The Shortest Month

Hello Friends!!  Happy Valentine's Day to you all; I hope you've had a good day.  I like what my friend Lorrie, at Fabric Paper Thread, says in her post today -- that she is of the firm belief love should be celebrated every day.  What a great sentiment.   I try to say, "I love you" to the people I love as often as possible.  Our family is pretty good about that, on the whole.  I don't treat Valentine's Day as a day exclusively about romantic love, but it's still nice to celebrate romance now and then.   

Valentine's Tablescape 2020   

Reynolda Gardens 2021

Would you like to take a (virtual) walk through Reynolda Gardens with me today?  These pictures are actually from last year, but we can look at them in the cool and comfort of our own homes.  Reynolda Gardens are part of the original R. J. and Katharine Reynolds estate in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  R. J. and Katharine's daughter, Mary Reynolds Babcock, loved the formal gardens at Reynolda, and after her death in 1953, her husband donated the formal gardens and greenhouses to Wake Forest University, with specific instructions to preserve the space as a community resource.  There is no charge for admission at Reynolda Gardens, and that's a real plus in my book.  😉   

      

July

Hello everyone!  Friday has rolled around yet again -- the start of another weekend.  I haven't posted here since the first week in June.  Shortly after I wrote that post about our family beach trip, Hal and I got Covid.  We came home from the beach the day before Memorial Day, and later that week Hal got Covid.  By the first of the following week, I had it, too.  We both had very mild cases; Hal thought his was just a head cold, but mine was just different enough that it made me decide to go to the doctor.  I had a bad case of pneumonia years ago; it was terrible, and I wanted to make sure I didn't have that again.  The worst thing about this Covid for us has been the cough and the way our energy got zapped.  However, we're almost completely back to normal again, and we are thankful.         I hope you all had a nice Fourth of July.  My friend, Vee, posted something that exactly summed up my thoughts about July 4th this year, and I was glad to read it.  You can see her post here.  Today, I'm sharing some pictures from Reynolda Gardens, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  We haven't done much lately other than try to stay cool indoors where it's air-conditioned.  I took these pictures last year, in the last week of July, so possibly many of the same things are blooming there right now.  The pictures were taken in the evening, so they all have a rather mellow (and sometimes) fuzzy quality.   

      

Our Life Lately

I just cannot believe that it's almost the end of April 2022.  Once again, I have fallen behind in my posting here.  If there are still any of you who look forward to reading House at Forest Manor, I do apologize for being so lax.  Part of the problem is that I've had a hard time deciding what to write about.       We're still having a beautiful spring here, so much so that allergies have hit hard -- for everyone.  I've had a persistent sore throat and so have re-discovered the pleasures of hot tea in the morning (in place of my normal coffee).  Hot tea with honey and lemon are so soothing to the throat, and I'm currently favoring Twinings' Lady Grey tea.  Such a civilized custom is the taking of tea -- wouldn't you agree?   

      

Reynolda Village

Hi all!  I finally got a good opportunity to take some pictures this past Sunday afternoon.  I don't think I've mentioned here that my husband gave me a new camera for my birthday back in 2018.  It's a Sony ILCE-5100, and I absolutely love it.  It's a compact camera with a lot of capability.  I've used it so much more than I did the Canon Rebel, partly because it's much easier to carry around with me, but also because it takes terrific pictures.  That means for the last three years, I've done my own photography for my tablescapes, my recipe posts, travel pictures, and decor pics around the house.  When I first started writing House at Forest Manor, I made no secret of the fact that my husband did most of the photography for the blog.  I'm still no great shakes as a photographer, but I do feel like I've learned a few things over the years I've been writing this blog.     Sunday presented a good opportunity for me to take some pictures of one of our local historical areas,  Reynolda Historic District.  Today, I'm sharing some images of Reynolda Village, which is a collection of shops, restaurants, a greenhouse and gardens, and a wedding venue, as well.  Come along and see what you think.           Before I go further, I'd best explain that Reynolda Village is part of the original 1,087-acre estate belonging to Richard Joshua "R. J." Reynolds, founder of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and his wife, Katharine Smith Reynolds.     

source - Our State Magazine            

Springtime in Reynolda Gardens

The very first year I started this blog in 2011, I visited Reynolda Gardens in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to take some pictures.  I thought it might make an interesting post.  It was still late winter then, and I told myself I'd be returning in a few weeks, or a month, to take more pictures when things were fully in bloom.  Three years later, I finally did that very thing.

Photo from 2011 post

Historic Reynolda Gardens

Last month I posted pictures of some Snowdrops and Daffodils that I photographed in Reynolda Gardens last year. I took those pictures exactly a year ago this week. You can see them HERE.

I want to share with you the rest of the pictures I took that day. Reynolda House and Gardens are about 20 minutes from where we live. There wasn't a whole lot in bloom at that time (late February), but you can still get an idea of the style and layout of the gardens.  This is a photo-intensive post, my friends.  There were so many pretty things to see, and I couldn't bear to leave any of the pictures out.

Pink flowered Cherry trees are just bursting into bloom...

...

...while the Saucer Magnolias' pink buds are still closed.

I love this rich, vibrant shade of pink. 

Cheerful,  sunny, yellow daffodils.

I'm pretty sure this is Candytuft --

White Pansies with yellow centers...

More Saucer Magnolias.

 

 

Someone's soaking up the sun.  :)

The pictures below show the 1913 Lord and Burnham greenhouse and conservatory, which I think is an integral part of these gardens.  These pictures don't do this building justice; it really is beautiful.

This is still a working greenhouse.  Some examples of what they do here are gardening classes taught by local Master Gardeners for adults, as well as programs for school students.  In the spring of this year, the gardens will offer a rose care clinic, and the greenhouse will have a tomato plant sale offering hard-to-find heirloom varieties.  In addition, every spring the Friends of Reynolda Gardens host a spring plant sale of specialty annuals and perrennials, including herbs and vegetables.

Bunches of daffodils waiting to bloom.

You can see the manor house through the trees in the distance.  I'll post on that later.

Do you see the cottage in the background of this picture?  It reminds me of a woodcutter's cottage in a children's fairytale.

Here's a closer view.  I love the shape of the roof and the hinges on the door.

Precious Snowdrops...

 

 

...and some holly berries to remind us of winter.

I'll leave you to enjoy the remaining images.

It's really not hard to imagine I've just taken a stroll through the gardens of Downton Abbey.  Later in the spring, there will be Roses, Azaleas, Dogwoods, Redbuds, and English Bluebells blooming here.  A beautiful place to spend an afternoon.

If you're interested, you can read more about the history of Reynolda Gardens HERE.  Reynolda House was built in 1917, and the gardens date back to that same time period.

Thank you for your visit, and I'm joining the following:  Potpourri Friday, hosted by Honey at 2805, Pink Saturday, hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound, and Seasonal Sundays, hosted by the Tablescaper.  Thank you, ladies, for hosting!

Denise