Greetings from Ananda Village.
ch01.jpg
Lisa Powers wrote a wonderful blog post about the open houses at Crystal Hermitage Gardens. It was great to see people from the surrounding area come and enjoy the gardens.

I spent a lot of time in the gardens recently. I have been working on a book of photos of the gardens and was rewarded with a never-ending supply of material. The gardens were spectacular.

I watched as the gardens seemed to gleefully anticipate the two-weekend open house and how mother nature timed the rains to accommodate the 1100 visitors. We had rain before the open house and a very heavy and much needed rain after. During the time of the open houses the gardens seemed especially joyful. The color schemes of the tulips were fantastic, the dogwoods were very lush and the colors combined with the spring sun were so rich and vibrant. I was amazed. Oh… and the fragrances and the sounds of the birds and the rushing of the Yuba River in the distance…

Congratulations to the staff and gardeners at Crystal Hermitage. I complimented Jivada, one of the gardeners once and his reply was: “… just a willing instrument.” He took no personal credit for the beauty of the gardens. It was a lovely example for me of someone trying to live with the thought that God is the doer and the calm joy that results from that effort.

The gardens have matured over the years. The devas – nature spirits – must be very pleased.

I am posting a small collection of photos for you. A couple of them were taken during the open house and one right after the big rain when the sun came back out.

I just realized that this is my first post of the year 2009! I am sending blessings and prayers for light and joy to you all.
ch02.jpg
ch03.jpg
ch06.jpg
ch04.jpg
ch07.jpg
ch05.jpg
ch08.jpg
ch09.jpg

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *