I don’t usually do back-to-back posts but, as I kept adding paragraphs and photos, yesterday’s post begged to be divided … so I did.
When part one of this seemingly endless walk concluded yesterday, I had already trekked through the woods, explored U of M’s Environmental Interpretive Center and weighed my options of cutting through another woodsy area to see where I would end up versus simply retracing my route along the roadway that is parallel to the Estate.
It was warmish and I admit I was a bit weary but I pondered this old saying:
“There are always two choices. Two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it’s easy.” (Author unknown)
So yes, I opted to go the extra mile, walk past the fringe of woods and explore that vast grassy area, which I later realized was architect Jens Jergen’s Meadow. The bonus was I discovered the long-gone, now-in-ruins, original Rose Garden and Reflecting Pool/Pond. Even though I had read info and studied a map prior to ever visiting this venue, I never knew I could approach the Estate via the woods, so I was clueless about this area.
There were ruins to roam around and a trail garden.
First I saw a wall of rocks. Hmm – was that some secret tunnel?
Then, in the distance, there was a group of children and several adults.
I quickly realized it must be a field trip.
An animated guide had the youngsters’ rapt attention as he dipped a large net into the above-pictured pond and there were squeals of delight when the net revealed wiggling frogs who began trying to hop out of it, so the guide lowered the net and the frogs were released back into the pond.
I listened in as the guide gave the group a quick history lesson. We learned that even though architect Jens Jensen was instrumental in working with Henry Ford to create a natural environment around the dam and creating the Meadow and bird sanctuary, in the late 1920s Clara Ford insisted on creating a 2.5-acre rose garden, ripple waterfall and pond, reflecting pool, garden structure (“The Summer House”) and pergola in the middle of the area known as the Meadow. Jens Jergens disagreed with that idea, so Clara Ford promptly secured another architect, Herbert Kellaway, to create these amenities and commissioned horticulturist/rosarian Harriet Foote, an expert in rose cultivation to create a “keyhole rose garden” all which are mere ruins now. Below is the frame, all that remains of the Summer House/Pergola.
The water looked murky as two geese paddled side by side, their reflections barely visible.
The two posed nicely.
As if on cue and not to be outdone by the frogs and the first pair of geese, a Canada Goose, with goslings in tow, waddled around the pond which delighted the visitors, young and old alike. Phones were whipped out of pockets and purses and pictures taken. Of course Your Roving Reporter grabbed some shots too as they waddled around the pond away from the crowd. Note the goslings checking out a few people who were taking photos of them. One gosling in the foreground is hissing. 🙂
Someone got too close to the family and some wing flapping ensued.
I left the field trip activities and headed though the Meadow and the midday sun was making me hot. I checked my pedometer and I’d walked over five miles already, with a way to go yet. (I really think I ended up walking seven miles altogether, not six.)
I saw this sign for the Trail Garden …
… so off I went along still another path. This sign told me I was nearing the Estate grounds.
The paths were sometimes rustic, sometimes mulched …
… and occasionally lined with wildflowers.
I stopped to take photos of the informational sign with a vintage pic and here I learned about the many Summer perennials watered by an early, state-of-the-art sprinkler system.
Several benches appeared along the trail and I wondered if these were once occupied by the Fords as they took a break from their hikes or walks through the Trail Garden? I have learned in my research about Fair Lane Manor that the Fords enjoyed hiking the vast and varied landscape that comprised their property.
Finally, I was back at Fair Lane Manor …
… with another mile and a half along the Rouge Gateway Trail and through the neighborhood until I could plunk down in the car and turn on the A/C. Whew! Thank you for reading if you are still here and a bonus thank you if you read all four posts about this May 12th meander!
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Congratulations – 7-mile walk and so much history learned! It makes me wonder if they walked that daily or not? If you lived there would you walk around the whole place every day (weather permitting)? I enjoyed the adventure you took – thank you for sharing!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Shelley – I know I said in my original post (about the U of M Interpretive Center) that I thought it was a six-mile walk, but I never checked the pedometer at the very end. In measuring distances, using Google Maps, I realize I covered more territory than originally thought. 🙂 It was a long adventure on a warm day. I probably won’t write about this venue again this year, although I like the Rouge Gateway Trail and I think there are other options to explore and may visit, but not so extensively this time. I just never looked at other parts of that Trail, as I am usually intended to end up at the Estate. We have so much construction everywhere right now that it’s difficult to pick and choose places to go and not be repetitive for my visits and posts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome. I’m envious that you can take the longer ventures. I think you do a great job of finding ways to break up and/or use your longer trips in multiple posts.
TMI – I have to plan my distances around the locations of the restrooms. 🤣 Do they have those on the Google maps too? 🤔
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha – I go before I go. 🙂 My posts are not only wordy but photo-laden. I weed out photos the first go-around, then tackle weeding out more when I write the post. Still too many and yes, I may have to go to shorter posts if I divide them up. I won’t do two days in a row – this was different as it was kind of an ongoing “tale”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I still have to go even if I go before I go 🤣😂🤣
The week that I took the challenge to only put 5 photos to tell a story was harder than I thought it would be. It was fun in a way.
Your editing skills are exceptional IMHO.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a tough time choosing pics for Wordless Wednesday when I have a slew of them and winnowing them down. 🙂 It’s a lot easier if I have only one photo for Wordless Wednesday.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would have a hard time with that too! 🤣
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d love to live near a place like that. Clara was my kind of person.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, my kind of person too Kate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love those benches… so different from each other yet both are inviting. That picture of the little goose hissing is so funny! He/she is learning early 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
So many places here to just sit and look around at the beauty Janis – no wonder it took them three years to build the Estate and grounds. That little goose was funny – I see it in my walks. They hiss and even flap their tiny wings if a human gets into their personal space. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Clara sounds like a woman that had a vision for her property and determination (and the money) to make it happen. I know it was especially beautiful while she was living there. Too bad that parts are in ruin now. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you enjoyed reading about this Estate Rebecca. I agree – as beautiful as the grounds were, she had it in her head, that they could be more beautiful, so she set out to make it happen. In general I don’t think of women from this era as being headstrong like Clara – being wealthy helped to satisfy her (and her husband’s) every whim.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So glad you continued on. Such a beautiful place to visit. Although that frog pond looked murky it must not be polluted. Frogs can’t live in a polluted environment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am glad I continued on too Ruth. I may go there one time in Summer to see the trail garden flowers, but won’t write about that trip to the same extent as this trip – likely nothing more new to see now. This frog pond was filled with a lot of aquatic plants too …. the frogs were pretty lively and I guess the geese don’t try to catch them to eat them. I was surprised about that since I have seen the Canada Geese and Mute Swans downing those small shad fish with no problem.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I read that geese are mostly herbivores but will sometimes eat fish or insects. They may be more likely to eat fish right before they lay eggs since it may boost minerals like calcium for stronger eggs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s interesting Ruth – I didn’t know that. I know when I was making multiple visits to Heritage Park after I saw Mama Goose on the nest, then suddenly the nest was gone and no eggshells and I worried, that I learned that she ate the shells after the goslings hatched. I was surprised to learn that. I follow the Michigan Duck Rescue & Sanctuary and the work Matt and his wife do with ducks, geese and swans which they rescue. The rescued waterfowl all live in a big barn and the nearby pond. I told Matt about it as I worried about a predator – it was like nothing was left after all that time. I had seen the nest and it was huge and filled with eggs. It was fascinating to me to read that and now to read that the calcium in the fish bones would help create stronger eggs. I never cease to be amazed at animal instinctive behavior.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I sure enjoyed this particular meander with you. I suspect I won’t ever visit Fair Lane, but it does entice the senses.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Eilene – it is an amazing place to visit. I now think I have meandered the entire 1,300-acre estate. I think I will enjoy visiting the 56-room mansion once restoration is complete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Iam so glad ,You are so smart you found new place. ”
There are always two choices. Two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it’s easy.”
Nice you share Environmental Interpretive Center.
Beautiful woody & gress area . Wonderful photoshoot. I love those benches… but different from each other yet both are inviting. That picture of the little goose hissing is so funny! /she is learning early. ,Linda!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you liked the post Raj. It is a nice venue to walk and take photos.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Linda!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We would’ve loved the frogs wriggling in the net!! The wall of rocks is nice. Ellis and I just learned what a grotto is…could this be a grotto?
Clara is my kind of lady.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Clara is my kind of lady too Esther. I know there is a grotto there dedicated to a friend of theirs named John Burroughs. I thought that grotto was along the dam area, but I could be wrong. I will send you and Ellis a link to see the statue and grotto in a separate comment. To me this tunnel area looked like a grotto as well. I was kind of amazed all this stonework and pond and Summer House were out in the middle of a meadow and were mostly in ruins.
LikeLike
Here is the Burroughs grotto I mentioned:
https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/282391/
LikeLiked by 1 person
A 7 mile walk! Aren’t you the one? Your photos are lovely which is a tribute to you and to Mother Nature.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Ally! It was a very long day as I happily traipsed from venue to venue – the Ford Estate is a beautiful place, which surprisingly I only learned about when I was in a “Mutt Strut” 5K to raise money for a no-kill shelter and we meandered past the Estate. It is set back in the woods off the road, which I use as my excuse for not seeing it when I drove by it every day while attending Henry Ford Community College almost right next door. I was not very observant back then!
LikeLiked by 1 person
How nice you were able to follow the guide and hear what he had to say. There must be a ton of frogs in that pond. I love the benches too. So is this all part of the museum or another section? When we went there on our school field trips I thought all we did was in a building. I never knew all these wonderful nature trails were there. Great job on the miles you walked. How many miles do you have now?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Diane, did you visit Greenfield Village which is now called “The Henry Ford” on your field trips? The Estate is about two miles from there. The reason I ask is because you called it a museum. The museum is huge and is part of the whole campus of Greenfield Village. It has a lot of old buildings scattered around, like Thomas Edison’s workshop and some vintage workshops for glass blowing and candlemaking and even working farms (I know you can go to watch the sheep being shorn), but I don’t think there are nature trails there. They have lots of fun activities like the Old Car Festival weekend, Civil War reinactment weekend, sleigh rides at Christmas and Halloween trick or treating for kids to go thru the Village. I have not been in years, but took my grandmother there once – she had a blast. She was pointing out vintage clothing she wore, high-button shoes, hats and brooches, even farm implements her father used (she grew up on a farm) while we toured the Museum. She talked about it for weeks. She was spending the Summer with us. Thank you. I am closing in on 700 miles. That is about the norm this time of year. I was able to walk a lot when we had the three weeks with no rain, but we’ve had other torrential rain events in the morning, or I had contractors for A/C, handyman, etc. and I do that in the morning, so my work day is not interrupted. I hope I can make my goal again – fingers crossed.
LikeLike
Great shots, Linda! Yes, geese sure know how to let you know that you are intruding too close! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Tom. I enjoyed discovering this whole new area of the Estate I’d never seen. If you invade their personal space, you get the warning look/glare first, but if they have goslings, you’d better veer off the path quickly or risk hissing and wing-flapping. I always give them the right of way and photograph from a distance to avoid a confrontation then. 🙂
LikeLike
I am amazed that those in charge have let that summer house descend into ruin like that, and have not recreated the rose garden.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with you JP. You should see the extent of the restoration – nothing is being spared to restore each room and each artifact to how it looked when Henry and Clara lived here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The first photo is the very definition of “tranquil”, Linda. Is it the same pond with the field-trippers and the geese? I could sit on the grass, stare at the water, and do nothing for hours.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is very peaceful looking Dave. This is actually a view of the Rouge River taken from the mansion. I was standing near the residence to take the photo. There are so many places around the entire Estate to just pause and look around and lose yourself in the beauty.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You always find the most interesting walks to go on, you are the best explorer I know 😁. I love how you became part of the field trip. Well done on walking seven miles.Amazing
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was excited to learn about this interpretive area behind the university Zena. I never knew it existed until that week, so I did go to explore as soon as I could. I wanted to see the lilacs, all in bloom at the same time. It was fun to hang out a little with those kids on their field trip … it has to be over 50 years since I was on a field trip and I learned some things. 🙂 Right now I’m trying to get a lot of miles in as we have had a lot of rain and stormy weather, not as much as the UK, but enough to keep me from walks many times this Summer.
LikeLike