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Sep 18, 2024Notes from the Board“... hardly a day passed when I didn’t stroll myself across a recollection of my It became a game that I took to with immense gusto: to see how much I could remember -Ray Bradbury on Dandelion Wine Is there a place that stirs recollections in you? For me, one such place was Matilda Frelinghuysen’s Whippany Farm (now The Frelinghuysen Arboretum), a playground for my four siblings and me who lived down the road. I recollect a small pond at the base of a steep, wooded trail, a tree whose trunk angled straight out over the water’s edge before growing upwards again (it’s still there, though the pond is gone), teeming wildlife and seemingly endless August days. The meadows, ravines, forested acres, the river, and that grand boulder among the willows where I wept all my ‘drenching sorrows’. We left notes to each other in the crotches of trees and blurted promises to ourselves on the Weeping Rock. I doubt Matilda knew we rambled into her woods by way of a broken fence or by means of a hand-hewn raft on the river. The albino buck knew, the black snakes and the catfish. They could hear us coming, we five adventurers. Now, as a grownup, I thank Matilda every day for safeguarding her property and gifting it to the county as a park for all to enjoy, a harbor of natural enchantment in a highly developed, densely populated area of Morris County. When I see children enjoying the places I explored as a child, I realize it is my younger self that motivates me to advocate for the arboretum and to seek out others willing to dedicate their time and skills toward the preservation of place, this place, The Frelinghuysen Arboretum. So much more than a GPS location. How did we Trustees spend the summer? We expanded our board and our corps of volunteers; we developed programming to help educate the community and we continued to work on ways to reach out to area businesses. Join us! Become a trustee, a volunteer, a sponsor. We’ll be here with steadfast hearts, recollecting. Yours in Horticulture, Heather Emelander, President, Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum Creative Writing Workshop –Place and Setting in NatureFor All levels, from beginners and beyond, With Ryder S. Wyatt, writerThursday, October 24 - 10:00 AMIn the Mansion at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum Do you remember the first time you ran barefoot through the grass as a child? Probably not, but your body remembers. It remembers young and carefree days of playing tag on the lawn, the smell of the freshly cut grass- its bright emerald color in May, and the warmth of the sun on your skin. Those sensory “memories” remain with you and when recalled, can whisk you back to images of days you spent in nature throughout your life. In this workshop, you will be guided into remembering those special places and settings, then shaping them into a cohesive narrative on the page. WHAT TO EXPECT: An hour and a half of discussion, guided writing with prompts, and feedback. WHAT TO BRING: Pad, pen, or computer; water; -A photo or tangible item as a reminder of your favorite place or setting Ryder S. Wyatt has been a writer for more than four decades. She holds MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is a member of the Somerset Hills Garden Club in Zone Four. For more information and to register, click on the photo of Ms. Wyatt 2024 TREE SYMPOSIUM Saturday, November 2 - 8:30 AMIn person at The Frelinghuysen ArboretumThe Friends will be hosting our Annual Tree Symposium on Saturday, November 2. Beginning with registration and coffee at 8:30 AM, attendees will be welcomed to a series of five presentations by a wide variety of speakers:
For more information on the speakers and their presentations, and to register, please click on the tree icon. Distinguished Speaker Series with Anne 'Dede' Neal Petri
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