Kaleidoscopics

I had to come up with a May Photo of the Day, for Project 365, that had the theme of "Unique".  I went back in my craft room and started looking around at all the unique artwork and tchotchkes I've picked up here and there over the years, but nothing really cried out, 'SHOOT ME!'  Then my eyes fell on the kaleidoscope I got about 25 years ago and I remembered that I'd once experimented with shooting pictures through it, back then.  The results were pretty cool at that time, so I decided to try it again.

Needless to say, I am extremely pleased with the results

Pretty cool, eh?

Heritage Museums & Gardens, Part 2

This building used to be primarily military-themed, with lots of old flags from the beginning of our nation, weapons and an amazing collection of tiny lead soldiers in historically correct battlefield dioramas.  Now it is the Special Exhibits Building, and this is where the Rockwell exhibit was housed.  No photography was allowed inside, but the exhibit was awesome! It was a treat to see how he created some of his most famous illustrations and next to the original, painted illustration itself.  

This bee landed on Hannah and she wanted me to take a pic before she shooed it away.

This was another simply fabulous gate.  The columns are made using stones and sand from Sandy Neck Beach, with solar powered LED lights in the lantern tops.

The subtle bambo windchimes were a stroke of brilliance by this young artist.

She painstakingly wrote beautiful prose on the left & right, front & back, sides of the gate.  Because she was woodburning the letters, it took her twice as long.  The artist was there and she told us that she had a mishap when she realized the gate was upside down and she had to sand it all off and start over again.

Another gate that kind of reminded me of pink flamingos for some reason!

No trip to Heritage is complete without a ride on the carousel.  I was sooo stoked that Sue brought up our taking a spin on it, because I readily agreed!!

Shooting myself in the center mirror before the ride started.

My trusty steed.  Giddy-up.

Of course I pick the one with as many colours as possible....

The most amazing Japanese maple I have ever seen.

Automobile museum in the Round Barn.

View of the Flume Fountain from the upper path.

This is also one of the gates

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of Heritage as much as I enjoyed shooting it!

Heritage Museums & Gardens, Part 1

I met my friend Susan and her daughter, Hannah, at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich, one gorgeous day in mid-May, to see the beautiful rhododendrons in full bloom and take in the "Norman Rockwell: Beyond the Easel" exhibit, which runs through September.  I hadn't been to Heritage in years.  It used to be known as Heritage Plantation when it opened in 1969, but at some point in the 1990s the name was changed to drop the unfavourable and un-PC 'plantation' name.  The history of it can be found HERE.  

Sue, Hannah & I didn't go in most of the buildings or check out many of the trails, because we were kind of in a rush to beat the crowds to the Rockwell exhibit that day, but I will go back eventually to do the rest of the place.  There is one building, the Round Barn, that contains beautifully restored automobiles from the early 1900s, one of which belonged to actor Gary Cooper.  

Here is Part 1 of the trip!

LOVED this super ornate sundial.

Upper portion of the Flume Fountain.

They are also having a Garden Gate exhibit. I need to go back and shoot all of them.  This was one of my faves from the ones I saw.  They will be available for sale in September.  Wonder how much this one would cost? It's soooo me.

Old East Windmill.

Flume Fountain

Sundial

Another gate.

The writing says, "And The Tree Was Happy".  That bug photo bombed me; I didn't notice it till I got home and uploaded the picture.

This was a cool gate as well.

The tops are made from coiled wire.