Minnie Evan's Chapel (a travel post and a poem)

Travel Tip Thursday is a writing prompt that’s designed to offer up a tip on a place to travel.  Today’s tip is found near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, just a few miles east of Wilmington. 

Dogwoods and azaleas at Airlie 

One of my favorite places to visit, when I go home in the spring, is Airlie Gardens.  Last year, I wrote about the gardens that once belonged to the Pembroke Jones Estate (see link above).  When I lived in Wilmington, the gardens were owned by the Corbett family and were only open occasionally.  Now the county owns the gardens and they are open all the time for people to enjoy.  It’s well worth the five buck entrance fee to spend a few hours walking through the 67 acres of gardens. 

This year, I am featuring Minnie Evan’s Chapel.  Ms. Evans was the gatekeeper at the estate for many years and an artist in her own right.  The open air chapel was built by local artist to honor her.  I like the way there is a tree growing in the middle of the chapel, as if the chapel itself is the original garden.  Last year, I was at the garden during the Azalea Festival and it was so busy that I wasn’t able to get any good photos.  If you like bottle construction, see my post on the bottle house in Rhyolite, Nevada. 

I wrote these lines in my notebook as I pondered the tree inside of the chapel.

A dove nests in the bosom of the tree

planted in the middle of the chapel walls,

a mere shell open to the skies

but surrounded by beauty.

It is there, on the lee side of trouble

I find peace.