The Kampong

Yesterday, drove down to David Fairchild's garden The Kampong, for an AIIRIE Benefit filled with performances and artworks. According to the Kampong's website, Link to Kampong Website, "In 1916 Dr. David Fairchild and his wife Marian, daughter of Alexander Graham Bell, purchased the property from Mrs. Nugent, and named it The Kampong - a Malay word for a village, or a cluster of dwellings for an extended family."The image above for me exemplifies the ironies and contrasts of life in Florida - trees spreading roots over an offramp, posies for sale in a land of wild beauty.

Natural splendors at the Kampong

A lovely house in the midst of a garden

Like a scholars house: "Two stand-alone structures, the Barbour Cottage (from Fairchild and Sweeney eras) and the Sausage Tree Cottage (from Sweeney era), are used to house visiting scientists and other collaborators."

Lotus pond

Touches that conjure images of scrolls as well as the Asian-inspired decor of my parents and grandparents

"Fairchild-Sweeney House - Historical structure designed in 1928; formerly a privately owned residence. The two-story structure contains the Catherine Hauberg Sweeney Library, the William and June Sottile Conference Room, as well as offices and meeting/conference space."

Another kind of Maitland: gods and goddesses cavorting, this time looking southeast Asian more than Mayan. 

A long view over the tennis court, out toward the ocean beyond the last row of trees. Thank you AIRIE and Kampong for a beautiful day.

Scientist and artist Skip Snow and ranger Ted of the National Parks Service , both avid supporters of and indispensable contributors to the Artist in The Everglades residency. See more about that residency here: Residency website. As a March 2016 AIRIE Fellow, I learned about minute ecosystems that survive on the lowest nutrients imaginable in a landscape of flowing water.  To read more, see Knight Art Foundation and follow the residency instagram feed, which Fellows commandeer for the month they are there. Some lovely images from yesterday are already uploaded. @airieverglades