(We also visited Dawes in the Spring - here's the post)
The first thing we did was climb up the observation tower to see "Dawes Arboretum" spelled out in huge hedges. You could feel the deck sway with the breeze, so needless to say, we didn't stay up there too long!
You can just see a little bit of the lake in that photo. So, after our little picnic lunch, we headed over there & explored a little island in the middle of the lake. There was a beautiful tree on the island called a paper birch with the neatest bark:
I switched to macro to get a close-up:
I think this called Winter Berry (but don't quote me on that!):
One area I really wanted to visit was the buckeye "patch." Ohio is the Buckeye State, and Dawes has a group of buckeye trees planted in the shape of the number 17, because Ohio was the 17th state. Unfortunately, it appeared as if we were a couple weeks late to see any buckeye tree foliage, but we found lots of buckeye nuts on the ground (the Bachsters were under strict orders not to take any of the buckeyes. Not from me per se, but from Dawes - there were "please do not collect any buckeyes" signs everywhere. Yes, we're a little crazy about our Buckeyes here in Ohio).
Another must see on my list was the Japanese Garden. I'm not sure why, but I've been to Dawes a handful of times and never visited one of the biggest attractions there. So, on this lovely Fall day, we finally made our way there. First thing we came across was a Japanese rock & stone garden, known as karesansui. Oh, the Bachsters were definitely forbidden to run around in there! Further along in the garden, there is a lovely pond and a couple of decorative bridges, a meditation house and lots of beautiful trees, of course!
I love days like this - warm, golden Fall days spent with my Bachsters, exploring a beautiful corner of our world. Just perfect!
You might have noticed this post is entitled part 1 - stay tuned for part 2....one of the must see areas of Dawes for the Bachsters!
-Cheryl
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