Mounting toward beauty

"We have to make things beautiful; they do not grow so of themselves," wrote Edith Wharton, and she certainly lived out that principle when she built The Mount, her house near Lenox, Massachusetts. This is the place where she was able to free herself from her mother's oppressive influence and invent herself as an author, but after her marriage fell apart, she sold The Mount, moved to Europe, and never returned. The house eventually fell into severe neglect, but a massive restoration effort in the past 30 years made the house and grounds again a place of beauty. 

Every place we looked, we saw something beautiful, whether inside the house, in the gardens, or on the paths through the woods. Even the path up to the little pet cemetery where Edith's little dogs were laid to rest is a treat for the senses. The Mount currently hosts an outdoor sculpture show called Sculpture Now, which added interest to the experience; it's delightful to happen upon a little art at a bend in the path. It was a beautiful experience, for which I am grateful to both Edith Wharton and the Edith Wharton Restoration group that keeps it beautiful. 

 

"Old Growth" by Bobby Sweet

The path to the pet cemetery

The wrapped trees are part of an art project.

We didn't see any bears, alas.

Catbirds were active all over the grounds.

The gap between upper and lower hedges created a window onto a view toward woods and pond.

grape arbor

Edith's bedroom, where most of her writing happened

The desk in her study--I wanted to take it home with me.

"One Leaning on Another" by Joy Brown

"Balthazar III" by Wendy Klemperer

"Gruntled Inflection" by Justin Kenney

Detail of "Unbridled" by Deborah H. Carter

"Gourd II/Homage to Van Gogh" by John Ruppert

Detail of "I Have Been Dreaming to Be a Tree" by Byeondoo Moon