Saturday

pit stop at the garden~

Well...  let's try this again.  I tried earlier today to make this post and somehow I lost it.

I'm still making pit stop post of our vacation. 
One day while Slim and my bro-inlaw Mike were busy cutting up some mesquite for smoking some meat ~
and got side tracked by some beetles that were boring holes and making sawdust of the woodpile~
and side tracked by a dead gecko I laid on a stump ~
Colleen and I decided to jump in the car and head a mile down the road from her place to take a little walk through the Weston Garden.  We knew the flowers weren't blooming yet; but she suggested I might get some ideas for my place over there.  So off we went.

The garden was originally built in the 1930 and 40's by Leon Bandy.  It is in the process of restoration now.  What a cool place ~ I really enjoyed it.  It's advertised as "English Gardens ~ Texas Style".  As you meander around the pathways it's so relaxing.  Listening to the rippling water of the creek and the waterfalls, seeing tons and tons of motar and stone walls and pathways and even an  Italian grotto. 
 There is an altar area where weddings can be performed ~
and many other little nooks and crannies to investigate.  Also, are some very interesting statues and garden ornaments.

One of the pathways leads you to a swaying bridge ~
that crosses over to the most interesting thing ever. 
Something you would not expect to see ~ a stone ship!

Leon Bandy had it constructed to hold dances.  It was completed in 1942 and originally had a two story cabin on it that had burnt in 1972.  It is in the process of rehabilitation and should be done in two to three years. 
Now... when Colleen mentioned that I should go to the garden with her for ideas ~ does she think I need a ship in my back yard??? I say yes!! How cool is that!

Weston Garden also sports some pretty fine old trees ... like this big old bur oak ... the picture doesn't do it justice.
Also, there are a lot of cats meandering around.  I even spotted one up on the roof.
 Look at these cool chairs ... I'm gonna make me some of these:


I hope you enjoyed my little photo tour of the garden.
Tomorrow... I'm heading up Mt. Nebo in Dardanelle, Arkansas and the Dick Clark theater in Branson, Missouri.  Talk about some twisty turning hairpin roads and some talented people.

Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel

7 comments:

  1. Hey Mel way cool tour. I kind of like the swaying bridge. I probably would be chicken to walk on it but then who knows?

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  2. RE: Paula... we weren't able to cross the bridge ~ they had it roped off during construction. I'm hoping in a few years though when it's done to visit again and get to go into the ship.

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  3. Nice tour. You can imagine everything in bloom. Like the rock ship, or that is what it looked like. I love the oak, and I am sure to see it in real life it is even more impressive. The limbs are wild.
    Looking forward to more.
    Sherry & Jack, love from NC

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  4. Enjoyed the picture tours you've been posting every day! It is so nice of you to give me a vacation every day...that's what it feels like for me to be able to see places I'll probably never get the chance to see!

    Thanks so much for sharing!

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  5. Weston Gardens...hmmm...Colleen told me about this one and now I really do have to see it this fall. I hope it still shows some green. Love the ship and that challenging bridge, the cool colored stone walls, cannot wait to tour in person.
    Can't wait to see your chairs and set-a-spell.
    Did you cut a slab off that beetle wood?...It's too cool to just burn.
    Thanks for the fine tour.
    Blessya

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  6. Very interesting Mel. Something new to me, I have never been there. I enjoy driving through Arkansas and southern Missouri. I grew up going to the Branson area but it has grown and become totally commercialized now. It is still fun if you have the bucks to spend.

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  7. I love touring with you! So now we have to start collecting rocks! LOL

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