September Inspiration Excursion

 Bright and early last Thursday morning we packed our suitcases into Joel's truck and set off to view the Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 steam locomotive in Illinois.  According to the site, the Big Boy is the world's largest operating steam locomotive and weighs 1.1 million pounds.  

We made it to Sterling, IL on Friday with time to spare and visit with other train enthusiasts from many other states.  Our plan was to follow the train after it left the whistle stop and watch it running at top speed, but we got tied up in traffic.  By the time we found our way out of town, the train was long gone, but we were glad to have the experience.

 On the way to Illinois, we toured the Boerner Botanical Garden in Milwaukee on Thursday.  This was one of the first botanical gardens I'd ever seen when Carl and I were dating back in the 1970's.  Much has changed as plantings have matured and new gardens have been added.  Workers were setting up the grounds for the China Lights Festival which begins September 13 through October 27, 2024.

There were displays all over the gardens and more were arriving on trucks as we were leaving that morning.  The grounds looked like something out of a fairy tale, I can only imagine how glorious nighttime illumination will be!

From Milwaukee, we traveled to Janesville Rotary Garden that afternoon, another absolute gem of a botanical garden.   The Japanese garden is what I was most interested in because of the stonework and the water features, but we appreciated each garden and the meticulous grounds. 

There was a groundskeeper putting Christmas lights on the trees while we were there, over 1 million lights for their holiday display in total.  What a treat that would be to see in December. 

I think I found my favorite garden pond at the Rotary:

The area of the pond itself is almost the same size as our Quarry puddle here at home.  There is a stream that cascades down to many other levels as well.  This was the inspiration I was seeking for our remodel.

                                                Joel took some time to enjoy a lawn chair.

My favorite piece of reclaimed architecture is the old Parker Pen stone entrance.

 

What a glorious portal to the formal garden beyond.

The stone building below is a very recent addition.

                                               Carl, inspecting the wrought iron hinges.

              There was a great view of the gazebo and the lake from the top of the building.

We stayed the night in Platteville, WI before heading to our last destination, the Anderson Japanese Garden in Rockford, IL.  Pictures cannot convey the details and serenity of the twelve acre Anderson garden.  This is a true masterpiece.

We were honored to speak with a docent at the garden who was very cordial and knowledgeable about the history of this beautiful landscape.  Tucked in between a busy highway and a residential neighborhood, there is such serenity to be found.  What a testament to the garden designer and the maintenance gardeners hard work.

We left Illinois and headed back to Wisconsin, discussing the beautiful things we had seen on our trip.  

Finally, at 10:30PM Friday night, we were home, tired, but inspired.  

 

                       Time to put the new ideas to work.

P.S. Today is our 46th wedding anniversary.  Where did that time go?

Renovation Progress

 

In what is record time for us, we have the stonework completed in the new 'canyon' of the Pachyberm in just over two weeks.  The new stone walls are steep which should eliminate a great deal of weeding.  We hope.

                                                                                       Walls going up

We need to be able to drive the lawn mower through the gap for mowing, and had been measuring as the stones were installed.  We thought the distance between the walls was ample, but unfortunately, the width needed to be increased after a test drive when I found there was only an inch to spare on the curve.  I'm glad we discovered the mistake before all of the work was done.

The rocks that were no longer needed in the area were hoisted out of the way.

We'll be using the excess stone in the next phase of the renovations.  Joel lifted them with the excavator into piles as he drove away, picking each one up and moving them in front of him where they are now stockpiled until needed. 

Carl has been raking and repairing the lawn and I've been replanting hostas and other perennials that were removed in the demolition.  

I've been going in circles thinking about how we can repair and rejuvenate the Quarry itself, and have stared at it trying to imagine what we can do without destroying all of the conifers.  We have attained our garden design inspiration from nature and other private and public gardens we've toured over the years.  I pulled up pictures of my favorite gardens online and watched videos, but pictures just aren't the same as being there.  

As it turned out, Joel wanted to see the legendary Big Boy No. 4014 steam locomotive as it makes its way across the Midwest.  The closest stop to us was in Illinois, about four hours away.  He said as long as  we were in the area, we could revisit my favorite public gardens.  

We haven't been away from home overnight for seven years as neither of us like to travel much, but this was a great opportunity and a much-needed break.
 

Red sunset on Wednesday night as I ran around watering all the pots extra-heavy to keep them going while we were gone. 

Time to pack our bags and be inspired.