Fall At The Garden

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year at the Atlanta Botanical Garden because of their annual Scarecrows in the Garden exhibit.  This year was no exception and I was happy to be in town a couple of days so I could swing by for a visit.  Every year the Atlanta Botanical Garden invites local companies, groups and individuals to bring their creative juices and add crazy and wild characters to lurch in corners and along the walkways throughout the garden.   This year was the 11th annual event which attracted over 100 entries. Participants are encouraged to come up with a theme for their human like figures which ranged from witty and whimsical to bold and bizarre.  Their final creations are displayed throughout the garden for visitors to admire and imagine.

As I walked through the garden,  I wonder what the story of the scarecrow is. Where and how these creatures came about? Today they are primarily cosmetic but traditionally,  these characters where employed (of course without pay) by farmers to guard their fields and keep birds such as crows and sparrows away.  The human like figures date back to 712 where a scarecrow who sees all and knows all shows up in the oldest Japanese book known to be in existence Kojiki.  At that time,  Japanese farmers created kakashi (meaning smells badly) by hanging clothes, bones and even meat on bamboo poles to protect their rice crops.  These kakashi were a distant relative of today's more ornamental version.

In Egypt along the Nile,  farmers acted like living scarecrows to keep quail and other birds from eating their fields.  Waiving their arms as they ran towards any birds that dare invade their crops.  Greek farmers would carve a frightening figure based on the mythological figure Priapus to put in their fields and ward off both the seen and unseen pests.  In Britain and Europe scarecrows were lives boys who would patrol fields carrying stones ready to toss them at any crow or other bird that landed in the field.  After the Great Plague of 1666,  many farmers had to stuff sacks with straw, carve faces on turnips or gourds, and make scarecrows that stood against poles as there were not enough children to protect the fields since a large number of them had perished due to disease.   Shortly after this time, the industrial revolution all but ended this occupation as children were attracted to higher paying jobs in factories and farmers had to rely on these hand crafted scarecrows to take over the roll of crop protector.

 Native Americans in both South and North America would spend hours and take turns protecting their crops from the birds. Often dressing up as human scarecrows and finding other creative ways to keep these birds from devastating their harvest.  When the pilgrims came to the America's they brought their version of the scarecrow with them to protect their fields.  Each region of European immigrant brought their customs to the new world and it blended with those of other regions.  Scarecrows commonly protected fields until just after World War II when farmers replaced them with chemicals to control pests.

Over the years scarecrows have graced the silver screen in movies such as "Wizard of Oz" and "Children of the Corn". They have inspired music, comics and festivals such as Scarecrows in the Garden with their wobbly arms and life like figures.  The journey through the exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden this day was sure filled with a ton of creativity celebrating this craft of historic proportion.  Hope you enjoy the photos below and if you are in the area during October or November, I suggest you swing in for a visit.

This post is in memory of my good friend Patti Thomas who passed away November 16, 2011.  Patti had a passion for plants and gardening and I am blessed to have shared a few years with her. I loved to spend time at the Atlanta Botanical Garden with her where her love of plants naturally shined through.  

Patti, you will be missed! 

Please let me know if you would like a personal tour of Atlanta-I would be happy to share this beautiful city with you! All inclusive packages available--

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(( thanks again wikipedia for the information)) 

Concert in the Garden - Johnny Lang

The other day I was talking to my friend Patty and she had two tickets to a concert in the garden which she had given to a mutual friend  Cavelle.  She did not think he had found anyone who wanted the second ticket  and if it was still available, I could tag along to the concert.   The ticket was for a Concert in the Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and to my luck he had not found anyone to go with so it was mine.  I had not heard of Johnny Lang (the artist), but how can one turn down a free ticket, time with friends, and a concert in the garden. Especially if the weather is good as there is no better place then the garden to see a concert. In preperation for the night, I did a little research and found that Johnny Lang is a young amercian blues, gospel, and rock singer from North Dakota of all places. (Spending 10 years in South Dakota myself, I figured he must be worth listening to if he is now appearing at the garden)  He started playing guitar at the age of 12 and has not looked back since winning a Grammy in 2006. After this on line information gathering session and a couple of listens to his music, I was ready and my excitement to attend the concert was even more.

Friday night was the evening and Cavell and I decided we would walk from my place (6 blocks from the garden).  After he arrived and we strapped on our folding chairs – off we went. The short walk down the busy Piedmont Road would be a huge contrast from the quiet garden but it was a good time to catch up with a friend. It also saved us the parking fee and who doesn't love saving a little money.  $$$$$

After a few minutes we arrived at the garden and walked down the long drive covered by the canopy of the trees. The Atlanta Botanical Garden is such a majestic place and with my membership, someday I will have a blog entry dedicated to a visit but tonight is about the concert. As we walk along the sidewalk past the parking entrance, we can hear the opening act playing in the air. We quicken our step as we still need to find Patty in the crowd.  We show our ticket at the gate and off we head into the lush gardens of roses and other blooming flowers towards the great lawn in front of the orchid house.

We soon spot Patty and her husband and quietly unfold our chairs to get comfortable for the evening of enjoyable music. Johnny Lang does not disappoint as this young musician does an excellent job performing hits from his albums. The people watching is great as people begin to relax and have a good time dancing to the rhythm. (even if they lack rhythm) The evening is wonderful with the large office buildings lit up in the evening sky. There are a ton of stars out,  not a cloud in the sky, and a crisp cool breeze to keep us refreshed and the bugs away. I am not sure

the weather could be any better for a concert in the open air above the great lawn. Finally I am able to enjoy first hand one of these concerts I hear from my porch on any given Friday evening. After a couple hours of listening to music and having a glass of wine,  the night ends with a quick encore and off we head. As we walk down Piedmont Road back to Cavelles car, we are happy he parked at our place as the traffic is a little heavy. It sure will be nice when the rest of Piedmont Park is complete and I can make this walk almostly entirely through the park which you can read about in A Park Expands.   Cavelle jumps back into his car and heads out.  I stroll back to my home to get ready to retire for the night after an enjoyable evening with friends and good music. 

Thanks Patty!

I’d give this evening ***** for an overall rating

A Park Expands ...

I am back in the USA and it's time to head for a walk in the park. One of the benefits of living in Midtown is that Piedmont Park is so close and easy to enjoy. It is a sunny day and God’s invitation to be outside and enjoy this wonderful day has arrived at my door step. I have not gone to Piedmont Park since I arrived back in Atlanta so I look forward to visiting my old walking paths and green grassy knolls (that one is for you Georgina).




I walk the five blocks through the Midtown neighborhood with its trimmed front lawns and beautiful flowers in bloom to the entrance of the park.  It is just as I remember it: the old bridge welcomes me to stroll high above the old railroad valley into the grove of shade trees. The air is fresh and clean and I begin to head towards the little pond. To my right there lies one of those beautiful grassy fields.  In the center of the field theere is a shelter that has been constructed on what used to be a small parking lot for the park. It sure is nice they have turned this asphault into more green space.  Soon I am imagining a bride and groom exchanging their vows here or maybe it is a family gathered together with their basket of goods to have a lovely afternoon picnic.  It is a perfect location for either of these occastions.  As I walk down the sidewalk past the shelter towards Magnolia Hall - a small event facility where that same imaginary couple may be having their reception after their wedding nuptials. I continue to fantasize a little about the couple and how their day is just perfect with sun beating down,  a few light fluffy clouds in the sky and a light breeze to keep their guests cool.  I walk past Magnolia Hall and am distracted by the realization thatt the park expansion they were working on during my last visit is now open.  I decide to check what they have created instead of heading the the Botanical Garden which was my first thought. 

The sidewalk descends down the hill and so I follow it through the shade of the large trees surrounding the path. It opens up and you can see the back of Amsterdam (a small retail center) and the two dog parks. One park is for larger dogs and one for smaller dogs, for those who have never visited a dog park in the United States; they are large open areas which are fenced in. Dog owners bring their pooches here and let them run free with the other dogs. These dog parks can be seen from the bridge (the one at the entrance of the park I had strolled across earlier) and from time to time I stop and watch the dogs playing down below. I find it relaxing and although I do not own a dog I can appreciate the carefree play of a dog and easy life it lives.

Back to my walk, I stroll along the path and there are many places to look out over the natural terrain below, where the train used to run. It is obvious there is some work to be done yet, but the water ways and drainage systems look ready for the next large rainfall. The grass has turned brown already as the summer heat has hit Atlanta early. On the overlooks there are benches for people to sit and I must say the have done a nice job of expanding the park. I continue a little further and soon hear the laughter and screams of children playing ahead. Walking onto a large grass oval I cannot see the source of the
excitement and wonder what could be creating it. Soon I come to a small summit and quickly see what all the noise is. There is a legacy water fountain with children sprinting through attempting to not catch a drop. Even though I am sure that is not really what they want. The water must be quite refreshing in the heat of the morning.

I stop for a while to watch the children enjoying the water, never knowing which fountain will shoot water next and running and screaming and just simply having a good time. This is what summer is all about. Soon it is time for me to continue my journey and I walk down the stairs and once again think of our imaginary bride and groom. This would be a perfect place for a romantic picture or maybe a not so romantic photo of the wedding party. Both would have the beautiful background of green grass – greystone steps and carriage lamps.

Soon the path I am traveling turns to dirt and is no longer paved. The final section of my stroll is through the new area is obviously still under construction with its bright orange fencing keeping visiters inside the lines. There is a lot of space to be converted and a couple of free standing bridges that are yet to be connected to paths. The expansion is going to be a great enhancement of the park once finished. Soon I arrive at the road behind some shops bordered by Piedmont Road on the other side. My journey through Piedmont Park’s expansion is complete for today. I look forward to visiting again and see more improvements in the near future.