I'm thousands of miles away, and having a great time. Today we went to Carnton Plantation for a reenactment (on the anniversary) of the Battle of Franklin, an utterly brutal Civil War battle. Approximately 10,000 soldiers were killed or injured. The house still has bloodstains on the floor from the wounded hospitalized there. It was cold and breezy, and the reenactment didn't have the same flavor. As Denise pointed out, no one was screaming in pain or calling for their mothers. I wonder if our boys would stop playing shoot'em up through the house if they had any sense of the reality of war? Tomorrow, I'm taking the kids to a house in the town that experienced heavy fighting also.
On the brighter side, there were some neat features in the gardens.
A beautiful log pergola type thing.
And a fascinating espaliered pear tree arch. This gives me ideas!
There were also a couple of beds of hardy greens, but not that many.
Away or at home, I hope you're all enjoying your gardens in some way.
13 comments:
Wow those look like some really beautiful gardens to stroll through. The civil war sites can be quite sobering when one sees the evidence of the war first hand and considers the sheer loss of life that took place at each of those sites. Enjoy the rest of your time away and the garden will be waiting for you upon your return.
I was wondering where you were! Hope you have a safe trip home.
Sounds like you're in Tennessee! Hope ya had a great time. I know the plane ride back is brutal....I'm sure your garden is fine.
"...And a fascinating espaliered pear tree arch..."
No kiddin' that's totally cool. I really like that idea too.
Thanks for sharing that gem and some details about your family vacation. I know nothing about that part of the country.
Best,
KASO
It sounds like you are having a great time and that your children are learning some important historical facts.
Espailiered trees are very beautiful, I would like to try doing my own someday.
Have fun!
One day I hope to have a garden filled with espaliered fruit trees, like that pear - so lovely. I bet your garden is fine. We've had some nice weather lately.
The espaliered arch is awesome. I'd love to see it grown up.
kitsapFG, the gardens are probably worth a revisit during the growing season! They reminded me of a fancy manor house I gardened at during school. This was the site of an awful, awful battle. Hard to even imagine.
Ribbit, thanks! I'm home now and glad to be here.
EG, I am. The planes weren't bad, but I'm glad to be out of the South. Too Faulknerian for me, even in the new cosmopolitan Nashville area.
Kristin, thanks. I may do some grafting next month, to rehab my apple trees. Want to brush up on it and help?
Mr. H., I hope so. I can't believe we've been there so many times and not done anything like this. The kids must be getting older.
Jackie, I bet you will. I'm enjoying my pre-espaliered apple trees greatly.
Susan, it is great. I'm inspired to do some research. I know there are really impressive ones in France and England.
Oh how pretty! I like anything that looks cold and wintery, but that does look SO cold and SO brown! I always forget much of the country is brownish this time of year. My husband wants to take our boys to some civil war sites....one day....
Woohoo! Your back. I have your clean bucket to return.
i mean you're back, not "your" back.
I love the pear espalier too. The hardest part would be building the base; I'll bet the training would be easy. Can you imagine walking under it and seeing pears dangling for the picking?
Hope you had a wonderful trip.
Kate, I remember the first time I listened to REM while driving past fallow, snowy fields in VA. It seemed perfectly appropriate. It has its refreshments, and it's still greener than here in some ways, but I missed home.
Esperanza, you're more on the ball than I am. I still haven't reassembled it. Today, maybe.
Patricia, I so *can* imagine that, as we talked about. Woo hoo!
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