Mark Twain once said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” I agree, and I love experiencing this truth firsthand as often as possible.

Five years ago, I traveled to England to visit a friend I’d never met.

Well, that’s not precisely true. Judy and I “met” online in 2017 in a pre-pandemic Zoom group called The Creative Circle. The group was originally established as a way for artist/ writer friends of Michael Nobbs to support one another as we “gently moved our creative projects forward one small step at a time.”

Most of us did not have strict daily creative practices, and yet we all became far more productive because of the gentle encouragement of this quirky artists’ group. Judy and I soon discovered we had several unexpected things in common so despite living 3,230 miles apart, I got the crazy idea to meet her in person someday. It seemed less crazy as the months and years passed.

In the spring-fever months of early 2019, I started thinking the time had come. I did a bit of online research, then contacted Judy via Zoom to ask if she might like a visitor from America. I promised I would stay in a B&B and would try very hard not to overwhelm either of us, as we are both card-carrying introverts. She smiled and said yes. Now for the trip planning!

Judy, like many of us, is more likely to visit local tourist attractions with an out-of-town visitor than by herself, and so we decided to take full advantage of the unexplored treasures close to her home. That is how, on a picture-perfect day in May 2019, we ended up at West Green House Garden.

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Day 5 – May 11, 2019

This morning, Judy and I were off to Hook (I love the names of towns here), about eight miles away by car. West Green House Garden has been owned by the National Trust since 1971. In 1976, Alistair McAlpine began restoring the gardens and adding monuments, follies, and all sorts of interesting outdoor spaces to please visitors.

One of my favorites today (unfortunately I have no photo) was a 50-foot column with a Latin inscription that reads: “This monument was built with a great deal of money which otherwise someday would have been given into the hands of the public revenue.” Love it.

Advance study of this place’s history added so much to the experience of being here. A faction of the Irish Republican Army apparently bombed the house in 1990. Three years later, Marylyn Abbott (a marketing and tourism professional from Australia) led the restoration. She states,

“I have been looking for a ruined garden and thought the house was beautiful and so it catered to all my needs.”

The regular opera performances here reflect her impressive experience with the Sydney Opera House and her deep love of music.

What a beautiful day it has been, wandering with Judy along the winding paths through outdoor “rooms” and manicured water gardens. Lutyens’ benches, inspired by the British architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens, dotted the gardens and made restful pondering and sketching so much easier.

All in all, a perfect day with many more to follow.

(to be continued…)

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 As always, thanks for spending some time with me “aloft.” Happy sketching!