I take great pride in the fact that I work hard to make my photographs compelling and artful. I carefully compose, expose and employ critical technical adjustments in Photoshop. Yesterday I visited the Hillwood Estate Museum & Gardens in Northwest Washington, D.C. Well folks, this is a place where you would have to work hard to take a bad photo. I’m starting to wonder if all of that dedication was necessary! Seriously, 13 acres of carefully maintained gardens, it’s awe inspiring.

First a little background. Marjorie Merriweather Post was the only child and heir of C.W. Post, the cereal baron. In 1955 Ms. Post bought the 25 acre Hillwood estate with its Georgian-style mansion and decided early on it would become a museum. After years of collecting it opened to the public in 1977. This was my first visit, sort of a reconnaissance mission, so I strolled the gardens. I can see this is a venue I will visit many times. 

Everywhere I turned something beautiful would present itself.  Sometimes a single bloom,

other times along a path. It really is the “fish in a barrel” thing. 

I have a new obsession, Hillwood is my muse. More to come.