Leaming's Run

I've passed the sign for Leaming's Run hundreds of times on Route 9 just north of Cape May Court House dozens of times and always meant to stop in and see what they offer. It would be hard to beat the gorgeous blooms of Hereford Inlet about which I blogged earlier (see below). As it turned out, Leaming's Run is an entirely different kind of garden...

First, the flowers here are predominantly annuals. There's not a purple cone flower in sight! Most are arranged in color-coordinated flower beds viewed from a wooded trail. But before you finish saying "ho hum" consider that part of this forest is bamboo! These very tall, perfect-looking stalks create an unusual environment as you walk the trail. Their leaves create a canopy high above human heads, and the older leaves carpet the ground.

Crowing roosters announce that a barnyard setting might be just ahead, and sure enough, there's a replica of the seventeenth century two-room house the first Mr. Leaming may have lived in. The current owner and gardener, Jack Aprill, created a replica farmhouse, barn and chicken coop among the farm-style gardens here. The chickens are actually special breeds from arround the world with fancy crests atop their heads and silly-looking feet.

Moving along the wooded trail, the next surprises are in the landscape: ponds, bridges, and natural tableaux perfect for photographing flowers, reflections and each other. I was lucky that these blue-clad ladies were visiting the gardens when I was there. They gave some of my photos interesting color contrast. (This area of the gardens kind of reminded me of Monet's gardens at Giverny!)

After walking through another section of the bamboo forest, the visitor comes upon the original permanent Leaming residence built in 1706. Mr. and Mrs. Aprill bought the house in 1957 and raised their family here. Mrs. Emily Aprill happily greets visitors in the Cooperage where she sells her own dried flower arrangements and a selection of books they have written about gardening and Leaming's Run in particular.

The whole walk takes about ninety minutes, but it's definitely worth the stop. Cameras are a must!

Alpacas!

Look at those eyelashes!!

On Saturday, Amy, Jeff and I took a ride to visit an alpaca herd at Jersey Shore Alpacas. This is a very friendly farm in Green Creek, (near Rio Grande) New Jersey with twelve much-loved alpacas roaming in a paddock. Once they suspect that their visitors might have carrots, though, they approach the fence and try to look their cutest. Tish and Jim, their human “parents” supply visitors with the coveted carrots, and the alpaca ladies in the front yard good-naturedly compete for the tasty treats. We couldn’t help smiling at these friendly creatures with their giant eyes, long eyelashes and comical hairdos (called top knots).

Jersey Shore Alpacas is a great place to visit for something different to do at the shore. We were thinking of going to the Cape May County Zoo for the afternoon, but I had been by there a few days before and the traffic waiting to get in reminded me of that at the Holland Tunnel! The secret of our great (free) Cape May County Zoo seems to have gotten out, so it might get relegated to my list of things to do during the off-season months.

The alpaca farm (also free) satisfied our need for animal interaction, especially since Tish and Jim both came out to visit with us and tell us about the alpacas. This spring, three babies, or crias, were born, so we heard all about them while we watched them romp around the yard.
Zelda, General Patton (born on Memorial Day), Miss Sera are the three cute new family members born this spring:

One of the moms, Andina:

It’s kind of hard to look at woolen items on a hot summer day, but we did in their Absolutely Alpaca! store. I’ll be back when it’s cooler to get some winter gifts, I’m sure. There’s even sumptuous yarn made from the award-winning fleece of some the resident alpacas which would be a cool gift knitted or crocheted into a luxurious scarf or hat. Tish does some of the knitting for the shop herself, and I may take advantage of her skill when I go back to shop. also had a laptop set up in the store with pictures and videos of the recent shearing and the birth of General Patton.

Jersey Shore Alpacas is open on Saturdays year 'round from 10-4 and in July they are also open on Thursdays and Fridays. There's no admission charge, but if you go, tell them Margaret sent ya! http://jerseyshorealpacas.com

Hereford Inlet Lighthouse and Gardens

Wow! I have been meaning to visit the Hereford Lighthouse in North Wildwood for years now, but just haven't gotten around to it until now. An online gardening friend tipped me off that their gardens are spectacular and should be at peak right now. The gardens are really spectacular with plenty of flowers that grow in the shore climate such as hibiscus, hollyhocks and hydrangea. So here's a taste:

There was a shaded path leading to the inlet. I'd never been here before and it looks like a great place to walk the dog, bike, run, or sit on a bench and read. Here's a photo from the ground, and one from the top of the lighthouse.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot! We toured the lighthouse, too. they call it "The Victorian Lighthouse" as it's built of wood more like a house than a traditional lighthouse. Very interesting!

Dog Beach, A Guest Post by Gladys

This is what low tide looks like:

Low tide means there's more room to run around without getting our feet wet. This is Dog Beach, but Mom says it's known to humans as the Delaware Bay beach in North Cape May, NJ, USA. Dogs are allowed on this beach all year 'round which is very unsual. We always see lots of dogs and their owners here.Some dogs like to play in the water, but I don't! I'll maybe get my feet wet like Mom does, but that is all. I prefer the sand.

Our walk is about two miles: from home we walk on a sidewalk for four blocks, then along Dog Beach up to the canal, and back home. Last year, when I was a pup, I walked behind Mom. Now that I'm grown, I walk ahead to show her where to go. There are big rocks by the canal called the getty. People and their dogs gather here to watch the ferries go in and out and to watch the sunset. This me on the rocks:

The Cape May-Lewes Ferry parks near here, and tonight it went right past us. It's huge! People on the ferry wave at me as they go by. People here seem to really like Shelties. This is me watching the ferry pull into its dock:

Dogs are allowed on the ferry as long as they don't go inside where the food is. Mom says we have a trip planned soon: we'll go on the ferry to Delaware, USA, where we'll stay at a hotel that welcomes dogs! While we're in Delaware, we'll go to Cape Henlopen Park and play in the dog run at the hotel. There is a dog boutique in Lewes, Delaware, USA, that Mom says we'll visit if I manage to keep the hotel room clean. Please tell Mom that you want me to guest blog again about our vacation!!

West Cape May Strawberry Festival

The West Cape May Strawberry Festival was our break from a week of hard labor surrounding the installation of new vinyl floors at the Cape May house. It was more than just moving stuff and moving it back: we (okay Fred) had to take up old linoleum, remove wood trim, and stain and attach new wood. I think we made four trips to Lowe's. I'll have to add those helpful people to my Christmas card list now.

Back to the Strawberry Festival: it's a nice mix of antique and craft booths, local businesses, and yummy food with high-caliber musical entertainment all in little Wilbraham Park. I was thrilled to see that Kid Davis and the Bullets were there again this year. they are a talented rockabilly band from Delaware. Each of the three players is a master of his instrument and a joy to watch. Even better, they seem to enjoy themselves on stage. Kid Davis, with copious tattoos and melon-colored Fender 6-string, is quite the frontman--rivaling even Brian Setzer, one of my all-time favorites. Last year they got my attention with Johnny Cash's "Big River", rockabilly style, and drew me in with a ton of other great covers and originals. This year there were new originals (mostly written by the Kid) and a rockabilly version of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". Yeah, you read that right! Near the end of the set was a rockin' version of "Viva Las Vegas" and this little gem of which I snuck a video snippet:

Strawberry Picking

My annual Strawbery Picking Extravaganza was last Saturday, Day One of strawberry picking at Terhune Orchards in Princeton, NJ. I arrived at the farm around 1:30 after a lazy morning at home in anticipation of a long day of picking, cleaning and jamming. It had been so crowded at Terhune that the strawberry field was closed after we left: it was all picked out! But strawberries have a way of regenerating or ripening overnight, so Sunday and Monday's pickers had plenty to keep them busy.



Strawberry jam is the easiest to make, I think, because strawberries have lots of natural pectin in them that helps the jam set. Some of my recipes that combine strawberries with other fruits require a box of store-bought pectin, but my plain strawberry jam recipe from the original Ball Blue Book does not. Ball is one of the leading jar and lid manufacturers, by the way. I make lots of strawberry and blueberry jam every year mostly to give away as gifts at Christmas, and sometimes for a unique hostess or housewarming gift. I guard my latest stock fiercely, but if you hit me up for a jar of last year's product, I can usually set you up. My most popular flavor, at least with the family, is blueberry-lime, so you probably won't see leftovers of that flavor.

This year I made extra strawberry because I'll be traveling in July when blueberries are ripe. After starting the picking at 1:30, I worked straight through until 8:30 making strawberry, strawberry-banana and strawberry-rhubarb. When I was all finished there were 29 jars, mostly half-pints. They cooled on the counter for two days just as the Ball Blue Book directs, and now they are ready to be stored in a cool, dark place.
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Moravian Tile Works

There are tiles and there are tiles! We visited Henry Mercer's Moravian Tile Works in Doylestown, Bucks County, PA, on Sunday. I had passed this strange looking building (built in 1910-1912) many times on Route 313, but never stopped to check it out until now. From the road it looks kind of spooky, but the opposite side is actually the front. the design is based on California missions with a courtyard and covered walks, lots of arches, and a tile roof. The many chimneys are copied from those at San Juan Capistrano. The entire building is made out of concrete with various materials stuck to the walls on the inside: burlap, sheet metal, and other unidentifiable substances.

Back to the tiles: Henry Mercer studied to be a lawyer and switched to archeology, but he's remembered most for his collection of tools and artifacts and the Moravian Tile Works. Originally he was inspired by Pennsylvania German designs, but through his travels he was exposed to other styles that he would use for his tiles: Aztec, Inca, English, European medieval, Native American, folk, nature, and Bible motives. The Arts and Crafts Movement and Spanish-influenced architecture were both popular when the Tile Works was making tiles, and tile fits into both. There was a large market in Pennsylvania and beyond for mercer's tiles. The state capitol in Harrisburg features an original Henry Mercer tile mosaic that tells the history of Pennsylvania.

Tiles are still made at the Moravian Tile Works, and craftspeople were at work Sunday making tiles from the original Mercer molds. The gift shop has an extensive collection of tiles in the various styles and sizes made through the years at the Moravian Tile Works. Although I dream of a new kitchen backsplash made from these beautifully crafted tiles, I settled for a golden cut-out bee and a square relief of The Flying Dutchman ghost ship.