August 1, 2915. Continued Simpson Gardens

 

    

The state park was a gift to the state from lumber baron Simpson.  He built a huge mansion here in the 1800s.  It burned down and he built a second one that was used as barracks in WWII.  Simpson went bankrupt and gave all the land to the state.  The gardens were preserved.  They are beautiful.

We went on another ranger-led tour of the gardens.  She explained the history.  

There seem to be a lot of women with brightly colored hair.  This mother/daughter duo were on our tour.

This is the gardener's cottage, spared from the fire.

The gardens are really well-kept, with different types of flowers blooming all year. 

We relaxed in the afternoon and spoke with our daughters.  Since tonight is our last night here, George bought another dozen of oysters.  This time he bought the small variety at $7.00/dozen, but even the smalls are bigger than 2 saltines when eaten on the half shell.

DINNER:  Fish, of course!  With 2 skinless filets of the fish George caught the other day, I made a new  recipe.  I dusted them with panko and Parmesan cheese.  Then, I made a sauce with cherry tomatoes, garlic, onions and basil from my little basil plant.  The side was a bit of spaghetti.