Moongate

Rose garden

Weeping European Birch

Giant sequoia

Butterfly house

Rock garden

Water garden

North garden overlooking Narragansett Bay

Moongate

I’ve been wanting to visit Blithewold for years and put myself on their mailing list a while back.

So, when I got an email saying that the gardens were being put to bed starting tomorrow, I asked Ron if he’d like to visit today, and he agreed.

We did the transfer station run and had lunch here, which got us to Bristol a little later than planned, but still plenty of time to roam around and even tour the mansion.

Blithewold is a beautiful estate, no doubt, but its owners’ riches were obtained from coal mining in northeastern Pennsylvania. The original mistress, Bessie Pardee Van Wickle, was the daughter of coal baron Ario Pardee who with his son Calvin Pardee, was responsible for the Lattimer Massacre in which 18 unarmed miners were murdered by sheriff’s deputies.

We stopped in New Bedford to fill up the van and pick up swordfish and steamers. Had the clams tonight with a green salad.

Great day.  Ron loved it.  He imagined how much fun a five year old boy would have at that vast estate, with its gigantic lawn, rocks, gardens and bosquet.

Celebrated Mary’s birthday today at the Quarterdeck.  

Afterwards, visited with the Kabats to schmooze about SPE.  

Posted two correct photos of the common area at 95 Edgewater.  Got the 411 from a realtor about the new owners of a house on Briar Patch.

We were going to take the day off today but Ron ended up watering and fertilizing the front and side lawn here and I put in a new 9 foot wide oval flower garden with 100 daffodil/Narcissus bulbs.

We used about half of Ron’s compost, which is out of this world fabulous.

Ron completed the aeration at both properties today.  Hat’s off to him for being a great sport about it when I called him from Botello’s to tell him I’d rented the machine.

I did my usual weeding, pruning and watering.  By the time we needed to put the aerator back on the truck, my arms were dead, and I was screaming in sheer frustration.

Fortunately, one of our neighbors stopped to help Ron.  Thank goodness for nice people!

Ron power swept the front and back yards at Edgewater.  I did more weeding and got to play with a visiting cat.

We were surprised to find Bonnie at Cape Cod Coffee.  Got a half pound of Panama.  She enjoys her job and multi-tasks with quiet efficiency in a very busy place.

We had dinner at Falmouth Eats Together and watched the new Koch film and an old Nader film.

Ron ran the thatching blade over the front and back lawns at Edgewater.  I did some cleanup.

Had the oil changed in the truck this morning.  Got to play with the owner’s puppy, Izzy.  Have to bring the truck back in a couple of weeks to fix the transmission fluid container.

Returned a magazine to the library, transferred money between banks, mailed the IRS stuff.

Brought the yardwork flotsam to the transfer station.

Great weather to work outside.

Discovered that Blair Brown (Nina Sharp) was Molly Dodd, as in “The Days and Nights of..”, a cool TV series with an uber-cool theme song.

One of the best things I’ve ever seen on how to spot an abusive workplace: http://www.alternet.org/12-warning-signs-youll-get-overworked-and-underpaid-employer

I went ballistic this morning at Faxon Center when they failed to explain that Cape Cod Healthcare’s blood donation center is in Hyannis.  We rescheduled for 3 and Ron and I got movie tix for our trouble.

We met with Larry on our 2011 taxes.  Fed gulls at Falmouth Heights beach.  Picked up more bagels at the senior center and dropped off our applications for the property tax work-off program.

I took the night off, didn’t cook.

Got a little rain today, but we did the transfer station run in between showers.

Poked around Santuit Woods and Seconsett Island.  We think we located the dirt path to Bryant’s Neck.  Ron was pleased to find such pretty woods.

We spent Friday evening at our friend Emma’s house, enjoying shellfish and her beautiful views of Santuit Pond.

Saturday, we went to New Bedford to see a terrific blues trio, MSG, at the Wamsutta Club.

Our lawn and gardens are still suffering from this long drought.  We got the thatching done here, though.   I have bulbs to plant.