A selection of photographs from our January 2019 visit to McKee Botanical Gardens, Vero Beach, Indian River County, Florida
My final Seward Johnson sculpture posting opens with a piece of uncertain authorship, I just know it was not installed for our second 2020 visit just before COVID-19 hit.
Here we have a dynamic group, I can almost hear the music.
Wide enough
Enjoying travel on a horse trap, a type of carriage, on Inishmore (Inis Mór), the largest Aran Island in Galway Bay we headed up Cottage Road from Kilronan, the main island settlement. It was there we embarked from the Doolin ferry, hired the driver, his horse drawn trap. Our destination an iron age fort, Dun Aengus (Dún Aonghasa, the Irish language name) and the sights along the way.
The feeling of this blurry photograph is too good to let lie. I just kept snapping away from the moving carriage, here we are descending a hill and moving a bit faster, the elevation provides this view of Galway Bay, Connemara and the Twelve Pins beyond.
There’s a gate in the cow field, though some fields with cows were gateless. There is a simple answer to the mystery. At one point our driver stopped by his field and and demonstrated how the wall is pulled down to make an opening, the rocks stacked to make this easy. When the cows are in, the rocks go back up, a matter of 10 minutes or so to make a cow-width passage.
A selection of photographs from our January 2019 visit to McKee Botanical Gardens, Vero Beach, Indian River County, Florida
This set starts off with a nice guy at work. He was positioned on the large cafe windows. We met the grandchildren around lunch time, so we caught up around the food.
Inishmore Cottage among fields
An island cottage among fields along the Galway Bay coast, the twelve pins of Connemara beyond.
Notice the playhouse, a replica of the larger cottage.
A selection of photographs from our January 2019 visit to McKee Botanical Gardens, Vero Beach, Indian River County, Florida
The visual narrative and accessibility draw the viewer in…..the exhibit included prop to be used for posing with the art work.
Request to readers: how will you participate? Include responses in the comments. Thank You
A selection of photographs from our January 2019 visit to McKee Botanical Gardens, Vero Beach, Indian River County, Florida
Snooty art critics look down their noses at Johnson’s work, calling it “kitsch,” sentimental and not worthy of display in art museums. It say, “this will be cherished when you are dust.”
A tug at the heart strings.
It’s all in the details.
Beware of falling rock
From the commanding location of Dun Aonghasa, looking northeast across Inishmore island, we can understand why the ancient builders chose this location.
We also see the transition from exposed limestone to the fields built literally from the ground up (see my post “The How of Soil”). For a closer view of island houses see my posts “Settled In” and “Cottage Road Cottage.”
The field walls are described in my posts, “What is a rock, what is a stone?” and “Stone on Stone.”
Click the photograph for a larger view. Enjoy!!
Breaking waves below the dramatic cliffs of the ancient fort Dun Aonghasa (Dun Aengus),
in the distance the karst landscape of Inishmore with clouds of an approaching storm over Galway Bay.
A crack in the limestone foretells the next cliff erosion, “don’t step there!!.”
Inishmore, Aran Islands, County Galway, Ireland.
a storm threatens
In a previous post, “Inner Ring, at last” we passed over the entrance to the inner enclosure.
A long path through fields, karst landscapes and outer walls leads to this entrance to the inner ring of Dun Aonghasa (Dun Aengus) of Inishmore, Aran Islands, County Galway, Ireland. The image composition is as a dramatic landscape with the surrounding walls and the cloudscape of an approaching storm.
Reference: wikipedia Dún Aonghasa
A selection of photographs from our January 2019 visit to McKee Botanical Gardens, Vero Beach, Indian River County, Florida
Life scale Seward Johnson sculpture invites viewers to step into the moment.
Here, sunlight through trees adds to the effect.
The effect here is to grab the other side of the picnic basket…..
….as Taj did here.
A time of wildflowers
My previous post, “Inner Ring, at last”, lowered the horizon. Here, we study the base of the inner wall.
A detail of the interior wall of Dun Aonghasa (Dun Aengus) in springtime. White flowers of Sea Campion (Scientific Name: Silene uniflora) (Irish Name: Coireán mara) set against the ancient dry stone wall. Inishmore, Aran Islands, County Galway, Ireland.
We found Sea Campion throughout the west Ireland coast.
Wishing a blessed All Saints Day (November 1st) for all my readers.
Reference: wikipedia Dún Aonghasa, Sea Campion
Michael Stephen Wills Photography 