5/21/13

Life’s a banquet, and most @)@(*@$ are starving….Mame….(aka Live for the day...)



I have made a decision. It’s one I’m going to try very hard to stay true to.

In order to enjoy each and very day, in order to live life and not allow myself to hide in my comfort zone, I’m going to say “yes” to invitations and adventures.  (Well, ones that won’t land me on Dateline, of course…)

I’ve decided that I need to be proactive in this venture; I need to make plans, find new and exciting things to do and reconnect with people that make me laugh and touch my soul. 

The other day I went on one of those adventures.

A good friend of mine called me to join her on a visit to a place right outside of town called Rhoneymeade.  An older woman from her church was holding an exhibit of her paintings there, and thrust a brochure in Patti’s hand as she passed her in church.  It was only four miles down the road, right outside of town, and she wanted to support this lovely woman.  Would I go with her?

I said ….yes.

We drove onto the property, passing an old brick house surrounded by tall, tall hedges and a variety of monstrous trees of various shapes.  I was mesmerized by the wooden studio structure that was around the bend, and knew that this was going to be something fascinating.




It was.

Rhoneymeade is an Arboretum and Sculpture Garden, but in reality it’s a hidden treasure.  The building we entered was a small wooden studio that invites artists to hold exhibits every other weekend of each month.  The artist and exhibit we saw were lovely, but it was the much older gentleman tucked away on the third floor loft who was the most intriguing. 



He was seated in the corner of a loft, surrounded by windows, cobwebs, shadows and incredible works of art.  His chair was probably once a lazy boy, but appeared to be a part of the structure itself.  It blended into the floor and the corner- and he blended into the chair.  His long white beard was narrow, and came to a point well below his chest, making his face appear thing and narrow.  He might have had hair at some point, but now wore a tight cap that clung to his skull.  His blue eyes were bright, if a bit glazed over, and his skin was almost translucent and as fragile as rice paper as it clung to his skull. 



I watched as Patti made her way around his tiny area, touching and talking about each piece.  His sculptures were mostly made of large pieces of wood, large pieces of marble, and smaller pieces of some kind of metal.   They were perched along the walls of the loft, as if keeping guard of the old man, and most importantly were keeping him company. He was obviously tickled to have a few visitors who wanted to talk to him, and was just as enthralled by Patti as she was of him.

I watched as she eagerly chatted with him, and peered out the windows at the grounds.  My eyes took in the amazing panoramic view, and I was surprised at all of the sculptures that I could see were peeking around various trees and shrubs.  The caretaker came up to me, and explained about the “tree walk” and insisted that we must remember to visit the Labyrinth that was tucked inside the property.  “You really must see it,” he said.  I turned to him and smiled.  He was a striking man, with piercing blue eyes and a sharp, almost granite like profile.  He explained his role as caretaker of this non-profit artist’s retreat, and the “sculpture/tree walk” that he encouraged us to take.

I waited patiently for my friend to pry herself away from the fascinating creature she was conversing with, and we finally made our way out to the grounds.

We followed the tree walk, feeling a bit like Hansel and Gretel searching for hidden breadcrumbs. (Take a quiet walk with us.....)
















We discovered many incredible surprises along our journey.






...and then made our way to the Labyrinth….which I’ll tell you all about tomorrow.    This adventurous is a bit disausted…..











10 comments:

Jenny Hart Boren said...

Incredible! And to think it was right there all along.

noexcuses said...

Oh, my! Now that was a great adventure! I would love to see it someday, myself! Thank you for sharing such wonderful pictures! So glad you stepped out of your comfort zone. It wasn't so bad, was it? Please do it again soon...and bring your camera!!

Sharona Zee said...

Narnia!

Steph said...

Beautiful! So glad you went on the adventure and shared it with us. Remember summer break is right around the corner:)

Yo said...

Wow. Powerful. Moving. Breathtaking.

I like when you say yes to things :)

SkylersDad said...

How beautiful! So that is what green looks like, we forget sometimes here in Colorado.

Gigi said...

That little old man was Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter!

I loved this little adventure so much that you have inspired me too. From now I on I shall attempt to say yes to adventures big and small.

Scope said...

Love the sculpture parks. I have only recently visiting them (happens when you marry a shutter bug), but really have been enjoying them.

Glad you are getting out. Never know what / who you may find.

Anne said...

Have you read The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton? This garden made me think of the book. It is a wonderful summer read. :-)

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