Vistas Posts

          In reading some background about the design of Seiwa-en, it is generally agreed the garden that exists within the parameters of the Missouri Botanical Garden is an understatement of the gardens typically found in Japan that are imbued with showy flowers, plants and statuary.  Nonetheless, the greenery everywhere was like none other as it always led ...

    Thank you for rejoining us for the second in a series of the Japanese Garden located on no less than 14 acres at Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.  This is the largest Japanese strolling garden in the Western hemisphere.   Traditional Japanese bridges are included in the garden’s design.  The central one, referred to as Drum Bridge, alludes to its round...

    Duck, North Carolina, is a quiet, northern Outer Banks seaside town bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Currituck Sound.  It does not make the top spring-break hot spots, but it is a wonderful family vacation spot with fantastic dining.  The beaches are less crowded because there is no public beach access.  At dusk, one can enjoy the beautiful, dreamy-like vistas ...

  As the land purchased by Mr. Bok in Lake Wales, Florida, was being transformed into beautiful gardens, the idea came to him to add a carillon tower for a visual and aural garden centerpiece.  The 205-foot neo-Gothic and art deco Singing Tower Carillon is among the finest in the world and a magnificent focal point for the Bok Tower Gardens.  Exceptionally striking is the outer f...

  The Bok Tower Gardens are informal woodland gardens that complement the Florida native live oak hammock with a mix of native and exotic plants.  The gardens contain more than 1,000 plant types and were designed as a woodland landscape and nature preserve. The man responsible for creating these beautiful meditative gardens was Edward W. Bok, born in the Netherlands in 1863, and onl...

    WINTER PARK, FLORIDA   In navigating the second canal on the Chain of Lakes, the bamboo facing the canal waterway was especially dense.  Our guide informed us this is the type sold and used commercially. An eco-friendly crop typically grown without chemicals and pesticides, bamboo is very versatile and used for just about everything from floors to blue jeans.  Ho...

    Only a few steps beyond this feeding duo is a nature lover’s point known as ‘Window on the Pond’.   Both conservatory and sanctuary, it is located within the incredible Bok Singing Tower Gardens (coming soon to our photologue).   This woodland station is housed in a small, almost shed-like building, with only timber benches undergirded by a dirt floor.  A l...

        Winter Park is a quaint town famous for its Spanish-Mediterranean architecture. Charming, balcony shops dot the main street.  Boat tours are offered here and we enjoyed peering at those grandiose estates on the Chain of Lakes presented in our previous post.     Situated also on Lake Virginia is a lush 70-acre campus, the oldest recogni...

Located in the heart of Winter Park, Florida…..Lakes Virginia, Osceola, Maitland, Mizell and Minneola make up an interconnected lake chain of 2,781 acres.  Real estate here comes with a high price as the lake chain is home to many grand palatial, older estates.  This is what some might call ‘living the good life’.        Notice the boat garages in the ...

  Seemingly frozen in time, lost in a bygone, almost forgotten era, where is this perfect idyllic setting?