Landscape Design

 Here we have more of the gardens at the Mackenzie King Estate.

The bench under the tree reminded me of a story. A journalist came up to the estate after Mackenzie King had retired from political life. He sat on a bench for a time, and became aware of Mackenzie King sitting beside him. The two had a conversation about his legacy, how the country was doing, and what the estate meant. The conversation took place after the great man had already died. A ghost story fitting for a man whose Scottish sentiment mixed with an interest in spiritualism.

This view from the far end of the formal gardens gives a sense of the size of it all.

Here we have one of the follys. The Window On The Forest was taken from a building being demolished in Ottawa, and reinstalled here. It serves no purpose but sentiment and romanticism, which makes it perfect. Beyond in the clearing before the woods, the bedrock has flowers planted that form the last of the three gardens- the Rock Garden.

This bench, half buried in the ground, might have once been a fireplace mantle, another example of Mackenzie King's collections.

The next folly is the Arc de Triomphe, taken from the same building as the Window on the Forest. It is huge. We'll be back into the series after tomorrow.