Philadelphia Flower Show

This post is my personal opinion only. It in no way reflects the views of Rutgers Gardens or any of its staff. I am not a spokesperson for Rutgers Gardens.

I was able to attend the Philadelphia Flower Show this year thanks to my fellow Straw Hatter, A. She graciously offered to drive knowing that I get way too nervous driving in cities and just the thought of trying to find a place to park sends me into a full-fledged panic attack. Thanks, A!

I was very apprehensive after the disappointing NJ Flower Show but once we stepped into the hall, all of my fears were banished by the breathtaking displays. I didn’t have just one or two “wow” moments. Almost every garden evoked multiple “wows” from me.

The cavernous darkness was no impediment to my camera but the crowds were. Again, lacking a tripod and this time constantly jostled by the crowds, I wasn’t able to hold the camera still enough for long enough to capture the crisp images that I was seeking. I did play around a little with it and came up with this Photo of the Day:

A fun shot of a lily.

The theme of the show was Bella Italia. The display gardens for the most part stayed on topic.

Some of the designers, though, were a little geographically-challenged. This one went too far north and ended up in Ireland:

And right next door, another one veered south and landed in the Mediterranean:

Wait, don’t tell me. Seahorse, right?

By far the most popular exhibit was a tribute to the Italian fashion industry. It was so crowded, that it was nearly impossible to photograph.

Like last year, my favorite was the topiary Dog Park. This little fella was just begging to have his picture taken:

You can see all of my photos of the Philadelphia Flower Show on Flickr.

Straw Hats Face-off in a Bake-off!

Hageman Farm, a nineteenth century farmhouse preserved by The Meadows Foundation, held their first annual Fall Festival today. In keeping with the autumnal theme and heirloom apples that were offered to the public to try, an Apple Pie Tasting Contest was held. The chairperson of the committee that oversees Hageman Farm, who happens to be our very own Headhatter, invited her fellow Straw Hat Society members who co-blog at The Wooden Spoon, to participate.

“A” and I jumped at the chance to show off our culinary talents. Get the results of the contest and our apple pie recipes over at The Wooden Spoon.

Hageman Farm

I was invited to participate in an apple pie contest today (more on that in my next post) at the Hageman Farm, a nineteenth century farmhouse preserved by The Meadows Foundation as part of their first annual Fall Festival. While waiting for the judging to begin, I wandered around the site taking photographs.

I could go on and on about the wonderful restoration work that has been done on the farmhouse and is going on in the cow barn, but instead I found myself drawn towards the structures and parts of structures that hadn’t been restored. The hand-hewn beams, stone foundations, old tools and ironwork called out to me as if begging to tell their stories of the people who had built this place and used these buildings and tools.

Those stories weren’t all recorded well today. I am still struggling with my new camera. Each shoot shows more of what it can do and what I need to learn to get more out of it. One story did come out well resulting in the Photo of the Day:

Here are a few more of my favorite shots from today.

This shot would have been in the running for Photo of the Day if it had been straight. At first I was disappointed by the intrusion of the tree branches but after further consideration decided that they added rather than detracted from the picture. I love the geometric patterns and the wonderful blue of the sky. It is a blue that you only see in the autumn.

I’m going to have to start carrying around a cheat sheet of settings for various lighting situations. I know that there is a way to have photographed this with more light in the room and the ugly scenery in the window blurred. I’ve lightened this up a little in Photoshop. It was a gorgeous setting.

Fellow Straw-hatter, “A”, pointed out this grasshopper to me. Too bad that the flower he was resting on wasn’t more attractive. The zinnias in the borders along the walk were incredible. I hope that the caretaker of the property will tell me what mix he uses.

You can see all of my photos of Hageman Farm on Flickr.