The Gardener's Eden

 Above Lake Whitingham, Vermont, 2013

Welcome to Autumn and her kaleidoscopic splendor! Here’s to fiery maples, lapis lazuli skies, starry nights, roaring bonfires and frosty mornings. Pour yourself a glass of hot, mulled cider and let’s toast the season.

Here’s to the beauty of fall! A warm welcome to Autumn as she dons her glorious crown . . .Cheers!

The 2014 Autumnal Equinox occurs at 10:29pm EDT, September 22nd (World Clock: September 23rd, 2:29 UTC) 

 Color Bands Above Deerfield, Massachusetts, 2013

Autumn’s Fiery-Blue Heart, Above Newfane, Vermont, 2013

Photography & Text â“’ Michaela Medina Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All photographs, artwork, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of Michaela Medina Harlow and/or The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you!

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 Farewell to Summer  (Above Plum Island, Massachusetts)

In the United States, the Autumnal Equinox will occur today, September 22nd, at 10:29 p.m. EDT (On the world clock, September 23 at 2:29 UTC). I feel that it is particularly hard to say goodbye to summer this year. Although it seemed a bit shorter than usual, for me, this has been a most joyous season.

In celebration of the fair months —late June, July, August and early September— an untethered look at the summer landscape from inside the sky. A selection of aerial photographs from my recent visit to Plum Island, Massachusetts.

So long, farewell, sweet summertime . . .

 So Long to Sailboats, Bobbing in Harbors (Above Plum Island, Massachusetts)

Farewell to Long Summer Sand Dunes (Above Plum Island, Massachusetts)

Farewell to Toes in Warm Sand (Above Plum Island, Massachusetts)

 And Zippy Speedboats (Above Great Marsh, Massachusetts)

 And Sunset Paddles (Above Plum Island, Massachusetts)

 Through Wild Inlets of Green Reeds and Rushes (Above Great Marsh, Massachusetts)

Peridot, Teal and Turquoise Sea (Above Plum Island, Massachusetts)

Sunlit, Silver-Blue Waters (Above Great Marsh, Massachusetts)

 And Salty Sea Spray (Above Great Marsh, Massachusetts)

 We’ll be Kissed by the Warmth of Sun Once Again, on Another Summer’s Day (Above Great Marsh, Massachusetts)

Aerial Photography & Text â“’ Michaela Medina Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All photographs, artwork, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of Michaela Medina Harlow and/or The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you!

Do you enjoy The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through affiliate links. A small percentage of each sale will be paid to this site, helping to cover web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you so much for your support!

 Connecticut River, Early Autumn 

I am now offering select, archival-quality prints, suitable for framing, from my recent October Kaleidoscope aerial series (click here), and the Days of Late Summer aerial series (click here), available for purchase online. Print prices vary by size (8″ x 12″ on up to 16″ x 24″), starting at $55 (shipping is included, within the continental U.S.). Not all photographs are currently available in all sizes, but more images, sizes and options are coming!

Soon, I will have a page at left dedicated to print orders (both photographs and artwork), but for now, if you are interested in purchasing a print, please send me an email here, and I will take your order personally. All major forms of payment are accepted via Paypal. Please allow two to three weeks for printing and shipping of special orders.

Photography & Textâ“’ Michaela Medina Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All photographs, artwork, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of Michaela Medina Harlow and/or The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you!

Do you enjoy The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through affiliate links. A small percentage of each sale will be paid to this site, helping to cover web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you so much for your support!

Above the Ripe Fields – Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts

Spending a bit more time in the air again, of late… Enjoying the beauty of the New England landscape, from above. Some time away, a fresh perspective… All good. And so, I’ve collected and edited a visual journal of these hours and days. Colors, textures and patterns; strange, yet familiar beauty to share from the untethered world above.

Come fly away with me. A few moments, inside the sky . . .

Stripes, Dots, Color-Blocks and Shadow Shapes: Land Patterns

 Tobacco Barn Beauty in Shimmering Late Day Sunlight

 Swampland Beauty with Afternoon’s Advancing Shadows

 Tiny, Uninhabited Islands, Quabbin Reservoir, Massachusetts

The Landscape, Reflected: High Above Quabbin Reservoir, Massachusetts

 Uninhabited Island, Quabbin Reservoir, Massachusetts

 Rhode Island Coastline

Above Mohegan Bluffs, Block Island, Rhode Island

Beach Fire Circle, Block Island, Rhode Island

Mohegan Bluffs, Block Island, Rhode Island

  Boats at New Harbor, Block Island, Rhode Island

 Southeast Light, Block Island, Rhode Island

 Old Harbor, Block Island, Rhode Island

 New Harbor, Block Island, Rhode Island

Photography & Text â“’ Michaela Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you! 

Do you enjoy The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through affiliate links. A small percentage of each sale will be paid to this site, helping to cover web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you so much for your support!

Beauty in Full Bloom: Above the Apple Orchard, Scott Farm, Vermont

It’s apple blossom season at Scott Farm in Dummerston, Vermont, and the orchard is in full, fragrant glory. Having posted many articles here on The Gardener’s Eden about the Scott Farm orchard —both during the springtime bloom and again during the autumn apple harvest— I decided to do something a bit different this year. Change is in the air at Scott Farm, and inspired by the uplifting mood, I took to the sky for a fresh, symbolic perspective on this beautiful, Vermont treasure.

Row upon row of heirloom fruit trees —including apples, quince, peaches, plums and pears, as well as berries—  fill the orchard at Scott Farm. 

With Tristam Johnson now serving as interim executive director at Landmark Trust, the springtime excitement at Scott Farm has reached an all-time high. Kelly Carlin, office manager, has been updating Scott Farm’s website, and long-time orchard manager and heirloom fruit tree expert, Ezekiel Goodband has recently begun blogging; journaling about day-to-day orchard keeping, as well as posting updates on fruit tree sales, educational programs and community activities at the farm. There’s a springtime renaissance happening at Scott Farm, and the entire orchard is buzzing with the lively energy of a newly invigorated hive. Be sure to visit the Scott Farm website throughout the growing season for information about the availability of ecologically grown orchard fruit and berries, as well as seasonal events and educational opportunities at Scott Farm.

 

A heart-felt thank you goes out to Landmark Trust’s new, Executive Director, Tristam Johnson, Scott Farm’s Office Manager, Kelly Carlin and Scott Farm Orchard Manager, Ezekiel Goodband for extending a warm welcome on my visits, both aerial and terrestrial. Wishing everyone at Scott Farm a bright and happy new growing season!

Photography & Text â“’ Michaela Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you! 

Do you enjoy The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through affiliate links. A small percentage of each sale will be paid to this site, helping to cover web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you so much for your support!

Above the Connecticut River

Let’s Make Every Day, Earth Day  

Photography & Text â“’ Michaela Medina Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you! 

Do you enjoy The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through affiliate links. A small percentage of each sale will be paid to this site, helping to cover web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you so much for your support!

 Organic Weave: Hints of Green in the Tobacco Fields {Above Deerfield, Massachusetts}

Up before sunrise to catch dawn’s honey-gold light, last Friday morning I toured the early April landscape beneath the wings of an agile Citabria. As we climbed to altitude, a haze of sheer, radiant color —violet, cherry, gold and willow— illuminated treetops and hills as the low sunlight cast shadows, long across the chartreuse-tinted fields. Like a fine, pastel tapestry, flung across the valley floor, the springtime earth shimmered and glistened below us. Gnarled apple trees, dramatic with freshly sculpted forms, stood out in stark contrast to the muted tones of tawny land. It was a glorious morning inside the sky; filled with the promise of a bright, new season and finally —receding into the shadows— the last ghostly whispers of the one before . . .

 The Colors of Springtime {Above Apex Orchard, Colrain, Massachusetts}

Gnarled-Beauty of Newly Pruned Apple Trees {Apex Orchard, Colrain, Massachusetts} 

Colorbands Along the Connecticut River, Massachusetts 

 Meltwater Rush from the Turners Falls Dam: Above Gill & Montague, Massachusetts

 Blinding Sun Lights Fire to Trees, Round an Oxbow

 Ice Slowly Melting Away: Sawyer Ponds, Northfield, Massachusetts

 Golden Light & Inky Reflections: Above the Connecticut River

 Sweeping Curves Along the Connecticut River

 Spring Colors Emerging, at Long Last

Photography and Text â“’ Michaela Medina Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you! 

Do you enjoy The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through affiliate links. A small percentage of each sale will be paid to this site, helping to cover web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you so much for your support!

 Golden Keys (Above the Florida Keys, USA)

Explorers sailed to the New World seeking it. Chemists have spent centuries chasing it. Far above the earth, at the golden hour —while gazing out a jetliner window— I found what they’ve all been searching for. Aerial alchemy.

And I think to myself, as Louis Armstrong once sang, what a wonderful world . . .

 Liquid Gold Lakes & Rose-Platinum Smoke (Above Honduras)

 Golden River, Run to the Sea (Above Honduras)

 Shimmering Rivers (Above Honduras)

Photography and Text â“’ Michaela Medina/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you! 

Do you enjoy The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through affiliate links. A small percentage of each sale will be paid to this site, helping to cover web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you so much for your support!

 Snowshoeing the Woodland Trails . . .

Time is relative, and it always seems to pass most slowly when you’re waiting. At this time of year, many of us in New England start to feel a bit down. Winter is a long season here, and in spite of what the calendar might say, it often lasts well into early spring. For me, living in the future —counting the days until apple trees blossom— only makes the winter seem longer and more brutal. When I was a child, like most children, I loved winter. Back then, snow storms meant adventure: cancelled classes, homemade cookies, sleds and snow forts. Of course once you grow up, other realities —shoveling, plowing snow, power outages and rising fuel costs— begin to steal the fun away from wintertime.

This year, I decided to take back winter, and focus on the joy. Instead of longing for the scent of moist earth and the colors of springtime, I turned my attention to the delights of snow and ice. I chased away the February blahs on a fast-moving toboggan and lightweight snowshoes; entertaining myself by flying down the driveway and rediscovering the joys crashing through paper-thin ice. Amazing what a bit of fast-paced activity will do for your mood!

A Half-Frozen Brook, Filled with Fallen Beech Leaves . . .

 And Torn Specks of Orange on Ice . . .

Naked Branches Dancing in Chilly Pools, Swaying with Winter Worn Leaves and Hints of Spring Green

My twelve-year-old dog, Oli adores the winter. And why not? There are animals to track and snowballs to chase and opportunities to roll in fresh, white powder. He lives for a belly-deep blizzard; the chance to grab an enormous stick and “lead” the plow down my long, winding drive. He whines and wiggles and wags his tail, impatiently waiting for the engine to turn over so his fun can begin. Oli never seems to mind the cold when he’s moving. In fact, I can often see him smiling though the snow; digging to China as I struggle to connect an extension cord and charge yet another dead battery. “Winter is great fun.”, he says, “Quit your complaining and you’re bound to notice.”

 The Joy of Finding Abundant Beauty and Surprise in Snowy Forest, on a Sunny Winter’s Day

Oli’s right, of course. Winter is both fun and amazing. And so I vow from this day forward to end the seasonal lament. No more waiting for the arrival of sweet springtime. She’ll be here soon enough. And if you find yourself suffering from the blues, join me in building a snowman. And remember, as Stephen Stills once sang . . .

“If you can’t be with the one you love, honey, love the one you’re with . . .”

 From a Recent Flight Above the Valley: Winter Sunset Above Barton Cove, Gill, Massachusetts

Photography and Text â“’ Michaela Medina/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you! 

Do you enjoy The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through affiliate links. A small percentage of each sale will be paid to this site, helping to cover web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you so much for your support!

Light. Texture. Pattern. The sky offers a bit of fresh perspective; revealing the beauty of Winter’s bones. High above the valley —retracing fields, roads, rivers— the familiar becomes strange, and the strange becomes familiar, once again…

Photography and Text â“’ Michaela Medina/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you! 

Do you enjoy The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through affiliate links. A small percentage of each sale will be paid to this site, helping to cover web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you so much for your support!

Autumn Orchard Beauty: 1,200′ Above Clarkdale Fruit Farm in Deerfield, Massachusetts

Is there anything more delightful than the colors and flavors of an autumn orchard? Looking down at the Clarkdale Fruit Farm orchards from 1,200′ AGL, it’s impossible not to dream of strolling with friends; enjoying a cup of cold, sweet, fresh-pressed cider, amid the beautiful fragrances & colors of golden pears and blushing apples . . .

Sweet, Rich Colors to Match the Flavors of Autumn Harvest: Clarkdale Fruit Farm

Clarkdale Fruit Farm is a wonderful, friendly and welcoming orchard located in Deerfield, Massachusetts. This fourth generation, family owned orchard harvests and sells more than 100 varieties of sustainably grown apples —including heirlooms planted by the first generation of Clarks— peaches, plums, nectarines, pears, grapes, cherries and other fruits; as well as pumpkins, gourds and other produce. Clarkdale Orchard also presses their own delicious, sweet cider blends.

Clarkdale Orchard participates in Franklin County, Massachusetts’ Cider Days (this weekend, November 3rd and 4th, click here for more information and event schedule).

For more information, visit the Clarkdale Fruit Farm website by clicking here.

Photography and Text â“’ Michaela Medina/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you! 

Do you enjoy The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through affiliate links. A small percentage of each sale will be paid to this site, helping to cover web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you so much for your support!

Like Farm Fields Viewed from Above, Flats of New Seedlings at Walker Farm Create Brilliant Geometric Abstractions

Yesterday, I spent a few happy midday hours and an exciting lunchtime meeting with my friends Karen, Jack and Daisy at Walker Farm in Dummerston, Vermont. The 241-year-old farm has long been a popular and beloved local resource for organically grown produce and vegetable starts. But in its more recent history —having been featured by Anne Raver in The New York Times and other well-known publications—  family-owned Walker Farm has become well-known amongst horticultural connoisseurs throughout New England and New York as an insider’s source for high-quality, rare and unusual annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs.

Inside nineteen greenhouses along the Connecticut River, each year Walker Farm grows more than 1,200 varieties of annual and perennial plants from seed. Walker Farm will be open on April 8th*, and at this time of year, the farm is literally buzzing with activity; with seed starting and vegetative propagation of plants in full swing. I’ll be writing much more about Walker Farm in the coming weeks, but for today here is a sneak peek at some of the young annual and perennial seedings and colorful succulent starts growing at the farm. As my eye took in the abstract, geometric shapes, patterns and delightfully saturated colors, I couldn’t help but compare the greenhouse landscape to that of agricultural fields, viewed from above.

With much of the outside world still covered in snow, I found the fresh rush of color particularly uplifting…

Just Imagine These Beautiful Colors, Trailing from Baskets and Balconies…

Endless Spring Planting Combinations and Container Design Possibilites Spring to Mind When Gazing Upon the Gorgeous Succulent and Begonia Starts at Walker Farm

A Bird’s Eye View of the Landscape Inside the One of the Many Greenhouses at Walker Farm

* Walker Farm‘s early opening date is for sale of cold-hardy pansies, seeds and garden supplies. The sale of annual vegetable & flower starts and perennials will begin as local weather permits. Please see the farm’s website here for details, plant lists, directions and other helpful information including a free, seed germination guide.

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Article and photographs are copyright Michaela at The Gardener’s Eden, all rights reserved. All content on this site, (with noted exceptions), is the property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be used, reproduced or reposted elsewhere without written consent.

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