Friday, June 3, 2011

A Morning Walk (Continued) at the Inn on Biltmore Estates


This is still my fist morning exercise which started at 7 a.m.  I returned to the Inn and woke up the teenage girls and we breakfasted on the restaurant's patio with the misty Pisgah National Forest in view.  George Vanderbilt (owner of Biltmore) was the grandson of a railroad baron.  HERE is a summary which I think does a nice job describing this very interesting man.  Frederick Law Olmsted, (click on last name for an interesting review) known for his landscape design of New York's Central Park, transformed the area into pastoral views and natural looking woodlands.  It is my understanding that much of this area was clear-cut due to lumbering and that what we see today is Olmsted's last masterpiece.



This rooster was quite upset that I was looking at his hens.  His head would pop up, he would "Cock a Doodle Do" at me and then dip his head under.  Once I had my face right up to the screen and he popped his head up and we were literally eye to eye.  That really got him to fluff his feathers!  I can tell you, I was quite glad there was a screen between us.




... and the wine IS lovely!  Especially when relaxing in a hot tub... :)



Does anyone know what kind of bird this is?  I see them around NC all the time.  I love their long tail feathers.

10 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

those are so pretty! the bird is a thrasher. maybe a brown thrasher...

Ginny Brannan said...

I agree, I think it is a Brown Thrasher. They range down into the Carolinas. "Google" Brown Thrasher. It brings up many images that look just like this fella! Love your photography. Your images are beautiful!!

Brian Miller said...

oo nice captures...the biltmore, very nice...been there a few times...

Carol Blackburn said...

Such lovely shots, Margaret.

Lisa Gordon said...

This must have been such a wonderful time Margaret!
Each of these photographs looks so wonderful peaceful!
Have a wonderful weekend!!

Reena said...

Beautiful bird and each photograph is great! So love the fog ones!

Vagabonde said...

Your photos are sensational. We went to the Biltmore Estate in summer and I took a zillion photos but have not done a post yet. Yours are so good, I’ll be ashamed to post mine. Isn’t it a wonderful place? I told my husband that we should go there every season.

Margaret said...

Texwisgirl - Thanks! I have a few in my back yard and I love watching them.

Ginny - thanks! He let me get within a few feet of him, believe it or not. I hardly had to zoom at all!

Brian - I can't imagine every getting tired of hanging out at the Inn!

Carol - thanks - and you may paint any that you like! :)

Lisa - I'm still living the weekend in my mind!

Missing Moments - I was disappointed when I found out there would be no "sunrise" but I ended up LOVING the hazy morning!

Vagabonde - !! I really enjoyed walking around the estate with my camera... I didn't take many while horseback riding (upcoming post) nor kaiaking, but I could have visited for MUCH longer. Will definitely go back ... and would love to see your posts - your words and photos are always great!

Dutchbaby said...

I saw this post yesterday but didn't have time to leave word. Fantastic images, Margaret! My favorite is the one with the rooster - what a great composition! Close seconds: the close-up of the cog and the thrasher. Your photos of the last few posts are glorious too. I can tell that you had a grand time with the girls.

I'm a huge Olmsted fan. He did the master plan for my alma mater, UC Berkeley, and also for Stanford University, which is right in our back yard. He was a genius.

Ginnie Hart said...

You already know I love that Biltmore place. Did you know that Olmsted has a USA stamp in honor of him? He was really well-known for what he did!
http://cgi.ebay.com/3338-Frederick-Olmsted-US-33c-Stamp-Full-Sheet-MNH-/250728012014