Sonnenberg Garden Cooperstown and another cider mill

The Sonnenberg Garden is beautiful. My photos do not in any way do it justice.

Sonnenberg is the former summer home of Frederick Ferris and Mary Clark Thompson. He was a NYC banker (think Citibank and JP Morgan Chase) and she the daughter of NY State Governor Myron H. Clark.

In 1863 the purchased a 300 acre farm named Sonnenberg (Sunny Hill) near Canandaigua Lake for their summer home. He died in 1899 and she turned the estate into the show place it is today

She traveled the world looking at gardens and she came home to create the gardens on the estate between 1902 and 1919.

In 1972, after years of neglect, the property was turned into a non profit and restoration began.  In 2006 it was purchased by the state.

My favorite story I heard was that Mrs Thompson requested that if someone wanted to bring a house gift when coming to visit she asked that they bring a tree. So the grounds are full of all different types of trees from all over the world.

I even love the fence!

When I walked up to the ticket booth and saw the green houses in the background and this garden, I thought it might be a waste of time - not - it was amazing. They are slowly restoring the estate.

This was an iron gazebo that has collapsed.

The Japanese Garden is said to be the first in the country. She imported a Japanese landscape architect  - my photos don't look like much but it was beautiful.

Very much worth a visit.

MacKenzie Childs studio. I stopped here on my way by, have been here before.

Of course I didn't try to take any photos in the shop but I used the bathroom and shot it! All the color you see is their tile.

I wish I had some peoples way with words. I can't always think of how to express how I feel. I so admire song writers and writers in general. That's why I quote people a lot!

The latest thing a friend just put into words for me is the fact I'm happiest when I have a vista to look at. The water, the mountains, a valley, a field, doesn't really matter what it is as long as I can see a long way. When she said "I need a vista", I thought to myself, wow, that's me, I never could put my finger on it before!

The vista from MacKenzie Childs.

I wasn't even going to mention that I visited MacKenzie Child studio because I have not been happy with some of their business practices in the past. I will say they are at lease making their original line in their studio in NY (not off shore). So the reason I decided to mention it is that in the next town I saw this beautiful house with garden and they had about 15 MacKenzie Child birdhouses hanging on their porch.

Next up - a Cider Mill - I can never pass one up.