Wednesday, May 29, 2013

A walk in the gardens, bent tree and patience

- A walk in the Rhododendron garden, as I call it, last Saturday morning.  Just a few lingering blooms remained after the festival in their honor earlier in the month.  Hamilton Gardens, Hiawassee, Georgia.

- A tree like the one referenced above has been discovered on my sister's property, too.  The one in the Rhododendron gardens is below.  Click to enlarge.

- There it is - in the middle of the photo above; notice the crooked tree with its "nose."  So great that they are identifying these trees.

- A beautiful place for a walk, with its memorial benches and lovely wildflowers.

- There was only one gray weather time and it never really rained.  Sunday morning.  That's Lake Chatuge - a TVA man-made lake in Hiawassee that borders the gardens.  They flooded the lake over part of the town years and years ago, and there are houses, etc. underneath.

I had a wonderful time walking here and down by the river at my sister's vacation house in nearby North Carolina.  I was in a lot of slow traffic while trying to leave Atlanta on Friday afternoon and was so impatient to get there.  A funny incident that made me realize how much I need to slow down:  a stop at the grocery store a few miles from the house.  I got to the check out line and the woman in front of me didn't have her drivers license she needed in order to write a check.  So she went out to her car to look for it and was gone for almost 10 minutes.  :)  In Atlanta they would have shoved her groceries to the side and made her get back in line, but here, she is considered their neighbor and friend.  So I put my patience hat on and listened to two men behind me swap stories.  They were in no hurry and really, neither was I.  The woman came back, presented her license and I was able to leave with my milk and blueberries and make my way to the river.

21 comments:

TALON said...

That is very cool about the signal trees, Lynn. And what gorgeous shots! So glad you had a wonderful time! And I applaud your patience. Here we would put her order to one side, to be resumed when she returned :)

Ileana said...

Love the bench and the wildflowers...so beautiful and those trees...wow!

sage said...

It looks like such a peaceful place!

Elephant's Child said...

What an amazing spot. I love the signal trees and love even more that they were left alive to give their message.
And that kind of patience and neighbourliness would be wonderful to see. There should be more of it.

Lee said...

Lovely photos, Lynn. I feel like going for a walk amongst all the wonderful greenery; something that is impossible to do here at the moment unless I don't mind getting wet. It's raining...and a little cool. :)

Riot Kitty said...

I'm still marveling. They waited for her for 10 minutes?

Snaggle Tooth said...

Such Lush green n blooms there to enjoy- Ours aren't near that stage yet-
Interesting historic tree info- I've noticed some old bent trees like that around here- Of course my village was a native Wampanoag summer fishing camp before the Mass Bay Colony took over in the 1600's-
Now I wonder what they point at-

I'm waiting alot longer at the store this week too- which is ok if it's Day Off, but can't before work anymore. Much better not to feel rushed-

Lynn said...

Talon -

I am fascinated by the signal trees and imagine I spotted one on my walk in my Atlanta park yesterday, too.

I call it being on "mountain time" when I'm up there. A different way of life.

Ily -

They have those memorial benches scattered about - I don't even begin to capture the wonder of those gardens.

Sage -

It really is so peaceful.

Lynn said...

Elephant's Child -

There should be more of that - patience, I mean. But we'd all be spending lots more time in the grocery store! :)

Lee -

I'm glad I could inspire a walk - wish you could go.

Riot Kitty -

And the manager came over to see what the hold up was and when the cashier said "she's gone out to her car to look for her license", he nodded and walked away. :) It must have been under the seat, amid junk mail or something.

Snaggle -

They are probably pointing at the same thing - directions to something important. So interesting.

Leonora said...

You have a beautiful retreat to escape to at your sister's. I can feel my blood pressure go down just looking at the lake photo : )
I never heard about the bent trees. It's fascinating to think history touched that tree and there it still stands.

Joanne said...

so much beautiful scenery!

Jannie Funster said...

Milk and blueberries sound good.

They say (the wise ones) the best things happen while on waiting detours. Or detours of any kind. Like hearing strangers swap stories -- especially nice juicy tales. :)

That's pretty cool about the trees. I know some of the native tribes used rock piles too as signals.

Hope you enjoy your day. What day IS it, anyway? Oh yes. Thursday. Hope you enjoy your day.

xooxox

OldLady Of The Hills said...

So very interesting about those trees---Indeed, Amazing. I Love that Bench, and the Lake looks so very peaceful.

What a great lesson in the art of slowing down. We are all in such a hurry---I think we miss so much in our haste. I love that they all thought nothing of waiting ten minutes. They are so right.

Sparkling Red said...

That is a gorgeous setting for a memorial bench. If that were the name of my loved one, I would be so pleased by how it turned out.

Chatty Crone said...

I really like the way you travel and do things -

Maude Lynn said...

That tree is so cool!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Lynn - how interesting to find your sister has one of those signal trees on her property - I love how they're uncovering our past and reminding us of 'ancient' ways of doing things and walking their trails ..

Gorgeous part of the world .. I think 10 minutes is too long ... but credit to all to wait patiently! I'm not sure I'd have coped .. but then I'm distinctly more patient than I ever was ..

Cheers - sounds as though you had a glorious weekend .. Hilary

Lynn said...

Leonora -

The woman who lives in the adjacent property to my sister and BIL in NC got people in to mark those trees on their properties. Apparently native Americans used to cross the river and make their way somewhere, using the trees as a guide. Brilliant, I think.

Joanne -

Thank you!

Jannie -

Yes - I smiled while listening to the men talk about their wives' labor and delivery. One of them said, "After being in labor for seven hours, she finally screamed, 'Get this thing out of me!!!'" :)

Lynn said...

OldLady of the Hills -

I rush around so much during the week - it's a good lesson for me. Patience.

Sparkling Red -

There's another of a couple that says, "Walking together again." I choke up every time I see that one.

Sandie -

Thank you - I wish I could do it more!

Lynn said...

Mama Zen -

I think so, too.

Hilary -

It felt like 30 minutes. The last time I went (last September), I took a friend with me, who behaved badly in that store, when she showed her impatience, so that's my measure. Never act like that. :)

Lee said...

Isn't that nice for a change...in a world that has become so impatient and intolerant...amongst other things!