Yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of the McNeely Conservatory in Como Park. I’ve been fortunate to enjoy it in my neighborhood for the past 10 years, and even in that time there have been many changes. Throughout the seasons the conservatory has welcomed people to its warmth and its plethora of beautiful flowers. In a state where we have a definitive four seasons, it’s been delightful to have an oasis of green and color during the wintertime when our landscape is reduced to black and white. This weekend the Conservatory was filled with the music of 1915 including Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, and Muddy Waters. The changes I’ve seen in 10 years can’t begin to compare to the changes in a century. I trust that the conservatory will be around in another 100 years, and that people will continue to marvel at the Victorian glass houses that have attracted visitors for all these years.
Como Park
Fall colors in the Ordway Japanese Garden
There are so many lovely “hidden gems” in the Twin Cities, and one just happens to be in my neighborhood. Como Park, which includes a conservatory, zoo, carousel, golf course, lake, swimming pool, picnic areas, and many trails, also holds a lovely Japanese garden tucked away down a winding path. In the early morning hours with the colors of autumn on display, I found myself humbled and amazed at the quiet and the beauty in the garden. The fallen leaves seemed to have a purpose in their random display, as if saying that all is right in this changing landscape. The colors spoke to me, begging to be remembered as they will be quickly replaced with the white of snow. This year’s change of seasons has been hurried, yet here in the Japanese garden there was a stillness and quiet reminding me that each season holds its own purpose and to trust in the changes of fall prior to the long nights of winter.
Wishing for spring
The calendar turns to March, and our wishes turn to spring. The cold and hardness of winter is still around us, but this is when we yearn for the softness of spring – for color, thawing, and green. In Minnesota, the only place to find that now is at the McNeely Conservatory in Como Park – our very own oasis of spring. These daffodils represent the hope and promise of spring to me. The yellow of sunshine, the green of new beginnings, and the softness that starts the season of spring. Soon……
A hint of spring with magnolias
Our weather has been gloomy with days of gray. Our landscape has been transitional; warmer temperatures this past week caused some snow to melt, leaving patches of brown grass and piles of dirty snow. But one place is an oasis of spring – the McNeely Conservatory at Como Park. With a walk into the Sunken Garden, one is surrounded visually by spring. Colors of pink and yellow, purple and blue – a wonderful sight to the eyes. With encouragement like this, winter can’t last too much longer and we’ll savor the sights of spring when they arrive.
Fog and stillness at Como Park
The cold and crisp of winter moderated the past two days with temperatures in the 40’s. With our layer of snow and cold temperatures on the ground we awoke this morning to a beautiful landscape of fog. The stillness of early morning and the fog’s softening effect made the landscape magical. Everything stood quietly as the fog moved in and out, becoming thicker and then lessening to a thin veil. I was at the McNeely Conservatory at Como Park this morning, where the thin ice of the Frog Pond allowed the fog to form above it in a narrow band, still leaving the dome of the conservatory visible above.
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