There is something nearly Supernatural about this splendid forest, located about 25 miles outside of Louisville, Kentucky, bearing south on I-65. Bernheim Forest can give you its own set of facts and figures and detail its own history from its website right here: Bernheim(in its own words). But I can tell you from first hand experience, what they have done in terms of preservation as well as in experimentation is truly remarkable.
The structure below is their “Canopy Walk” – a bridge to nowhere – which exists to allow a person to admire a truly “bird’s eye view” from high among the tops of the local trees in the middle of the forest. The picture below that one is the view in its current early, raw Springtime form. One can readily see that this is a country ripe with rainfall and plump fat trees and plants, all set into sustaining soils – a richness which has that rare and intriguing quality of just seeming incredibly fortunate and uncommonly beautiful as a result. This is what “Pampered” means in Nature!: 
(left click any image to enlarge, click again for detail)
Kentucky’s forests, especially in this central state view, are a typical riot of deciduous hardwoods, comprising endless species from native Kentucky Coffee Trees (yes, lol) to the Hickory Trees shown here – and onward, to Maples, Oaks, ‘Gums’ of all sorts, Elms and then – wow! – to the SpringTime wonders of the local world – Dogwood Trees and the Native Red Buds. All are just getting underway in the deepst sections of the forest and Bernheim provides drives and alleyways which one can explore either on foot via the well-kept and fabulous trails or even by just plain old car. Here are a couple of “road views” my Mom and I took while coursing through there yesterday:
There is a somehow “innocent” appeal in the picture below. The simplicity and the big fat lush background of this volunteer Dogwood tree, all scraggly but proud, shows Nature’s best qualities. Survival and beauty coexist in a riot of simple floral beauty, spackling the environment with simplicity but remarkable – nearly Japanese Garden/Zen-like – gorgeousness of form and function.
Moving along from literary license, we encounter other wonders in this Natural Paradise. Isn’t this pretty?:
And this? Disgusting, isn’t it? We had a laugh as I named some of these groupings and trees. I called this one, for example “Hot Shot”. He’s totally in his element, man.
But of even greater impact to many, and I have to include myself to a degree, is the work Bernheim has done in cultivating a captivating environment not just for the Natural side of things – but as a “Garden”. They have featured Kentucky’s greatest products – (no, NOT Bourbon! That’s later.) – these “great” items being natural Bluegrass and these wonderful trees and plants, together in ways which clear the mind and soul with devastating vistas of glorious color and, really, totally extravagant beauty:
And in this regard they feature the ‘Margins’ of natural forest and cultivation.
This beautiful grove at the back end of Bernheim’s cultivated park area is exceptionally special to me. It is the location where we spread my Father’s ashes following his passing in 1983, spread far to the left of the statue and among his favorite spots on Earth. He has a headstone of course, at my Mom’s family plot in Illinois, representing his military service and occupying the space among so many of his friends from those days. They are no doubt delighted by yet more of his fun-loving foolishness and charm. But it is here in Bernheim where I find him in my heart. Yeah, Bernheim is special to me for this reason. He was just a terrific guy and I miss him. Pardon the interruption. But you have to admit it’s a cool spot, eh?
This meandering road leads up to the Statue Garden above. The placidity and lushness of all these forms and colors provide the utter uniqueness of this wonderful place, designed by this marvelous combination of Nature and rigorous planning. The split rail fences are of the type which were commonest for farms and properties back when Kentucky was settled. Those modern lines never seem to get old – in spite of their simplicity. Nice Sycamore to the left, as well.
I’m closing it down for now – I have 100 or so pictures and have really just begun. Tomorrow – or next post – I will deal with a most revelatory discovery – an absolutely unique grove of Magnolia Soulangiana cultivars and hybrids – the range of blossoms was stunning – with colors from brilliant purple and white to yellow and even to – I kid you not – green blooms. Here’s one now.
Spring hit here like a ton of bricks. After a long, long, long Winter the weather has finally relented, giving up a remarkably sunny and warm period where it seems every Spring blossoming tree known to man felt the urge to unite in color and extravagance and try and get it over with as soon as possible.
2 weeks ago, this was the scene along one of my normal walks:
(left click any image to enlarge. Click twice for more detail)
Which then evolved into this:
And then eventually this:
The Forsythia went hog wild, as normal:
And this is all the early stuff! Check out these Magnolia Soulangiana’s, especially well-represented here in the South (as well as their smells!! Man, who knew??):
Talk about overkill!
And look at this mess!!(Not that I’m complaining.)……..
But it is the park, designed for an optimal Springtime Show, that really moved me most. Check out this brief Time Lapse series, Daff’s and all, then enjoy Chinese Pears doing their thing, with a few native Redbuds in between. This is an extremely thoughtfully-designed park:
Note the grass has most certainly “Gone green.”
Nice Park:
Here a native Redbud gets loose and ready for some brilliance. It is not at all unusual to see this tree studding any forest in Kentucky. Like the native Dogwoods, Redbuds are free and easy:
I think these Weeping Cherries are just magnificent as well -
Here is the larger version:
I promise to keep us all posted on the progress of these Dogwood trees:
Anything less would be uncivilized! 
“I’m not a real movie star. I’ve still got the same wife I started out with twenty-eight years ago.” Will Rogers
It has been an article of faith in my family’s genealogical discussions that Will Rogers was my Grandfather’s cousin. Actually, more than that – it’s true. Naturally, I am proud of it all, as are all my relatives. My grandfather’s name was Paul Rogers, obviously the maiden name of my very own Mom. I remember one time someone telling my daughter Alena – probably around the 3rd or 4th grade – that they were “descended from royalty”. She was moping and feeling dreadfully “unconnected” to her own ‘royalty’ and she said as much.It reminded me of when I came home all sad and feeling so small over a similar taunting sense of deprivation at about the same age. Then my own Mom told me about our own genealogy. Needless to say, both my daughter and I were delighted to learn some of the facts of our family history. Face it – everyone is. We gain so much by such an in depth look at where we come from – it puts us in touch with the past and makes us curious about the eras when these most interesting people lived. For example, another ancestor of ours came over on a ship with the first settlers in New Amsterdam – New York. Which leads to a small but humorous tale:
I had a good friend named Ed Starkins who still lives in Vancouver, who was all agog about getting a Canada Council Grant to travel to England to help with research on a book he was writing about a murder in Vancouver which took place in 1926. It was an upper class scandal, never resolved, and Ed wanted to open it all back up. Even the research had some intrigues of its own. Here’s the book: Who Killed Janet Smith? Nice and cheap now, Ed!
Well, my friend Ed was also all hyped up about seeing some of his ancestors in the ‘oldest graveyards in New York City’. It was to be one of the side benefits, especially evocative for him since he was pretty much born and raised in San Diego.
Poor Ed.
When he came back, after what must have been a month away, he had tales of how he was barred from opening 100 year old files owing to the potential damage to family reputations they could cause – all the opium wars, illegal shipping and the likes. These were all fascinating. But he also had a real bummer, experienced in NYC. When I asked him if he had indeed found graves of his ancestors, he said a sad “No, man.” Furthermore, lol……….he said this:
“There were a billion frigging Snedekers !”
I held my mud, lol, not wanting to hurt him further. It was a great moment and rare. My Spanish friend, a mutual friend to Ed and I, who was raised in an ancestral home in La Coruna, Spain, and whose family has furniture from the 1500′s up in their attic, laughed at us both. Honestly, it’s really all pretty relative. (Pardon the pun.)
Moving right along, now……….being related to Will Rogers meant one signal and very important thing to me. It meant I could study him with some pride of place but – even more important – it meant that I could study him. Irregardless of any genetic attachment I may have, this man was a great man. Since we see so much comedy replacing literal political explanation any more – Jon Stewart comes to mind – we remember Bob Hope, Mark Twain and so many other Americans throughout our history who used humor to literally shed light on our modern problems. Quotes such as these are timeless:-
- The income tax has made more liars out of Americans than golf!
- I belong to no organized party, I’m a Democrat.
- If stupidity got us in this mess, why can’t it get us out?
- People who fly into a rage always make a bad landing
- Diplomacy is the art of saying “Nice doggie” until you can find a rock. (!!!!)
- Diplomats are just as essential to starting a war as soldiers are for finishing it… You take diplomacy out of war, and the thing would fall flat in a week.
- (a personal favorite of mine): I bet after seeing us, George Washington would sue us for calling him “father.” Hahaha.
Rogers had a huge attachment to Hollywood, of course, being in the exceedingly unusual situation of quite literally playing himself in later films as his notoriety increased. One thing about the man, however, and the purest source of all the admiration which was ladled upon him when he was around was his utter humanity. In this day and age, how many men do we know who believe this way?:
“I bet you if I had met him and had a chat with him, I would have found him a very interesting and human fellow, for I never yet met a man that I didn’t like. When you meet people, no matter what opinion you might have formed about them beforehand, why, after you meet them and see their angle and their personality, why, you can see a lot of good in all of them.”
That is pure Will Rogers and that alone is the most respectable opinion I believe anyone can possibly have about life on this Earth.
Most of us know a lot about Will Rogers, so I won’t expound much more on it, other than to say I like paying homage to those who really, really deserve it. I don’t care what the subject matter of a blog is supposed to be, we all have room for Will Rogers.
Movie theaters across the country went silent for an hour to commemorate his funeral and his passing. In 1935, Congress also observed a moment of silence in his memory and CBS and NBC, the two Titans of radio back then, closed off the airwaves for a full half hour in his memory. Will’s obituary filled four full pages in the New York Times.
I think we owe it to ourselves to honor people like this. These guys make us great.
Next: “Stalking the Wild Dandolion!”
