Each year around this time, people come from miles around to see the blooming of the Peonies at the Rockefeller preserve. Following the tragedy of September 11, 2001, Yatsuka Cho, a town in Simane Prefecture, Japan offered a gift of over 500 peonies to the United States as a healing memorial. It was also a gesture of solidarity and support from a former enemy of the United States who less than 60 years ago were locked in combat with us during World War II. The peony is considered to Japan’s most noble of flowers and is the “signature flower” for the region. The Rockefeller Preserve accepted the gift and renovated the entrance to the Preserve in order to accommodate the peonies.
This year when we go to the Rockefeller Preserve to admire the monument and see the awe inspiring site of 500 peonies plants all in bloom at the same time, we should remember the ongoing tragedy of Japan as they recover from a devastating natural disaster.
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I don’t quite know what it is about walking along a woodland pathway in early spring…but it always feels a bit like I am walking through a woodland Cathedral. With the tree trunks acting as flying buttresses holding up a Cathedral that soars towards the heavens. I think it might have something to do with my early fascination with J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings….but I also keep expecting to see some version of Treebeard uprooting himself and walking out to greet me. This year spring has struggled to get started. A lot of rain and cold and gray skies has kept the leaves in hiding.
© 2011 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestchesterview.com – All rights reserved.
Autumn in lower Westchester NY is a very colorful event.
There is something about the color of the leaves and how it lights up the sky that I find very compelling. Forget leaf peeping in Vermont – our season peaks later, but the foliage is just as amazing. At this time of year, people flock to parks in Westchester NY for the foliage and crisp weather.
This week had been particularly stressful – so Friday afternoon I escaped to the Rockefeller Preserve in Sleepy Hollow to regenerate. Among the many things to do in Westchester, this is among my favorite places to decompress and get back in touch with what it is all about. Although the leaves were more than half gone, the color of the sky and the sunlight caused the remaining leaves light up the sky with a full fall fire. Jade and Tundra – my faithful Huskies accompanied me and enjoyed the blustery cold air. We also ran into a friend from my brokerage – Monique another avid walker, arrived just as I was leaving.
Here are a couple of the photos I snapped along the way. As a nature Preserve, you get to see the beauty of nature’s wild side.
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