Maymont Park . The Italian Gardens . Part 1

Posted on March 6, 2012 by orples

To date, I’ve introduced you to Maymont Park in general, then I’ve taken you for a walk through the Japanese Gardens, parts 1 & 2. In addition, I did a post focusing on the Maymont Bears. Now it is time to take a peek at the Italian Gardens.

Stairs leading from the Italian Gardens down to the Japanese gardens below

It seems only appropriate to begin with the stairs going up the hill to the gardens. The lower paths at the base of these stairs are a bit rough, but there is a bench at the bottom of this stair set to allow a little reprieve during the climb, should the need arise.

The walkways are the perfect place to run and play if you are a little critter. Thankfully, there is a wall on the outer edge to keep you from falling over the side. It is a long way down.

One of the fountains in the gardens. These are beautiful in the summertime, especially when the beds are in bloom.

A trellised walkway edges the North side of the garden and provides an arbor for vines to grow on.

Looking across the garden is a domed gazebo which is a popular wedding spot. The park earns money by renting this area and if you can afford it, Maymont is THE place to get married. You can revisit anytime you wish after you've taken your vows. In the summertime, the landscaping is awesome.

Just for fun

Posted on March 6, 2012 by orples

For the older folks, here’s a little ditty, I think you’ll appreciate. For the younger group … here’s what you’ve got to look forward to. I laughed my rear end off (I wish) when I watched this. I hope it will put a smile on your face too!

Maymont Park . The Japanese Gardens . part 2

Posted on March 5, 2012 by orples

In another post, I began the tour of these beautiful garden … see part 1. These are a few more photographs to pick up where that post left off. I will add more in a future post. For now, please feel free to browse the beauty of Maymont.

Typical garden path in the springtime.

A view by the pond

Feeding the fish

Path to the gazebo

Sunday Photo Challenge . Pleasure #3

Posted on March 4, 2012 by orples

Jacob was really getting the hang of riding ‘all by himself’. A good horse is a terrific confidence booster for kids.

Magi and Jacob riding in the ring.

Magi was a little spoiled, if you look closely, you’ll see his ‘treats’ tied to the side of the bareback pads. He liked cherry tomatoes, broccoli, watermelon, cantaloupe, fruit loops,apples, carrots, and whatever else was sitting around in the kitchen. Magi was a regular garbage disposal. I think his colorful diet is why, at almost 27 years old (now), he is still a healthy horse. In the photo above, he is about 22 years old, Jacob was 5.

Sunday Photo Challenge . Pleasure

Posted on March 4, 2012 by orples

It’s hard to beat a back rub for pleasure, even if you do have to do it yourself.

Magi was famous for rolling after the ride. Bath or not, the first thing he’d do is tumble in the grass once his tack was removed. What a ham.

Sunday Photo Challenge . Pleasure

Posted on March 3, 2012 by orples

Honestly, I don’t know if I got more pleasure out of watching Jayden loving life, or if he got more pleasure running in the park. Wouldn’t it be nice to be so carefree and happy just because it is a beautiful day?

Weekly Photo Challenge . Distorted #2

Posted on March 3, 2012 by orples

I’d posted another shadow shot in an earlier blog. These shots were taken on various sunny days when the sun was flirting with Magi and me and our shadows … Digital photography obviously allows us to capture everything we see. What fun! 😉

Weekly Photo Challenge . Distorted

Posted on March 2, 2012 by orples

I got ready to doctor this photo with corel, but figured the tree was distorted in its own right. So I left it alone.

Public Education

Posted on March 2, 2012 by orples

I do not have a clue who wrote this, so I don’t know who to credit, but I suspect they would like this thought to be shared, thus I am sharing. It is worth thinking about. This is a cute little story, but it says so much. It is the truth.
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An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama’s socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, “OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama’s plan”. All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A…. (substituting grades for dollars – something closer to home and more readily understood by all).

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little..
The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. It could not be any simpler than that.

ONE WORLD

Posted on March 2, 2012 by orples

Check this out. This is frightening and something we should all become aware of.

Now check this out. Business as usual … it seems.

http://cowboybyte.com/4892/un-to-propose-planetary-regulations-of-water-food/

This is a world problem and it is our children and future generations that will be left to suffer the consequences. While I was going to avoid political veiws on my blog, some things should be shared.