We visited many beautiful places in Seattle, but none compare to the Bloedel Reserve. It was my favorite destination by far. On other trips, I’ve seen the Biltmore and Hearst Castle, which were also amazing structures built by very rich men, but neither, in my opinion, has the legacy of the Bloedel Reserve partly because of the old-growth forest contained within. Although we can assist in the planting , only God can create a masterpiece such as this.
We took the ferry to Bainbridge Island, and I would like to return soon. I saw unique shops and eateries as our buses passed. Then, our driver turned into a drive with a gatehouse and waited only a moment before we disembarked and were given an interesting introduction by Kate Gormley, Program & Communications Director. She was followed by David Perry, professional photographer and author of A Photographer’s Garden Blog, who told our upturned faces (he was standing on a chair), that the essential element our photography lacked was . . . ourselves. David kindly offered three workshops gratis yesterday, and he gave us an assignment to pretend our pictures were for a magazine which was our blog. I’ve heard David speak three times, and I always learn something new, or I am reminded of something I’ve forgotten. Once I’m home, I’ll put up my magazine pic choices.
Suddenly, the clouds no longer simply threatened, but instead opened up. It began to pour. There was a twitter among our number (not the online kind), and for a moment, most remained under the overhang like chicks in a nest. However, a few of us hoisted umbrellas and ventured out into the 150-acre expanse of the reserve. As one friend said, “I didn’t come all this way to let a little rain stop me.”
Before long everyone else was also trodding the wood chip trails, and no one complained. To see the Bloedel Reserve in the rain which later changed to mistiness with intermittent showers, well, that is a special thing. I believe it made for extraordinary photographs.
I like Japanese gardens when they make sense, and this one does. In the center of this part of the garden is a tea house which was once a guest house built in 1964. Bloedel was also very interested in Japanese design, and there is a large Asian community in this part of the U.S. Where there was once a swimming pool, there is now a Zen garden. I took a moment to sit on a bench on the terrace and reply to a text from my oldest daughter at home. She asked if I was having fun, and I sent her a photo of the pond above. She is not a gardener, but appreciates beauty nonetheless .
I took all of these photos with a point and shoot, not an SLR. Layanee of Ledge and Gardens loaned me her Canon Power Shot S90 when the battery to my Nikon D90 would no longer charge. Jim of Compost in My Shoe also offered his camera another Canon. I discovered my battery problem thirty minutes before we left. Thank goodness for good friends. These are the hiccups which happen on a working vacation, or any vacation really.
In fact, I liked Layanee’s little camera so much that I may ask for one for my birthday.
So, I could give you more facts about the reserve like it was founded by Prentice and Virginia Bloedel, but you can read his New York Times obituary if you want, and the reserve has an informative video I wish I’d watched before we went. One of the docents seemed almost apologetic about his involvement in the timber industry, but I’m glad he developed better ways not to waste our living resources. Whenever I’m confronted by the lack of political correctness of history, I think, “That was then, and this is now. Now, we’ve learned to do better.” Just my two cents.
I’m glad Bloedel retired to the country in 1951 and then preserved his home for all of us to enjoy.
Here are the open days. If you’re ever in Seattle or nearby, do yourself a favor and step away from the technology and escape the city. Walk the bark paths, listen to the woodpeckers and watch time slip away at a snail’s pace. Your shoulders will come down from around your ears, and you’ll feel yourself breathing slow and deep.
Such is the nature of this special place.
sounds like you were one of the first to venture into the rain. good for you! i love walking in the rain. looks like it was esp wonderful at Bloedel Reserve.
Jennie, being so parched and thirsty for rain (just like the land at home), it was nothing to venture out into the rain. I was grateful for the opportunity.
I am so glad it rained that day. We rain-starved Texas and Oklahoma gardeners needed that weather to renew our flagging spirits!
Cindy, yes we did.
I have never been, and it’s so close by. At first I thought you were talking about the Bloedel Conservatory. I will have to google that to see if they are at all related.
What great shots you got, battery dead and other camera or not.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
Jen, you definitely need to go. You would love it. I mean that.
Awww. I’m so HAPPY for you to have visited this beautiful garden, Dee. And in the rain after all the heat you’ve been experiencing was perfect! I can tell you soaked it up! Thank you for the lovely sharing on a sunny afternoon. Lovely. xoxo
Hey Dee,
My only thing I can relate to this was my visit to Muir Woods in CA but due to its smaller size Bloedel seems so very personal.
Thanks for sharing.
I saw on Facebook that you took your family back to Bloedel for another visit, and now I can see why, Dee. Such a beautiful and peaceful place! I could just sit for hours in the Japanese garden alone.
I remember when I helped my youngest Daughter move out to Portland, Oregon, and we finally reached the Columbia River, getting our first glimpse of those tall Douglas Firs. They are breath-taking. Walking through this area, with or without a garden must have been an awe-inspiring experience.
It is one of my favorites as well. I thought the rain was wonderful. The cloudy day made the moss, found throughout the forest, to glow as if emeralds might be unearthed giving the secret away to such an earthly sight!
Oh, yes, Bloedel is a special place, even in the pouring rain. It was easy to imagine what the Pacific Northwest was like 100 years ago while wandering through the woods there. It was my favorite place also.
I thought the rain made our visit almost magical, too. It brought a sense of history to all those giant trees and the moss-covered forests, showing us the elements that make it all happen. I was in awe of all the green. Your photos are beautiful and capture one of may favorites from the trip.
hi dee, i really enjoyed your write up and photos of our visit to bloedel. it’s a place that will remain in our memories for a long, cherished time.
I’ll zen that.
Dee, I loved this garden~it’s exactly what I hoped it would be and walking the trails/paths was magical. gail
I loved the Bloedel Reserve and it was my favorite stop, too. It was almost a magical place, quiet, damp, something interesting around every corner. A real highlight for me amongst many highlights
Since I have seen mostly this place in the posts so far it must have been the most outstanding place you all saw. Every spot pictured is fantastic. Hardly a repeat so far. There must have been so much to see. Sigh~~ I keep reading about rain. What a jolt to the senses going there from the inferno of this summer .
I use a Canon S90 for my photos. I’m really happy with it for the blog but due to printer problems I haven’t yet found out what the pictures come out like on paper.
I see what you mean about a Japanese Garden ‘making sense’. Maybe the style is used too much in small spaces where emptiness is exactly what’s not needed. The emptiness of the middle ground in the photo you show is pleasant because the tea-house seems to be substantial and the trees beyond it large, established and varied in size. That makes a contrast. Because there’s so much else to see it rests the eye rather than bores it.