Herbs, Tea, Rocks and Dirt: Just the sort of day to play Hookie

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Just the sort of day to play Hookie

It was sunny, it was warm, it was Tuesday, October 6, I was dressed. So why not. I hadn’t been to Snug Harbor for a few weeks and you never know how many of these days are left this fall. If I was working I would have felt like taking a mental health day. The Chinese Scholar’s Garden at Snug Harbor was built by a bunch of imported artisans from China, but not much has been done to maintain either the building or the plantings since. You would think they could use some volunteers, but I guess they know what’s best.

This humble entrance belies the beauty and wealth of shapes, colors, textures, and sounds that lie on the other side. I don’t know what the characters above the door say, maybe “Enjoy the day, for you know not how many more you have in your sack”.

Floor paving.

Gratuitous artsy photo. But look at the sky. It was a glorious day.

The view across the pond of the first large courtyard.

The view from the view across the pond. The bridge overlooks waterfalls and the moon pond, where you can see the reflection of the moon at the proper time of year. I think it is the Autumn Moon, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, which in 2009 was on October 3.

This pavilion also overlooks the moon pond and has a small table with 4 stools. The sound of the waterfalls is strongest here.

A view looking across the pond in the second large courtyard.

A close-up of the small pine from the previous photo.

Another view of the second courtyard.

The moon gate back into the first courtyard. There are many paths in this garden and they all lead to wondrous and beautiful things, which could be even more wondrous and beautiful if they only had volunteers to help out with maintenance. I guess they know best. There are also some rooms and smaller courtyards, but I didn’t take any photos of them. They were in the shade and felt cold and too enclosed and I wanted to be outside enjoying the sunshine.