Billie Hinton/Bio

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Thursday, October 28, 2010

the conservatory at the Biltmore Estate

One of the places we went this trip was the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. I've been numerous times during my life, but my children have only been once before, and my mom hadn't been in many years, so we decided to take an afternoon there.

The estate itself is incredible, but this trip I discovered a section I'd never been in before: the conservatory.

I'm not sure what captivated me the most - the labyrinthine rooms and walkways, the gorgeous plants, the light, or the periodic sound of levers turning and windows shifting, and misters spraying. It was absolutely mesmerizing. I took a lot of photographs, which I'll be adding here as the day rolls on.

Here are a few to get me started:





I think there is a book with a conservatory just like this one in my writing future.
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8 comments:

  1. Grey Horse MattersOctober 28, 2010 at 10:21:00 AM EST

    The plants are spectacular, especially to someone like me with a black thumb. I can see why it would seem a magical place to get lost in marveling at the beauty displayed.

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  2. MatthewOctober 28, 2010 at 10:50:00 AM EST

    I love the combination between the architectural lines of the conservatory and the organic flowing shapes of the plants. A perfect place to explore with a camera (or without one!)

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  3. billieOctober 28, 2010 at 11:20:00 AM EST

    Arlene, I think part of the magic is that they were so spectacular - and although I know on an intellectual level they are tended daily, it seemed as if this place just existed there, w/o human intervention. It was near the end of the day when we found it and it was virtually empty.

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  4. billieOctober 28, 2010 at 11:20:00 AM EST

    Matthew, I think you're right - that juxtaposition is very appealing to the eye and senses, with or w/o a camera.

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  5. ponymaidOctober 28, 2010 at 7:06:00 PM EST

    Billie, how delightfully civilized and what a feast for the senses. I can only imagine that some of those rare specimens would be delicious. Did you sample any?

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  6. billieOctober 28, 2010 at 7:41:00 PM EST

    No, but it certainly crossed my mind that you and Rafer Johnson would make a perfect curator team for the estate, the conservatory, and the entire grounds.

    I can see it now.

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  7. DawnOctober 31, 2010 at 4:30:00 PM EST

    BTW-- this set of gorgeous pictures practically screams Georgia O' Keefe. As always, a great blog Billie.

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  8. billieOctober 31, 2010 at 6:35:00 PM EST

    Hi, Dawn - I love Georgia and her lovely zoom in and make it huge perspective!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment - I love reading them and respond as often as I can. I also love comments that add to the original post, so feel free to share your own experiences, insights, and thoughts.