harkness_memorial_state_park

buddha

boxwood harkness

no swimming


Dell and I went to Harkness Memorial State Park in New London, Connecticut, on Saturday and spent more than three hours in the formal gardens and the rock garden, around the mansion (that closed for tours on September 12 until next spring), and along the water's edge. This beautiful mansion, built in 1907, sits on 200 acres and rolls right into Long Island Sound.  It was once a working farm. Edward and Mary Harkness were philanthopists who were very generous with the money Edward had inherited from his father--a harness maker who had wisely invested in Standard Oil when that was a new idea.

Dell and I stretched out on the lawn after lunch and watched the butterflies flitting about the cosmos, lavender, zinnias, dahlias, butterfly bushes, and countless other incredibly gorgeous flowers. Bucolic beauty, peace, quiet, and a bit of the Sound-tamed Atlantic on a breezy, sunny September day. Nothing better!


This part of Connecticut is saturated with the good stuff: Ocean Beach Park, the Submarine Force Museum, Fort Trumbull, Fort Griswold, Mystic. (More photos of Harkness are here.)

My World Tuesday