If Serpentine Walls Could Talk

     This past weekend we left the flatland and headed west to the foot of the mountains. After a day floating on the James in the simple comfort of an inner tube, we spent the night in Charlottesville, one of my favorite places. Our hotel was just down the hill and a short walk from the University of Virginia (UVA). Sunday morning I was able to explore the grounds, camera in hand. In case you didn't know, the university was founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, and he was also its first architect. Jefferson was so proud of his role in the founding of UVA (the first non-sectarian university in the country) he had it added to his tombstone, though he opted not to mention he was our third president. Jefferson designed the Rotunda, the university's centerpiece, as a half scale rendition of Rome's Pantheon. Flanking either side of the Rotunda are a series of pavilions and colonnades, where faculty still teach students and where both are still housed. The buildings enclose a large lawn, and behind them are a series of garden spaces enclosed by serpentine walls, also designed by Mr. Jefferson. Together they form an "academical village", which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and from which many an architect and city planner have drawn inspiration.  Although the grounds were quiet on a Sunday morning in August, I could not help but feel the presence of the many others who have walked here before.

The Rotunda is currently under renovation, hence the black cloth covering the column capitols. It nearly burned to the ground in 1895, and has suffered some bad renovations. However, its current state is as close to what Jefferson would recognize, if he had lived long enough to see its completion.

On the top floor of the Rotunda is a library, and in the ceiling is an oculus shinning down like the eye of God, though Jefferson would probably disagree with me.

Edgar Allan Poe resided in this chamber, No. 13.

Other windows provide a more contemporary view. I wonder what Jefferson would think about our world-at-your-fingertips society?

The serpentine walls are not only attractive, I am sure they also appealed to Jefferson's practical side. The walls' shape makes them strong and consequently only require a one brick thickness.

Historians believe that the gardens were largely ornamental in nature, though things for the table were grown there as well. They also provided a quiet place to visit the privy, many of which still stand.

Your humble blogger had a chance to hug the largest ginkgo he has ever seen, the Pratt Ginkgo, and I need to plan a return visit to see its fall glory.

I hope this picture laden post has not crashed your computer or has used all your allotted data on your cell phone, but if you want to see more you can visit my Flickr page.

This Geek Loves Ginkgo

Two weeks ago I found myself in Smithfield, Va. and came across one of my favorite trees, the Ginkgo biloba. The leaves were at their seasonal peak, and knowing the habit of this tree, if I had been there a day later most of the leaves would have been carpeting the ground. This particular Ginkgo had been butchered to make room for the utility lines, which is why I did not take a larger shot. Not only is this one of my favorite trees, it was planted in front of one of my favorite houses in a town full of architectural gems. Like a lot of houses in Smithfield, the Gwaltney Mansion is built on a foundation of ham. In my part of the world, when Smithfield ham is served at wedding receptions, the marriage will be happier. The dead will rest easier if it is on the buffet after the funeral, and Christmas would be just another day off without it. That's enough talk about pork, let's look at trees.

There are several reasons that the Ginkgo is one this plant geek's favorite trees. First of all, it is a living fossil that began appearing 270 million years ago, and it is the only currently living species in the Ginkgoaceae family. Think of all the plants that would show up at a family reunion of the Rosaceae, Cupressaceae or the Magnoliaceae families, you would need to rent a ballroom. The surviving members of the Gingoaceae family could hold their reunion in a phone booth. The Ginkgo has been planted and revered in Asia for thousands of years, but there is considerable doubt that any wild ones still remain. This tree will outlive its planter, and there are specimens in China over 1000 years old. One of the reasons this tree is so long lived, is that it is tough. It can tolerate temperatures in zones 3 to 8, and even into zone 9. It can survive in urban areas with heavy pollution, and it will live where other plants fail in those awful holes in concrete sidewalks that are well-intentionally left for trees. It is also very salt tolerant. I planted one for my parents next to their marsh, within sight of the Atlantic that is covered by salt water at least once a year and it thrives.

Here are a few more shots of a specimen in a local Norfolk park. These were taken just before the leaves turned golden earlier in November.

A very poignant, but great example of the Ginkgo's durability, comes from Hiroshima. When the atomic bomb was dropped on the city near the end of WWII, most living things in the city-center were killed instantly, but four Ginkgo trees managed to survive. Their charred broken trunks re-sprouted where they were planted and thrive to this day.

I found a great website created by Cor Kwant on the Ginkgo at:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~kwanten/index.htm

It includes pictures of the surviving Hiroshima Ginkgo trees at:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~kwanten/hiroshima.htm