Adventures in the Polly Mobile 2: Fairhaven and New Bedford, MA and Aquidneck Island, RI

Honestly, looking back on this day, it hardly seems like it could fit all of what happened in it.

Brenton Point, Aquidneck Island, RI

I woke up in Fairhaven, MA; visited sites in Fairhaven and New Bedford, MA; and then made my way to Newport, RI and got the grand tour of Aquidneck Island, RI; and finally rested my head in Portsmouth, RI. Whew! Not as much horticulture today, but goodness did I get a sense of place. Check out the photos for more adventures (click the photo above).

Adventures in the Polly Mobile 2: Departing Martha's Vineyard

My escape trip to the Polly Hill Arboretum was colored in my favorite shade of afternoon light.

(Click the photo above for more photos!)

It was a day of madly packing my things into my car. I had been putting off packing in lieu of doing any last-minute exploring or visiting I felt was necessary before I left the Vineyard; and I was paying the price by pushing my luck with the ferry that waits for no one.

Although I did pack most of the day, I just had to see the Arboretum one last time. Out of all of my internship experiences, not going to see the garden, whichever it was, one last time was a recurring regret of mine. I wasn't going to do it again.

I was rewarded with wonderful weather and a silent, peaceful moment of reflection in the space one last time.

As I sat in line for the ferry, my stomach rioting in a way it never had before and my mind racing about all of the logistics I had to handle when I got to the mainland, I had to recall why I had been there at all, what I'd done and seen, and remind myself it wasn't a dream. I'd had this experience, lived this life. It was all worth it, I'd do it again in a heartbeat and I will miss it dearly.

My Martha's Vineyard farewell.

Adventures in the Polly Mobile 2: Pre-Departure from Martha's Vineyard

The first day of my internship at the Polly Hill Arboretum I pulled up in my '99 Chevy Lumina, the gold one with the green hood, next to another Chevy Lumina that was the same green color as my hood. After many chuckles from the staff, I learned the car was Polly's and they lovingly referred to it as the Polly Mobile. Of course the "old lady car" that my Lumina is would stick it to me that first day and my car became the Polly Mobile 2.

(Click the photo for more photos!)


State Beach Road, looking towards Oak Bluffs.

As I was planning my trip back down to North Carolina from Martha's Vineyard, Tim Boland asked about what adventures the Polly Mobile 2 would take and that instantly had to be the name of my epic two-week expedition through New England and down the East Coast. So, for the next two weeks look out for the random moments, horticultural or otherwise, that will make up my trip in the Polly Mobile 2.

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I should have been doing more packing than exploring the day before I left Martha's Vineyard, but with snow on the ground when I woke up and such a gorgeous afternoon peeking out of the clouds in the afternoon, who could stay inside? Well, needless to say, it was a long night. Totally worth the opportunity for farewells and reflection though.

The Magnolia macrophylla 'Julian Hill' Through the Seasons Video Complete!

So, even before I got to the Polly Hill Arboretum, I had a crush on the Magnolia macrophylla 'Julian Hill', one of the northern-most (if not the) individuals of this species that Polly named after her husband in 1984.

I first saw the tree in One Seed at a Time by Marnie Stanton, via a link posted on the PHA Internship information page (which I highly recommend you check out). At one point the camera pans up the tree. I immediately recognized what it was and it was then that I knew the Polly Hill Arboretum was the place for me.

Hokey, I know, but true.

Anyway, fast forward through the internship; spring, summer, fall, at one picture a day (except for most of the weekends and a few days here and there, but I digress)...and viola! A vision of the year-long cycle of growth of this stunning deciduous tree takes shape in this video (click the photo).

A flower unfurling on the Magnolia macrophylla 'Julian Hill'