18. September 2010 by pat desmond.

 Richard O’Mara and David Thompson

This space is usually reserved for my thoughts but I want to share a story about the garden contest I judged last week. 

By Janet Harrold

A few months ago we decided to have a garden contest. Our thought process at the beginning was to not expect too much our first year. To our surprise it was well received by avid gardeners from Massachusetts to New Hampshire. Our panel of judges were carefully selected and brought in for site visits once the 5 finalists were established. This was an extremely difficult choice to make as they all worked so hard and were well thought out. Our judges really had their work cut out for them. Unfortunately we can only have one First Place winner, and we are proud to announce The recipient of this years $500.

Cedar Grove Gardens Credit will be awarded to………….Drum roll please……………….David Thompson from Dorchester, MA!

David is no stranger to gardening, his hard work really paid off this year as he was also the recipient of The Mayor’s Golden Trowel Award. It was no surprise that his passion and many talents were reflected in his gardens.David owns and operates Eclipse Salon in Milton. http://www.eclipsesalongallery.com/ David is a Photographer, and an Artist.http://www.davidthompsonart.com/
He paints primarily with oil. He is a Dune Shack artist, a Cape Cod artist, and a New England Artist.

To quote one of our judges “I loved the mix of modern and antique in his garden. The textures and colors balanced each other perfectly. Especially liked the koi pond and greenhouse, and thought out pathways. Use of “found” objects were a nice detail-a very personal garden”.
We would like to thank all of our contestants for participating and invite them to try again next year.
Thank you David for participating in our garden contest and also for helping to make Dorchester beautiful with your many talents.

(Contest judges included Pat Desmond of the Milton Times, Maureen Forry of the Dorchester Reporter and photographer Kristin Ahern.)

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10. September 2010 by pat desmond.

Cedar Grove Garden created an interesting online garden contest in the last days of summer.

This week, three relatively non-partial judges (including me) traveled through the backyards of the finalists. We still haven’t made a final decision. But the results will soon be known.

Cedar Grove’s Richard O’Mara found a spectacular angle for the contest. The five finalists were selected by a crowd of online voters. The five gardens managed to earn several thousand votes each.

So Maureen Forry of the Dorchester Reporter and Kristin Ahern, a Dorchester photographer, and I all agree that the quality of the five finalists was amazing.

Now truth be told, the gardens look more colorful in the photos on the Cedar Grove Garden Web site than they did for our Sept. 9 garden tour. But  the designs, the lighting, the chimes, the stone work are there to bring out smiles even after the blooms fade.

I was amazed at the blooms still available.

So thank you Richard Froio, David Thompson, R. Foley, Cheryl and Buddy Earle.

Four of the final gardens are located in Dorchester. Earle lives in Cambridge. The contest pulled in entries from as far north as New Hampshire.

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3. September 2010 by pat desmond.

 (This poem was written to commemorate the marriage of my only son Aug. 28 at Slide Ranch in Muir Beach, CA. Sometimes even a publisher travels beyond the borders of Milton.)

I carried the precious

as rainbow mist groom’s ring

across the continent,

to reach the fog of San Francisco

the foothills of the wedding of the millenium.

30+ years ago I carried the groom

from possibility into life.

Steeped in joy and warmed

by the love of my tiny family,

I sit with my memories

and smile like an aged cat

as I remember the boy

who walked on walls

and played as if his games

were earth-defining.

My son with his ah-so-many questions,

his torn dungarees

and his tilted baseball cap.

I miss that child of mine,

much as I glow with pride

at the man he’s become.

Years move quickly.

Yesterday disappears like smoke.

Timothy Ambrose

True Mountain of Joy.

Joy of my life.

I remember when you

introduced Annie to me -

Your friend, you said.

And I smiled, knowing better.

She was there to support you,

the day you wore your master’s hood.

And so, dearheart, was I.

Years pass

when you least expect it.

Days dissolve.

My family grew today

as we circled around the bride and groom -

Annie and Ambrose.

This is a day to cherish.

A day worth holding fast in memory.

A memory to feast upon in years to come.

Carry it close to your heart.

Take it out when you need

a breathe of love

a moment of joy.

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