A view of the house from the courtyard. — N.M-Y. '15
Today, my last full day at the Abode, my friend, Alia, took me over to The Mount, Edith Wharton’s estate in nearby Lenox, Massachusetts. A fan of her 1920 novel, The Age of Innocence, and knowing a little something about her life, I was eager to see her home.
The side gate outside the courtyard of the house. — N.M-Y. '15
We explored the house first, and then headed out to the magnificent gardens, trying-out different spots from which to sit and take it all in.
A view of the house from the gardens. — N.M-Y. '15
A picture Alia took of me sitting in the stone wall at the edge of the gardens. — N.M-Y. '15
Sitting on a bench in the center of the gardens. — N.M-Y. '15
But, according to Alia, the “most sacred place” on the whole estate was the little pet cemetery on the hill, where Edith Wharton’s dogs were buried.
Path leading up to the Pet Cemetery. — N.M-Y. '15
Here, we knelt down and said impromptu prayers for Modele, Miza, Toto, and the others, for all the joy these little companions brought her, and to all of us.
On the far left, the tombstone of Toto, who died November 18th, 1904. — N.M-Y. '15