skills. Thanks for your comment.
Hi Helen,
It is amazing how fleeting it all is! Great to hear from you.
That is beautiful. I bet it looks fantastic in person. The Forsythia doesn't look too bad in the photos but I guess it is worse in person. They are a bit harsh to be mixed in with all those pale pinks and whites. I know what you mean about the issue with it being bleached. I am often frustrated by my own photography skills not relaying exactly what it is I am seeing. Any good photos on my own blog have more to do with the marvels of automatic cameras and the fact that digital cameras allow you to take 50 pictures of the same thing in hopes that 1 will come out right.
ReplyDeleteHi Kaveh,
ReplyDeleteThe forsythia is a more brazen color in real life. It looks better in the photographs. I also take many pictures at a time hoping one will come out. Thanks for your comment!
I owned the house on River Street across from the gardens for four years. I've recently posted photographs of the home and I came across your blog when I Googled Beside Still Waters. These are lovely photos and you posted them on my 59th birthday this year. Lovely, lovely neighborhood and you are lucky to walk by the gardens and the houses each day. I envy you!
ReplyDeleteHappy belated birthday, Charlotte. I am lucky to see this on my way to work everyday. Where do you live today?
ReplyDeleteI live in Norfolk, MA. I moved to MA to take the directorship of a library in January 2005. A friend at my daughter's wedding this past May asked to see photos of my home in Peterborough as she had heard wonderful things about it. I sold it to a couple who were going to renovate the home. I have missed it terribly since leaving; I renovated a Victorian in Franklin, MA that I sold just this past month (at a terrible loss in this economy.) I will forever miss Peterborough! I have enjoyed looking at your blog - what terrific journeys you've had. You might check out the Fletcher Steele book that is mentioned in my blog. Schofield's gardens are all around as I understand it. It's too bad that the Waterfall Gardens are not a public park in Peterborough.
ReplyDeleteOntheBellFactoryFalls
ReplyDeleteCharlotte,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry we never met while you were in Peterborough. I live at 14 High Street across the street from the elementary school. I have always loved your house. My house is also on a slope and I have toyed with adding a porch on the back like your old property. My favorite experience walking to work is when the lilacs are in bloom right at nose level on Main Street. If you are ever in Peterborough, please come for a visit!