Every season I stop at the Trenton Cultural Center to see what is happening at Emily Frank Gardens, but I’m a more frequent visitor this time of year. The Gardens encompass just a small area of this venue, which is located on a street corner and tucked into a residential district.
For some visitors, like me, the Gardens are guaranteed to stir their senses.
I like hearing the faint buzz of a bee as it nestles into the Bee Balm.
And, I like seeing a beautiful butterfly flitting about, or even an Eight-Spotted Moth taking a breather on a leaf.
There is the peaceful serenity of the Koi fishpond to take in and, if you’re lucky and you hit peak time for the lavender, you’ll have a few appreciative sniffs of the lavender plants (in the background) …
…. which are as sweet smelling as this dew-spattered rose, their respective scents permeating the moist morning air.
The above photos were taken on my recent Independence Day visit.
Of course it is tempting to only write about the beauty of the Gardens, but there is a big red barn on the property that deserves to be mentioned too.
All about a big ol’ red barn.
I’ve been visiting this venue, originally known as the Emily Frank Farm, for three years now, after learning about and meeting the local plein air painting group and then spinning out a post or two about them. I hope someday to join this group as they gather every Saturday, from Spring through Fall, to paint at all my favorite venues. It is through this group that I first learned about Emily Frank Gardens, the site of one of their annual excursions. The group members set up their easels, paints and palettes to capture the essence of the venue; usually the red wooden barn is the focal point of their paintings.
The barn, which hosts seasonal events throughout the year, has a vintage flair outside the front.
Behind the barn are rows and rows of veggies which, since 2009, the Garden Angels, (a moniker the volunteers have dubbed for themselves), have planted, tended, harvested, then distributed to local food pantries and senior citizen organizations.
The barn’s sides are a mixed bag, i.e. one side has various flower beds and the other is known as the Hide & Seek Children’s Garden, a whimsical way for youngsters to pass the time while their folks eyeball the fleurs.
My initial impression in 2022 was it was a bit kitschy.
On that first foray to the Cultural Center campus, my impression of the Hide & Seek Children’s Garden and the whimsical wall behind the Garden was one of puzzlement. Was it supposed to look kitschy? Does it serve a purpose? Am I over-thinking the Hide & Seek Children’s Garden because I’ve never had children? And yes, perhaps the word “kitschy” is a little harsh, so how about “creative” as in Detroit artist Tyree Guyton’s Heidelberg Project. Once I showcased some of that Children’s Garden play area in this Wordless Wednesday post.
Well, my initial impression was not even close to what this whimsical wall and play area was really about and, it would be another year before I learned the reason the Hide & Seek Children’s Garden was created in 2012 and that was due to the death of Jean Pendell, its creator.
Who was Jean Pendell?
I follow many of the parks and places I frequent on Facebook and Emily Frank Gardens is no exception. In August 2023, a year after my first visit, I learned the dozen or so “Garden Angels” were mourning the sudden passing of Jean. She was a volunteer, just like they were, only she had created this magical garden for children after discovering one on Mackinac Island. Jean was a former art teacher in the Trenton school system and thought she could bring those skills to life beyond the classroom in this little area next to the barn.
Here is a photo of Jean in the Children’s Garden that the Trenton Michigan Gardeners Facebook Page posted on August 3rd, a few days after her death.
Jean’s fellow gardeners maintained the Hide & Seek Children’s Garden just as she left it when she was on site earlier in the day that she passed away, so when I took these photos in the Summer of 2024, this slideshow below shows the whimsical nature was still intact.
Sadly, sometimes good things must come to an end.
When I visited a few weeks ago on July 4th, I noticed that the Hide & Seek Children’s Garden seemed a little subdued, relegated to mostly flowers, with a few child-sized tables and chairs and a bench; some of the whimsical wall items appear to have been taken down.
Jean’s family and friends gathered and a plaque to honor her was placed in front of the Hide & Seek Children’s Garden on the anniversary of her death. A video of that event was posted on Facebook.
While the former extreme whimsical nature was lacking, the patriotic flair was not, as you see bunting and flags were everywhere, perfect for the holiday.
Even the iron fence around this venue was festooned with red, white and blue wreaths.
I’m glad I visited this magical space in its heyday.
I am joining Terri’s Monthly Color Challenge this week which is Red, White, & Blue (Single, or a combination)
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Stunning reds, whites and blues, Linda. The Red Barn looks inviting! There is an area close by us called Green Bluff with a lot of barns and shopping venues. What a nice tribute to Jean and her passion for children. Sorry to see it fade into disrepair.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Terri! Your Green Bluff area sounds like it is fun. I am glad I stopped there on the 4th of July so I could supplement my 2024 pics with some red, white and blue photos and do an update. This year the Red Barn has a daily arts and crafts event for kids. I don’t remember seeing that daily Summer event before, so that is nice for the kids. I was surprised the Children’s Garden was not as full of toys as in 2024 or before then. The volunteers work very hard to keep the Gardens looking good and are all retirees.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was quite a place!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it is almost like two separate gardens at one venue!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Stunning & cool place . Beautiful you sharing Emily Faran park. Beautiful butterfly flitting about, or even an Eight-Spotted Moth taking a breather on a leaf.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you liked it Raj; there is always something to see there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks,Linda 🙏
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting venue! The vegetable garden behind the barn is a wonderful idea, especially in these troubled times. Too bad they didn’t preserve the children’s garden, but it’s still a nice tribute to its creator. Is that an eagle by the Koi pond? Nice shot!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you liked it Debbie. They had a lot of veggies growing there already and, since the 4th of July, a recent Facebook post showed a just-picked “haul” in the back of a pickup truck. I think it is really admirable what these volunteers do as there is a lot of maintenance needed for the vegetable gardens, flower gardens and the fishpond as well. Plus, they have a perennial garden at another park about a mile down the road and the same volunteers keep it up. I have written about that park as well – it is all perennials. I’m glad you like the eagle and I wish it was a lucky shot, but it is just a very believable statue.
LikeLike
I’m surprised you didn’t even mention the eagle statue by the Koi pond Linda?
The Koi look large.
There was this burger franchise called “Red Barn” back in the seventies. I loved their strawberry shakes………50 cents!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a life-sized eagle and looks very realistic Wayne. The Koi are very large. I like watching them darting around the pool beneath the pond lily pads. I’ve never been there at feeding time which I’d like to see them come to the edge of the pond. We used to have the “Red Barn” franchise too – in fact, one of the last ones was a few cities over from me. I remember there always being a crowd when driving by.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a beautiful place. I sniffed and remained in a dreamy languor for a while in your reds, whites and blues. Thanks for that. Blessing you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Selma and I am glad you sniffed and appreciated the smells across the miles. I saw on their Facebook page to come visit as it was the last week for the lavender plants blooming, so that was another reason I had stopped there. It smelled beautiful and I took more pictures of the lavender for another time. Glad you liked the patriotic red/white and blue as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a pity things are getting run down but I guess time passes for many things.
What a strange place to have an eagle statue. I bet the fish are wary as they swim past
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I agree Brian. I am sure it was a lot of work to keep that Children’s Garden up – not only keeping the toys from getting buried under the flowers that were everywhere, (especially after kids were playing with them), but weeding, trimming, deadheading, etc. I never thought about that with the Koi fish and the eagle … you make a good point. It must be terrifying to those Koi having that very lifelike eagle statue looming over them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I suppose art is necessarily personal to the artist, and with the original artist’s death, we should expect that somebody else’s vision will take over in the children’s garden. Like you, I’m glad you got there to see, appreciate, and now share the original artist’s whimsical vision.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re right JP. Looking back at the photo with Jean Pendell standing in her Hide & Seek garden, you can see how much work she put into it. It would be a lot of work to maintain the flowers and plants alone, without keeping the play area tidy too. This venue is not all that big, but these volunteers work very hard to keep the flowers looking good and taking care of the “crops” too and they are all retirees! Plus they have another park about a mile away, all perennial gardens where the same volunteers work to keep it up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lovely place to visit. It’s sad that the children’s section isn’t being kept up the same but that happens when the visionary dies.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is sad that it is not quite as whimsical as before. I know the volunteers work very hard between the flower gardens and the veggie gardens … there is one guy whose responsibility is keeping the pond clean. You know how much work a pond is from having yours. Plus they have another park about a mile away, all perennial gardens where the same volunteers work to keep it up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such fun! What a beautiful place to see, as a child and as an adult. Hope the whimsy of the place keeps on, keeping on without its founder to guide it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ally, yes, it was something different and magical for kids and adults too. I “get” that they only have so many volunteers who already take care of all the flower gardens, plus the huge veggie gardens and pond. And they also take care of another park, all perennials, just a mile down the road. They are all retirees on top of it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a sweet story about Jean and the garden she created. Have you not joined the painting group yet? Waiting for…?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, she seemed like a special person for sure Eilene. I hope to be taking a landscape course with Julia. She said she would be scheduling a feedback course this Fall if she got all her videos done for it this Summer and then I’ll consider joining them next year. I’ve not done any landscape sketching/painting yet. I’m on my fourth course now – sketching and painting birds, having done two courses in botanicals and one in butterflies. The birds course has a lot of sketching exercises as well, so that is taking longer as there are some sketches as well as some paintings. I want to concentrate on sketching for a while so I can do it myself. I’m used to doing the tutorials, which I watch her sketch, then paint. So, then I sketch, then paint. I will be doing a post in the next few weeks about my paintings I’ve done to date. Have you painted any more – maybe some of your sights on your recent trip?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am not much good at sketching. I’ve taken to using software to do that, then I use colored pencil or watercolor. My current projects have a lot of detail, so slow going. I also got a watercolor book with some exercises I like. But have been busy gardening more than anything!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I went backward Eilene in that I was sketching each of the items I was going to paint with Julia’s step-by-step tutorials, so now I’m learning more about basic sketching and shapes before trying to sketch “from scratch” or doing any more paintings, then I’ll resume the painting in a few weeks. I bought some watercolor books with info on paint application and colors, plus exercises, way back in 2022 after meeting the members of the plein air group, but this seemed easier, going with the videos. ‘Tis the season for gardening. Here, between our hot weather and ever-present rain, sometimes torrential, weeds are growing like crazy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’ve had so little rain and temps around a hundred, things are struggling here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can imagine. I thought of you the other day as you did a post about a trip and the cacti you saw. I heard on the news that in Arizona the tall Saguaro cactuses are falling over and breaking, literally dying from heatstroke. That’s incredible as some of them are very old and were always able to survive with minimal moisture.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s very sad. 😢
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I was amazed to read how old some of them are and now they’re gone.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love old barns and this is a nice one with all the flowers around it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do too Sandra – this one has a nice vintage look to it.
LikeLike
Oh my heart aches that it’s not what it once was but goodness it was spectacular! You getting to see if prior to the way it is now is amazing. The images are beautiful and the gardener in me is swooning
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a very fun idea isn’t it LaShelle? I am glad I saw it in its heyday as it’s not quite the same now, a bit more subdued. I’ll bet you could come up with something similar to try at your place – your son would love it. It is probably too late to start this year, but for sure next year. I think it would be fun to do it for Halloween with pumpkins and other gourds … again probably too late for this year, but would be a good photo op for you!
LikeLike
That’s so sad that they lost Jean. Nothing ever stays the same once the inspiration is gone.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it is Dawn. It was still similar in 2024, but these volunteers work so hard at the garden areas and the veggie gardens, that I can see where they might not be able to devote the time nor inspiration that Jean had to continue it. I’m glad I got to see it in its heyday.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the photo of the bee on Bee Balm, Linda. Joining the plein air group sounds like an excellent idea! I hope it happens for you. How is your painting going? You have plenty of subject matter to paint at this time of year!
Thanks for the story about the remarkable Jean Pendell and her labor of love. So inspiring!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Laurie! I was lucky I heard that bee buzz, then land, just as I passed by. I still hope to join the plein air group, maybe next year. I am still taking watercolor painting courses, but right now I’m going to concentrate on the sketching portions of the courses I signed up for. The artist (Julia) is planning on a Fall course with feedback that is just landscape drawing, so this will be helpful if I join the group down the road. They are all experienced painters, so I want to have more painting experience under my belt first. I will be doing a post soon about my paintings I’ve done since starting the courses on April 28th. This was really a labor of love that Jean Pendell created in this children’s garden. It is inspiring and just imagine all the kids who enjoyed the creativity she infused into this fun garden.
LikeLike
You always have the nicest pictures from the culture center Linda. Your tribute to Jean was very nice, she sounds like a talented and good hearted lady. She looks so young.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Diane! The first time I went there was early-mid June 2022 and they said “you have to come back at peak time because it will look so much better!” So I went back and yes it did. I didn’t take many photos at the 4th but will be going back. The volunteer was watering and said the flowers were behind as we had a cold Spring. By late August it will be sunflowers, so I’ll make another trip over there. I’m glad you liked the tribute. The little event they posted online for the plaque dedication was moving and her family was there as well – yes, she does look young. All the volunteers are retired and they also take care of MacArthur Park, a perennial park about a mile away from this one … it is not as big, but has a lot of garden beds, so I’m wondering if all the rain has been a blessing – less gardens to water, but likely more weeds to pull from the heat, humidity and rain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing the story of the Hide and Seek Chidren’s Garden! What an inspiration Jean was to the people she met and to create this space for children. Wonderful how she is remembered!
The red barn is a great place to do paintings…when I saw the General Store sign, I got so interested. Something about that gets me so curious!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you liked Jean’s story – it was inspiring what she has done and I had no idea initially what the garden represented and I was happy to learn, albeit after Jean’s passing. What a wonderfully creative idea for children visiting this venue … everything is down at their level. 🙂 Every time the group paints here, they always paint the barn. I know they are having arts and crafts events for kids every day all Summer, which may be something new. I’ve followed them on Facebook for a while and never noticed it before. They also have craft shows there in the Fall and around the holidays. I have to go to one as I’ve never been and I want to go in the Winter as well because I think the snow against the red barn backdrop would make a nice shot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The snow against the red barn will be lovely!
Jean left a great legacy for the kids and to give them a space to enjoy. It’s great when kids have space that they can reach and access.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I hope not to be a Winter weenie and drive over there Esther. I intended to go last Winter, but we got all the ice and snow, so it was several weeks that my car sat in the garage until the driveway ice melted (ice-dissolving pellets did not work as it was too cold). I swore that would not happen once the warm weather was here and I’d get out every day, but that has not happened. I was set to go out today, but we had a pop-up shower, then we have two bouts of thunderstorms today, the second potentially severe and coming in the dark – ugh. I think this little spot is fun for the kids and I hope they consider putting back some of the toys and fun stuff that was inside the original garden.
LikeLike
What a lovely setting and fun for the kids too. I love that it’s a community effort. Your pictures are beautiful as always. Now I’m looking forward to seeing your paintings in the future. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was a fun idea to create this garden for kids and everything is right at their level too! These volunteers work so hard, not only on the flower and veggie gardens and pond, but also at a nearby park which is all perennials. They love what they do and are all retirees. Thank you Ruth, I’m glad you liked the pictures. I’m going to do a post in a couple of weeks about the watercolor paintings I’ve done so far in my class – it has been fun, especially since I’ve not gotten as many walks and photos done at bigger parks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m happy to hear you are taking the class. Do you follow https://my90acres.com ? She is a professional artist and blogs about it along with nature and other things. I think you would enjoy her blog.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Ruth – I am enjoying the classes immensely. The teacher does mostly nature art. Her work reminds me of Marjolein Bastin the Dutch artist that used to do a lot of nature-related cards, Christmas ornaments and other nature items for Hallmark. My mom and I have some Christmas ornaments by her. No, I did not follow this blog already, but went over and looked at her blog and some of her artwork and you are right, I will enjoy this blog and I just signed up. Thank you for the tip!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The gardens look like a tranquil place to enjoy the great outdoors, and what a great barn with all its antique accessories. I really like Jean’s whimsical vision for the children’s garden. Hopefully it won’t stray too far from what she imagined.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really do like this venue Rebecca – it is very tranquil and I like to go in the morning when no one is there except the volunteers – Sunday is their day of rest. They also maintain a second park about a mile away, a perennial garden which is also beautiful. This garden looks like it would be fun for kids to play in. I also hope it returns to how it was originally intended to be – fun and creative.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a nice place. You referenced the Detroit artist Tyree Guyton’s Heidelberg Project and I often hear it mentioned on ads on PBS Detroit, so I googled it to check it out. I guess everyone’s take on art is different. Those are some big koi in the pond!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, I really like this venue Joni. I will be going a few more times this Summer, when it is at peak and then in early September to see the sunflowers. The volunteer told me on 4th of July that the flowers were a big behind due to the cold Spring. The Gardens are part of the City’s annual garden walk this Saturday, so she said she hoped it would look good by then. We’ve certainly had the rain and heat to make a garden grow. We had rain this morning and we have two storms (both possibly severe) coming today, one late, after dark – ugh.
Well Tyree Guyton’s Heidelberg Project is different and yes, not for everyone. I mentioned it for the creative expression. At one time, it was quite an attraction in the local art community and that is probably when PBS might have done ads or even a story about it, but since then, there was significant vandalism occurred, so it is not the same now. Those fish are huge! I often wonder if herons or raptures stop and help themselves to a snack. I follow a site on Facebook of the 13 Metroparks amateur photographers’ photos and at one park there is an Osprey family. On several occasions, photographers have posted photos of the Osprey dad bring home a big goldfish for the family. So someone near Kensington Park is likely having their fish pond raided!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the concept of this garden (“Come In and Look Around”) and in its heyday there was certainly plenty for a child to look around at. I hope someone takes Jean’s baton and restores more of the “hide-and-seek” surprises. The garden would look great if it were full of children.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the idea too Dave. Unfortunately, I never knew any of the history until the creator died. Then I felt badly that I only photographed the whimsical aspect of the wall and garden and didn’t delve into the reason for the Children’s Hide & Seek Garden. But I’m glad I know now and I hope someone does take over the creative part of it. The volunteers there, all retirees, do a wonderful job with the flower gardens and veggie gardens, plus they maintain another large perennial garden a mile away. So, they likely don’t get much spare time once gardening season begins in earnest – that looks like it was solely Jean’s “baby”. I mostly go in the mornings, when it is peaceful and only the volunteers are there (except Sundays, they are off), so I’ve never seen any children playing there. Perhaps this is why they have daily arts and crafts inside the barn now – this is something new.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for telling us about the history of the barn and its gardens, and the story behind the magical children’s garden. How wonderful the garden angels put their green thumbs to good use growing veggies for senior citizens and local food pantries! That eagle by the fish pond looks so real! Was he just there for Independence Day? Can one go inside the barn? Looks like the perfect place to spend the national holiday.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Barbara, I’m glad you enjoyed learning about the history of the gardens and Jean Pendell. I looked for info on the Emily Frank Farm and the barn for this post, but could not find it anywhere online, even on the Trenton Historical Society Facebook page. These garden angels are something else – they work in all the flower beds, do veggie planting and harvesting and have a large perennial garden a mile away and they take care of that too. They are all retirees. I know that eagle looks very real and it is there all the time. I should have mentioned in my post that it was not just there for the holiday. I have not been inside the barn, but would like to go sometime as they have an annual craft fair in late Fall with a lot of Christmas items. I also saw on their Facebook post that this Summer they have daily crafts for children in the barn, which must be new as I’ve not seen it advertised on their Facebook page before.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love perineal flowers just for that reason, limited watering!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, they can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’, just like a Timex watch! I can’t believe my neighbor’s Magnolia tree is in bloom again. I noticed it last week and figured the heat would kill the blossoms, but it didn’t. I guess the rain must have helped it out but really? Last year or the year before it blossomed four times.
LikeLike
Great pictures, really shows what the area is like. It’s funny that see the word Trenton as that’s where I live 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Susan – it was a fun idea that she had to create this Children’s Hide & Seek Garden. I remember you said that you lived in Trenton, Ontario. Many of the parks/places I visit are in Trenton. How are you enjoying Labrador? Are the people friendly there? I read the book about the town of Gander, Newfoundland and how they took in the plane filled with people after 9/11. The passengers said the people from Gander welcomed them and made them feel at home during their stay until their plane could leave.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The people in Newfoundland and Labrador are great, all friendly people. We are taking a ferry from Labrador to Newfoundland on Sunday. Newfoundland is a big island but Labrador is part of the mainland. They did a play about gander and 9/11 called Come From Away. It was quite good if you get a chance to see it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had heard that before about Newfoundland. I didn’t know that about Labrador – my geography is bad. I do know it is scenic as well. I remember I looked on Amazon Prime Video to see if Come From Away was available to rent but you had to sign up for a separate streaming service. I enjoyed the book, so I will keep checking there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Have you ever read the book Random Passages? It was set in Newfoundland too and it’s a pretty good book and then they made a TV mini series out of it and we went to visit the TV site the last time we were in Newfoundland. it was pretty cool
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Susan – I have written this book and mini series down to see if I can get either on Amazon. I would be interested to read more. Meanwhile I thought of you two this morning. There was a Vietnamese tourist boat capsized in Halong Bay. It looked like one of the long boats that you recently featured in a blog post during your visit. I saw a few pics of the boat, mostly upside down and 38 people died. They said it was a popular tourist spot so I figured it might have been on your tour. Thanks again for the recommendation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yes, I heard about that tragedy. I was thinking about that too, you never know where you’re gonna go and there might be something like that happened to us. I think about that a lot when we travel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know you shouldn’t think about stuff like that. I know when I was younger and traveled, I never gave anything related to the trip a second thought as to danger. Young and invincible. 🙂 I hope you are having a great time in your homeland!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’ve had better trips lol. 10 Celsius and rainy most days and lots of black flies and mosquitoes. But we’ll survive 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well I had to Google to get the temp – 50 degrees – wow! Well, I’ll trade you temps because we had 90+ all day (plus the last several days) and we had still another bad storm roll through here this afternoon dumping torrential rain. The city near the airport got five inches of rain in 40 minutes. Ugh – we’ll have mosquitoes, but not like yours if you’re in woodsy areas. A Summer of awful weather no matter where you go!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Climate change is real. When I read about other countries and the flooding and fires and whatever else they have, it just seems like it’s getting worse and worse every year. Now there’s some big tsunami they are watching off the West Coast of Canada and the US. Back home where we live there is a big heat wave too. And they aren’t getting any rain so I guess our weather in Ontario is pretty much the same as yours. We are still in Newfoundland and it actually warmed up to 20 Celsius yesterday so we were pretty happy about that lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, everyone laughed at Al Gore years ago when he spoke about climate change. Too many catastrophic weather events nowadays to say otherwise. I was online last night when I popped over to Twitter/X to see the trending topics before going to bed and saw the photos of the earthquake a few hours after it happened. One woman was in an office setting and there was a camera that captured the cubicle folding in, her desk breaking apart and the walls starting to crumble apart and she was under the desk rubble. The tsunami pics afterward were incredible – thankfully, so far there have been no aftershocks.
Maybe you’ll get our rain tomorrow back home – we have had torrential rain most of today and will through mid-day Thursday. My weather alarm has gone off twice for flash flooding in my county but this area is fine, just soggy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the bird silhouettes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, they are fun, a little spooky looking too as crows can be. A horse in the garden, but sadly, no cows.
LikeLiked by 1 person
True. Everything is better with cows.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a beautiful and touching post! It’s always inspiring to see how much love and care went into places like the Emily Frank Gardens and the Hide & Seek Children’s Garden. The tribute to Jean is so heartfelt, she clearly left such a meaningful legacy. Reading this reminded me of how important it is to preserve and honor spaces that bring people together. I’ve been working with some family law lawyers lately to help sort out a few personal matters, and it’s been a reminder of how community and family, in any form, are at the heart of everything we do. Thanks for sharing this lovely story!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Jeanie M. Yes, family should always come first and be the most-important thing in our lives. I am glad you liked the story of Jean and her whimsical garden and the creativity and love she brought to this venue.
LikeLike