Wonderful Debar Pond - Part 1

It had been several years since I visited Debar Pond and I decided it was time for another visit. I brought along a friend and my five dogs. We drove into the forest on a long, one lane dirt road. It was lined with what I thought were Foxglove plants in bloom. Then we parked and began walking:

That's when I discovered that the flowers I'd seen had not been Foxgloves at all, but some kind of Bellflower:

I looked them up when I got home and learned that they were Creeping Bellflower, not because their stems were low to the ground (they were all about three feet tall or more) but because their roots send out runners. Furthermore, I learned that they were a garden escapee, not a native wildflower. There were many hundreds of them, all along the road:

We walked the dirt lane toward Debar Pond and passed by this ancient White Pine. It had to have been at least eight feet diameter at its base:

Normally I have Debar Pond all to myself, but this time there was a group of about ten people with big dogs, so we put my dogs on leashes. My friend took the three little dogs and I took Seamus and Fergus:

As we approached the former home site, we passed many abandoned barns and this picturesque greenhouse/potting shed:

And a garden filled with red Bee Balm (Monarda):

We arrived at the abandoned mansion, an Adirondack Great Camp on the shore of lovely Debar Pond. If I remember my history correctly, this was once the home of an eccentric and wealthy German hops farmer. Now it is empty and owned by New York State:

Alas, the serene nature of the site was turned into a boisterous day for about ten people and four big dogs. Some of the dogs were worrisome around my small dogs, so we walked uphill, away from the pond and toward the old mansion. This white dog, named Aspen, came running with us and ignored his owner's calls:

We arrived at the mansion and turned to look out over the pond and mountains:

And then we continued on a trail into the forest, where my dogs could do some swimming without worrying about the big dogs:

Big ol' Seamus waded out too far and then his back legs kept collapsing. He didn't seem able to stand up, and I was just about to wade in after him when he managed to make it back to shore:

Yes, he then went back out where he'd been before - and little Daphne swam out to join him. But we had much more to see. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

The Greenhouse Lawn - Part 2

I reached the halfway point in my tour of the front lawn of the greenhouses in Winthrop, New York (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). I encountered this rearing horse, another swan and - - well, I wasn't sure what that circle with the golden horse head was. There were quite a number of American flags on display:

A small buck:

Another statue of the Virgin Mary, this one on the reverse side of a soldiers' monument:

A three story house for Purple Martins, though I saw no birds using it:

There were a number of these small shelters, ideal for people to rest and have lunch:

And another giant clock with an eagle, a stone monument, giant urns full of flowers and a Polar Bear, holding an American flag:

A giant, concrete Uncle Sam (who, by the way, was from Troy, NY):

The front side of the soldiers' memorial:

I noticed that the mystery disc I saw before (which had a gold horse head on it) was the back side of a big clock beside the rearing horse:

Another saint and a message about making friends:

I ended my walking tour where I'd begun, by the elaborate barn with the stained glass barn windows and 200 year old clock. Small towns have lots of interesting people and places:

The Greenhouse Lawn - Part 1

The last two posts were of the greenhouses in tiny Winthrop, New York. In 2010 it had a population of 510. But it does have a Post Office, a feed store, a furniture store, a funeral parlor, a convenience store and a dentist's office. And the greenhouses have an amazing front lawn display. I posted photos of their lawn three years ago, so I went back and retrieved the photos to post them again. It is an amazing place, maintained and used as if it was a public park:

This, I was told, is the home of the owner of all you are about to see. The house itself is imposing and elaborate. The historical marker out front states that in 1816, this was the site of the oldest running tower clock in the state:

The 200 year old clock now graces the front of the owner's barn, which also has a canon and stained glass windows:


I began walking across the lawn for a closer look at the large ornaments installed there. There was a giant planter:

A German Shepherd statue and a saint:

A swan with lots of Petunias:

And a giant stained glass window, held erect on a stone foundation. I was told that the owner was an antique dealer, so this window was probably salvaged from a defunct church. I suspected that much (perhaps all) of what was displayed here had similar origins:

This, perhaps, was the Virgin Mary. Her umbrella/awning hung from a chain and swayed in the wind:

I'm not sure what this was, but it was big, impressive and gold colored:

Even bigger was this silvery globe:

Out behind this front lawn were the owner's greenhouses, the ones I visited in the previous two posts. But there was still much more to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

A Local Greenhouse - Part 2

I was touring the greenhouses in tiny Winthrop, New York (See also Part 1, posted yesterday). I thought these were Begonias until I got home and noticed the sign in the photo. Then I learned that these were Double Impatiens:

These were Celosia and Geraniums:

Petunias galore:

I think these were Cosmos, but I never looked:

These, I remember, were Asters - but of a variety I've never seen before:

Snap Dragons:

And more Petunias:

Flowers of all kinds, in all kinds of colors:

I walked outside and then turned left at this display of rural kitsch:

And into the fourth and last greenhouse, where I was greeted by Joseph and Mary:

And more flowers of every color imaginable:

And of course the aroma of flowers was strong. They hadn't had the kind of perennials I was looking for, but I couldn't resist buying a couple of Double Begonias, just for fun. I paid for my new plants and brought them home to live with the seed trays and baby roses until I figured it was safe to plant them outdoors:

A Local Greenhouse - Part 1

The tiny hamlet of Winthrop, NY has its own greenhouses, but I'd never been there. I was told they're only open May 1st through June 15th (or thereabouts) each year. So this year I went to pay them a visit, hoping to find some perennials which I hadn't already purchased elsewhere. I pulled in the driveway and was greeted by this life sized cow statue:

There were four greenhouses. The proprietor told me to have a look around and feel free to ask any questions:

A wagon filled with seedlings and kitsch was my first stop:

Then I entered the first greenhouse and was stunned by the glorious display of color and floral aromas. I decided that this place must be a subject for photos:

There were huge amounts of Geraniums in an array of colors. Alas, I never found out what those vines were in the hanging baskets:

I was dazzled by the array of colors:

Geraniums and Petunias:

More Geraniums:

And even more:

They had lots of hanging baskets:

These were some of the most amazing Petunias I've ever seen:

There were still two more greenhouses for me to tour, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: