Bernheim in the Rain

Dick goes to volunteer at Bernheim Forest on a regular basis, but I haven't been for some time lately. When we received a notice about the dedication of the new Earth Measure sculpture, I thought it would be a good time to see what's new. Bernheim's website says:

 

Earth Measure is an educational, interactive and multi-dimensional earthwork that must be experienced to be appreciated. It poses questions on the fundamental forms of the circle, square and triangle. It invites discovery by all ages both physically and intellectually. It places the visitor in a meadow and beckons them to tune in to acoustic ecology and soundscape science. In other words, the sculpture both frames the environment through its “lens” and captures the sounds of seasonal wildlife through audio waves directed to the center of the listening dome or parabolic sphere. It is simultaneously simple and complex, scientific and artistic, monumental and graceful.

 

 

Despite the Weather Channel's prediction, it poured like crazy during the speeches and dedication. Soon after, of course, the rain stopped and eventually the sun broke through. Dick's class of first graders adjusted to the change, and so did I. Clad in raincoat, I set off for photos of the rain around the Big Meadow.

 

 

 

 

 

The sun comes out and the birds begin singing. All the dried flowers in the meadow are full of little seeds. Yummy, all the birds are coming to chow down on the seeds. I even found Field Sparrows and what I think is an American Tree Sparrow. What is a Tree Sparrow doing in a meadow?

 

The big fall festival, ColorFest, is this weekend, and there will be plenty of color for everyone to enjoy! Raptor Rehab will be there with live hawks and owls too. Just dress warmly, since the high temp won't be very high.

Rose Awards

Amy Langdon, Dick Dennis and Wren Smith

My husband Dick volunteers at many places, as I do, but I think his heart belongs to Bernheim Forest and Arboretum.  Wren Smith is a mentor for both of us, and they do a good job of letting volunteers know they are appreciated. The Louisville Convention and Visitor's Bureau sponsors awards for people who best represent our community to visitors and help bring those visitors to Louisville. This year Bernheim nominated Dick for the Rose Award - Recognition of Service Excellence! There are several categories, including Accommodations, Attractions, Dining, Transportation and Volunteers.  Well, Dick did not win in his category, but the whole awards luncheon was very exciting.

A new Louisville event, the Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular, will be held in Iroquois Park October 10 – November 2 with 5,000 carved pumpkins lining a ¼-mile trail, illuminated at night as an “art show” daily from dusk to midnight during the week and 1 a.m. on the weekends. Many of the pumpkins were displayed at the luncheon, and free tickets were presented to all attendees.

All the nominees were featured in a wall of photos. "Oh my gosh! This is the taxi driver we had last night!" I exclaimed. After our Beckham Bird Club meeting on Tuesday night, we couldn't get into my car. The Prius is not supposed to lock with the smart key inside, but it does if the battery is low. You guessed it - that's where my keys were. We called a cab to go home for the spare set, and Ras, a Mod Squad man for sure, was our driver. He was very friendly and outgoing, and we were delighted when he won his category of Transportation. I've always said Louisville is the biggest little town in the world! Four Roses was the big sponsor, so everyone got a long-stem rose to take home, and free drinks. I don't often drink bourbon at lunch!

Professional photographers took our photos before a green screen, then printed it with the fancy rose/city skyline in the background. We felt like such celebrities!

Lunch was in the big big big conference room. The sign said it had a capacity of 741, and it looked pretty full to me. I'm always astounded at these events. How in the world do they prepare all this food and have it hot and ready to be served to this many people at the same time? I ate more than I should have, but it was for a good reason, right? TV cameras allowed us to actually see the MC in the front via large TV screens, while spotlights played across the room just like the Oscars. What fun! Thank you Bernheim, for nominating Dick for this award.