This site is an archive of ChiotsRun.com. For the latest information about Susy and her adventrures, visit the Cultivate Simple site.
Thank you for all your support over the years!

Ideas, Ideas

August 13th, 2019

When I was in Philadelphia a few weeks ago I visited Terrain. I find this space to be very inspirational, the non polished surfaces, the way they organize things, the plants, paint; all of it.











What sorts of spaces do you find inspiring?

A Few Days in Philly

July 30th, 2019

Last week, Mr Chiots had to be in Philadelphia for work. Since he was headed there anyways, I decided to tag along and visit gardens. The greater Philadelphia area has tons of gardens to visit. I’ve been lucky to visit a few in the past, but there are so many there are always some on the list that I don’t have time to get to. This past week I was able to visit 3 different gardens each day for three days. The final day we spent at Longwood Gardens, a favorite that I try to visit every few years. (more on the gardens I visited later this week)


I actually purchased a membership to Longwood, it’s cheaper in the long run, especially if you plan on visiting more than once in a year. Since we wanted to see the fountain show, it was well worth it. We were able to make the fountain show on Saturday night, which had a Disney theme. One of the great benefits of hitting a show in the evening, is that you are able to see the night flowering water lillies.



The following day, we headed back to the gardens in the morning and spent most of the day walking around and enjoying a leisurly lunch in the restaurant on site. Longwood is always a feast for the eyes, it doesn’t matter when you go (though I’ve never been in the winter, hopefully this year). The long flower borders are stunning in spring with the tulips and equally stunning in high summer filled with a riot of flowers that graduate from dark purple on one end to white on the other.















There are always new plants to see and old favorites to savor. I’m always inspired with their plant combinations, color selection, and new plants to discover!

Do you have a favorite public garden to visit?

Back in the Saddle

May 20th, 2019

Last week Mr Chiots and I were in Ohio visiting family (and Mr Chiots had a work meeting). I had grand plans of writing blog posts and scheduling them to post while I was gone, but there was too much to finish up in the garden before we left. I’m also trying to spend a little less time working and a little more time doing the things that I love. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I no longer write daily blog posts, taking vacation times away is also something I’ve been doing. When we were in Ohio, we took a day trip to Kelleys Island, a place I’ve visited several times in my life.

We made sure to stop at the glacier grooves, a place I distinctly remember visiting as a kid. Then we had a picnic lunch and drove the golf cart around the island looking at gardens and houses. We hiked out to Sheele Preserve and were awed by its beauty (despite the terrically muddy trail to get there).












It was a wonderful day, perfect weather for a day outside on the islands. This was our first day trip of this kind, in the future we are thinking of planning vacations to other destinations (if you have any recommendations let me know).

Farmers Market in Paris

May 8th, 2019

After spending a few days in the French countryside visiting gardens, we headed back to Paris for the rest of the week. Mr Chiots had a few meetings in the city, which was the reason we ended up in France. On Sunday morning, we decided to walk to the Eiffel tower and see the city as we walked. Our apartment was on the western side of the city, about a mile away. As we walked, we lucked out and ended up in a really great farmers market. If you’ve been reading here for a while, you know how much I love farmers markets, fresh vegetables, and good food.














The Potager at Villandry

May 7th, 2019

When we visited Villandry, we saved the ornamental potager for last. Even though we had seen it from the top of the tower (which is admittedly the best viewing angle for this particular garden), it was overwhelming! There are nine beds, each with an intricate design that is different from the others.

Even though I’ve seen this garden on TV and in books, nothing prepared me for the size, scale, and detail of it. It’s truly something to behold!














About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

Admin