Chesapeake Arboretum and Freaks of Nature
We were supposed to drive up to Colonial Williamsburg, VA today to take advantage of the Memorial Day Weekend free admission for active duty military personnel, but after getting a late start, we never made it to Williamsburg. Instead, Jeff noticed Jenny's thermostat showed it was running hot. Sure enough, a radiator leak required a pit stop only 10 miles down the road to get some coolant and turn back. After dropping of the car for repairs, we decided to enjoy the beautiful spring weather and check out a local attraction, the Chesapeake Arboretum.
From the Chesapeake Arboretum Website:
"The Chesapeake Arboretum is a 47-acre garden dedicated to promoting horticultural and environmental awareness through displays, education and research.
Our subdivision has the words "at the Arboretum" in the title, so you know it is close by. We are members in "Friends of the Arboretum" and have attended the open house. The farmhouse was built in 1730, around the same time Williamsburg was the Virginia State Capital. It was also built without using any metal like nails, so they could not be melted down by the Colonialists and used against the British.
The grounds and walking trails are well maintained and we use the trails often for exercising. Today we were treated to many mother birds feeding their babies, many flowers in bloom (including some HUGE magnolia blossoms!) and a local Canadian goose sitting on her eggs without moving. The freaky part of nature was the 3 male mallard ducks hanging out together without any females, and one of them flew through a waterfountain just after I took their photo!
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From the Chesapeake Arboretum Website:
"The Chesapeake Arboretum is a 47-acre garden dedicated to promoting horticultural and environmental awareness through displays, education and research. The Arboretum was dedicated in November, 1996, and boasts one of Virginia’s finest trail systems that wanders through a 43-acre mature hardwood forest with many varieties of trees and plants."
The farmhouse built in 1730 has some interesting history, besides the addition of several rooms including a kitchen. The rose garden adjacent to the farmhouse has some varieties of rose which have more thorns but also more flowers--and they are no longer available commercially today. The house was also built around the same time Williamsburg, VA was the Virginia State Capital and under the occupation of the British Redcoats. Therefore, there are no nails or meteal that could be melted down to make bullets for the Colonials, so all the joining of the wood farmhouse is accomplished by wooden pegs.
The Chesapeake Arboretum is a relaxing place to "smell the roses" and do some bird watching. We even were treated to a redheaded woodpecker and we occasionally see different varieties of fox along the pathways. The grounds are very well maintained by the all-volunteer staff and local community groups. The flowerbeds and red barn areas are well maintained in pristine condition.
Come to the Chesapeake Arboretum to relax and enjoy nature for a while.
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