Gardens at Waters East

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Shadows in the Snow

How interesting, shadows.

A duplicate of the original, but really not.

There this moment but block out the light, and it is not.

Shadows, how interesting.

Here are a dozen photos of plants and more from the Gardens at Waters East. The sun has created objects yet not created; duplicated yet not duplicated. Interesting.

Enjoy a moment or two of reflection while reflecting.

Coneflowers

Footprints

Footprints after a windy day

Fence Shadow

Mugo Pine

Lake Michigan in the background

Asian Patio Garden

drifts of snow

Bench & Siberian Iris

Shadow from Circle Sculpture

Magnolia

casting shadows

Long shadow line of

Sculpture - "Fire and Earth"

Looking toward the Formal Garden

Shadows against the Sun

Zen Garden

footprints on a snow mound

Formal Garden

Lake Michigan in the background

NOTE: Since this Blog is meant to be an accurate journal of the gardens;

no photos are “staged”, “arranged”, or ”photo-shopped” in anyway.

What is posted – is what it here. It is what it is.

If you wish to email a message or share photos of your garden

please do that through this Blog site or with an email to:

www.gardensatwaterseast@Yahoo.com

Reference Note: For a complete list of the ten (10) Principles of Design plus the special “Golden Principle of Design” used throughout Gardens at Waters East, check out the archive postings for November 14 – 24, 2010 and May 2, 2011.

BLOG SHOTS #54

Each month Gardens at Waters East (GAWE) will post a few never before seen photos of “garden life” called - - BLOG SHOTS. Here are the photos for this posting.

moments in the garden - - enjoy

StoneWater Beach

private beach

Gardens at Waters East

Clematis - Red

Happy Face Pot

Hydrangea

Many of the Day Lilies

Hybridized in the Gardens at Waters East

Purple Coneflower - with "friend"

"Wind Ribbons"

along the lake bluff

Rudbeckia in the Formal Garden

Middle Walk - mix of flowers

NOTE: All photos use in this posting were taken on the property of Gardens at Waters East

unless otherwise marked.

NOTE: Since this Blog is meant to be an accurate journal of the gardens;

no photos are “staged”, “arranged”, or ”photo-shopped” in anyway.

What is posted – is what it here. It is what it is.

If you wish to email a message or share photos of your garden

please do that through this Blog site or with an email to:

www.gardensatwaterseast@Yahoo.com

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

A Rare Sight - Seldom Seen - Watershed #19

This past weekend a group of us took a hike along the western shore of Lake Michigan north of the Gardens at Waters East. Not a warm day – for sure 20F that is (-6.6C)! However it was forecasted as the warmest day that will be here for the next week. Thus it was now or never to check out the rumors regarding the sightings of two very seldom seen ducks in this area.

Hiking along the rock face escarpment walls that drop straight down into the cold waters of Lake Michigan, we found a number of arctic ducks that are here feeding. For them, this is their winter break to the warm sunny South! Coming from the Arctic, this must seem to them like it does for me when I go south to Florida to find the “good life” during winter.

Fellow Bird-watchers for the Day

The Long-tailed Duck lives and breeds in the Arctic but flies South during the winter. The vast majority of these ducks winter in the Baltic Sea area but can also be found along both US coasts. They are the deepest diving ducks in the world, reaching depths of 200 feet. An interesting fact is that, unlike many other ducks that use their feet, the Long-tailed Duck uses its wings to propel and move under water.

photo above from web archives

Notice the bird-watcher on the bluff of ice

gives an idea of the height

A second rare duck we spotted was the White-winged Scoter. It too is an Arctic duck that has made its way here for some “warm season” feeding. The interesting aspect about this duck is the shape of its bill. Notice the hump at its base.

photo above from web archive - showing the unique bill formation

There were plenty of other duck spotted along the shore cliffs such as the Greater Scaup and Goldeneye, but to find the very rare Long-tailed Duck and the White-winged Scoter made it a day well worth the cold hike.

Your's truly - on a cold bird watcher's day

Long-tail in flight

Note of Interest:

Every photo, repeat, every photo posted on this Blog has been and will continue to be only photos taken on the property of Gardens at Waters East.

The exception will be those posted in this series – Watershed. For important facts, details, and an overview of the watershed, refer to the posting of July 2, 2011 and the many other “Watershed” postings that follow. The information there will place all the photos in this special series in a proper context.

The Watershed - Gardens at Waters East

Friday, February 21, 2014

Clouds - What do you see?

There are times when “looking up” rivals the beauty of “looking down” while walking the garden paths here on the shores of Lake Michigan in the Gardens at Waters East. The forms, textures, colors, moods of the many and varied clouds moving overhead creates a beauty that for the most part only last moments – then changes – then vanishes – then becomes new again.

Remember as a child lying down on the soft grass and looking up at all those clouds passing overhead? Your mind was young and free and full of creativity. It was so easy to imagine that the clouds were shaped like animals, birds or even looked like people you knew. The clouds stimulated creativity, imagination, even dreams.

Well the clouds are still here, though different than all those from years ago. They can and will make your mind dream and wonder like a child once again – just look up. So many moods, so many forms, so much to see.

Here are two dozen photos taken over the year of the clouds floating above the gardens.

Dream on – enjoy.