September 2010 trip through Germany and Austria with Carol

Pictures taken as part of a 3 class workshop on nature photography run by Audubon Society of Rhode Island at Caratunk Wildlife Refuge on Brown Ave, Seekonk, MA

5/14/2008, 4/25/2009
Borderland State Park, Easton, MA

The mansion was built 1910 by Blanche & Oakes Ames, 10 years into their marriage. The home, mostly designed by Blanche, herself, was constructed predominantly out of stone due to the family's concerns regarding the destructive nature of fire. It was one of the first homes in the area to have an automobile garage with chauffeur's quarters and electricity throughout the home. Despite the central heating system, there are fireplaces in 10 of the 14 rooms of the mansion. There are 8 1/2 bathrooms. The most notable room in the house is the two story library housing many of the books and specimens of Oakes, the world's foremost expert on the study of orchid's and economic botany of the time. Also displayed throughout the house are Blanche's paintings. She was a talented painter and illustrator, illustrating much of Oakes' research findings. The brass bell on the roof was purchased in Cuba in 1910 by Oakes while on a field trip.

The grounds contained two tennis courts (1 grass - 1 clay), a game farm, providing partridge and quail to hunt (until the estate was turned into a nature preserve in the late 1920s) and upon its completion on September 15, 1930, a concrete & stone swimming pool. The 30 granite blocks, weighing 90 tons, needed for the construction of the upper wall of the pool were brought in from the original Ames Shovel Works in Bridgewater. Blanche was said to continue to use the pool and swim regularly until her death in 1969 at age 91. Subsequently, the pool was filled in and the area redesigned into a garden by landscape architect Francis T.P. Plimpton, Jr., grandson of Oakes and Blanche Ames.

The estate (1,250 acres) was acquired by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1971 following Blanche's death in 1969 and most of the contents of the home were donated by the family.

The mansion is open for tours on Sundays from 1-3 pm. The grounds are open daily with gates closing at dusk.

For the Centennial celebration of the completion of the construction of the mansion, the Friends of Borderland put together a calendar for 2012. I entered several of my photos (numbers 1-8). Number 1 was chosen for the month of July in the calendar.

Wine Tasting Weekend at the Cliff House in Maine for Lori's Birthday

Newport with Kirstin (from Germany)