|
| Home Page |
| Day 6 at Métis-sur-Mer | ||
 |
 |
|
The day started with Bob and Sue Schmidt hosting coffee for everyone at 8:00 AM at their site. In case you are wondering why we are bundled up, it was 52 degrees at coffee time so there were only five brave men present, but the ranks did swell with more ladies as it approached 9:00 AM and the temperature soared to 55 degrees. |
||
 There is a working lighthouse, that is actually a research station, located just about 2 miles from the campground. |
 The view looking East from the lighthouse. |
|
 The main stop of the day for everyone was the jardins de métis also know as the Reford Gardens They are named for Elsie Reford who created the gardens after she started coming here in the early 1900's as a guest of her uncle, George Stephen, a wealthy railway baron who built Estevan Lodge in 1887 as a fishing retreat. Over more than thirty years, from 1926 to 1958, she planted exotic plants imported from all corners of the earth. The gardens are now owned and operated by a non-profit organization formed in 1995 whose mission is to preserve the gardens and heritage buildings for all to enjoy. |
 This is the Hanging Garden of Babylon where the living wall is planted with annuals. |
|
 There are over 3,000 species and varieties of plants, many of which have flourished here since they were planted more than eighty years ago. Many are labeled with their latin and standard names, but many are not and they just caught my eye, like the one above. |
 Blue and white Columbine |
|
 Columbine |
 |
|
 Water drops caught on a very small flower. |
 Begonia |
|
 White Azalea |
 Lady's Slipper Orchids |
|
 Blue Poppy |
 This is just one example of the Iris which came in many different colors. |
|
 |
 |
|
| The gardens are scattered through out the property and the path crosses a stream that wanders through the property many times. | ||
 This is the front porch of the Estevan Lodge. I am embarrassed that I did not get a picture of the lodge itself. |
 Each room on the second floor had a display showing a particular interest of the family. This one was devoted to their love of fishing. |
|
 The view toward the river from the second floor. |
 View from the sitting room on the second floor. It was between the two master bedrooms. |
|
 This is the entrance to the Festival Garden Festival. It started June 27 and will run through October 4 2009. The idea was to celebrate the millennium with a garden festival that offered designers from around the world an opportunity to create contemporary gardens and exhibit them to a new and inquiring public. |
 This is was designed with Legos in mind. It is a Lego forest where you take the Lego branches and create a Lego tree. Susan Shallbetter puts the finishing touches on her tree. |
|
 These hay mounds come to life over the Summer. They were inspired by the impressionist painter, Claude Monet. |
 Our next stop, just up the road from the gardens, was the Centre D'art Marcel Gagnon. The art gallery features the works of painters Guillaume Gagnon, Ghislaine Carrier, Jean-Pierre Gagnon and Marcel Gagnon. |
|
 IN 1986, Marcel Gagnon created 80 life-size sculptures, in reinforced concrete that weigh 685 kg each. In 2003 he increased the amount of statues to more than 120. The one-of-a-kind work, is called Le Grand Rassemblement. |
 These characters that come out of the sea, join the main characters on the edge of the river. We also enjoyed a wonderful lunch at their restaurant overlooking the characters coming out of the river. |
|
 |
 |
|
| The driver's meeting was held in the campground meeting room as we prepared for the next day's journey | ||
| Click here for a Google map of above pictures. | ||
Top of Page
Return to HOME Page
Copyright © 2009 by Shallbetter's Website Design