“There is a time for departure even when there’s no certain place to go.” Tennessee Williams
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From the monthly archives:
March 2008
No nails, no screws, and no metal fasteners of any kind were used to craft the Thai pavilion that is the centerpiece of the Thai Garden in Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin. It was assembled by Thai craftsmen in Thailand, then dis-assembled and shipped to Madison. The Thai artisans then re-assembled the pavilion in the Gardens.
The open-air pavilion, called a “sala” in Thailand, is 40 feet long, 22 feet wide, and 30 feet high. It was gift to the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the Thai Chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association and the government of Thailand through its king and bears the Royal seal of the Thai crown.
The Gardens feature a large reflection pool and uses plants suitable for Wisconsin climate that give the feel of those found in a Thai garden. There are ornamental grasses with the feel of bamboo – tall and with cane stems. There are hardy, large leafed plants, shrubs and trees, pruned to mimic the look of tropical plants.These plantings are designed to promote a serene setting – de-emphasizing color and emphasizing texture and form.
I will post late spring pictures (in later May or June, hopefully) to show the pavilion with its gardens – the lovely pools, the decorative glazed water jars and the sculptured tree art. Without a cover of snow, it is even more spectacular, and something well worth waiting to see.
Here are photographs of the Thai Pavilion taken in June.
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The calendar says spring. Who looks at calendars anyway? It’s time to rely on ancient wisdom and consult the snow dial.
Let’s see. Thursday, March 27, 2008, 10:52 am, CDT. Ah, the snow dial says it’s SNOWING. Those ancients are pretty darn smart. They are correct.
This photograph is brought to you by the letter “S”. “S” is for Spring. “S” is for Snow. “S” is for Snowy-Spring. (with my fond regards to Sesame Street – maybe I’ll go sit with Bert and Ernie for awhile and stew)
“S” is for Sigh!
But “S” is also for Smile.
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“Being born in a duck yard does not matter, if only you are hatched from a swan’s egg.” Hans Christian Andersen
This Tundra Swan, oddly enough named “Snowflake,” sits prettily in a pile of snow at the Baraboo City Zoo in Baraboo, Wisconsin. She lives there with two large flocks of ducks — the Mallards and the wood ducks.
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Farmhouse in Sauk County, Wisconsin. The textures in the stone walls combined with the branches’ shadows add an eerie effect to this century old home.
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Hmmm. No. No green here. Sure, I know it’s St. Paddy’s Day, but the truth is – I live in Wisconsin. You know, Wisconsin. W-I-S-C-O-N-S-I-N! You got it. Yeah, up north. If you live in most of the good ol’ US of A, you think I live somewhere near the Arctic Circle. Ha!
Now some of you folk may have green, and your land may be wearing it proudly too, but I don’t see green ’round these parts. We’ve got your basic white – that’s the snow – and your basic brown – that’s where some of the snow has melted and turned into mud – but sorry, no green.
Guess if you really want to see some green ’round here, you’ll need to check out the local pubs. You’ll find all the green you’ll want to be seein’ in there. All those crazy shamrock decorations and lil’ Leprechauns, those mugs of green beer, and if you hang around til evenin’, all those green faces, too. For me, it’s back to life in the burrow as usual.
You go on now. Have a happy St. Paddy’s. Have a root beer for me.
from your friendly Black Prairie Dog,
Simon
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Twenty-seven years ago this morning – 10:31 am to be precise – I gave birth to my first child. I look back and remember those early days of motherhood as being among the most precious of my life.
Here are my Happy Birthday wishes to my older daughter.
Enjoy. Laugh. Love.
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Nearing the end of a long winter, a farm stands in snowy isolation.
Sauk County, Wisconsin
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