Day Trip #2 - A visit to Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens located in Delray Beach, FL between West Palm Beach & Fort Lauderdale. Morikami includes 6 distinct garden areas spanning 16 acres, two museum buildings, the Cornell Cafe, Sheishin-an Tea House and a lovely gift shop featuring Japanese art, tea sets & kimonos. There is also a 200 acre park to explore with trails, pine forests & picnic areas. We had an incredible day but did not see it all.
The Morikami Japanese Gardens provides an experience unlike botanical gardens. Maps are provided to identify key areas but there is very little signage and no plant identification markers. Nothing to distract from the garden's purpose; personal insight, discovery and invigoration. There is no "right way" to interpret this garden. Shinden Garden Heian Period - 9th to 12th Century Incorporates lakes & islands. Meant to be viewed by boat. Paradise Garden Kamakura & Early Muromachi Period - 13th to 14th Century Pure land "Buddha Heaven." Meant for strolling. Early Rock Garden Early Muromachi Period - 14th Century Often inspired by Chinese ink paintings. May include dry waterfalls. Karesansui Late Garden Muromachi Period - 15th to 16th Century Karesansui "dry landscapes" use rocks but few plants. Known as Zen gardens. Hiraniwa Flat Garden Edo Period - 17th to 18th Century Shakkei "borrowed scenery" incorporates background landscape into garden designs. Modern Romantic Garden Meiji Period - Late 19th to Early 20th Century Drew influence from nature. Gardens more modern but less abstract. Morikami Falls Lanterns, Statuary & Water Features Flora Fauna I sought good fortune but was content to find happiness.
The Bamboo Grove It's impossible for me to choose a favorite garden at Morikami. They were all so different. However, I have to give a special mention to the bamboo grove. It was simple but offered an unexpected surprise. The bamboo grove is a living wind chime planted for sound. Beautiful & so relaxing. Our visit to Morikami Japanese Gardens was an experience to remember & repeat. Japanese gardening might not be your style. Go anyway! This garden is worth a visit. Morikami is inspiring on so many levels. Incredibly beautiful, peaceful and calming. As I left the gardens I couldn't help but notice how good I felt. Morikami Japanese Gardens & Museum is so spectacular I couldn't fit it all into one blog post. Coming up next, a look at Morikami's extensive Bonsai Collection & a visit to the Japanese Museum. Keep following.
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With all this downtime, you'd think I'd be up to date with the blog. Nope. We have a lot to catch up on! Our spring was off to a great start. Was. Right?!?! The beginning of March we attended the West Michigan Home & Garden Show in Grand Rapids and spent a wonderful weekend with Grandma & Grandpa Pillywiggin on the farm. It was around this time that we received an unexpected gift from one of our customers. A box full of organic meal kits from Sun Basket. Thanks Steve & Jari! This was our first experience with meal delivery kits. Jason & I had a lot of fun preparing these meals together. They were healthy & delicious. Here's a look at what we made.
We saved the seeds from the organic peppers found in the Hot & Sour Chicken Stir Fry meal kit. They were really tasty peppers so we crossed our fingers and tried to sprout a few with the rest of our garden seeds. Success! Here's a look at our pepper sprouts. And our tomatoes!
Easter Peeps - I'm The Monkey In The Middle :) On the Work FrontAs of Friday afternoon, April 24th, 2020, the Governor's "Stay Home Stay Safe" Mandate has been eased to allow landscaping activities to resume. Hooray! Now we can get back to work in your gardens... just as soon as we finish our happy dance!
Jason made a curious find. Do you know what it is? It's called a "conk" - Inonotus Obliquus, a mushroom/fungus more commonly known as Chaga. It's a parasite on birch & other trees but apparently it's prized for human consumption for its medicinal qualities. I had no idea. But now that I do, I'll be on the lookout for more.
Sadly, fall has brought more than just beauty to our area. Lakefront property owners have been dealing with the effects of high lake levels all over Northern Michigan. Now, property owners along the coast of Lake Michigan are experiencing massive shoreline erosion. People are losing frontage, staircases, boat hoists, and more. The photos & video clips below were taken October 22, 2019 just a few miles outside of Eastport, MI. Each video clip below is under a minute long but they capture the powerful destruction of Lake Michigan much better than the photos. Coastlines are forever changing but it's sad to see it happen like this.
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AuthorGreetings! My name is Julie. I'm a bookkeeper by trade, an artisan by choice & the author of this blog by default. :) Categories
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