I could not figure out what to do with all these pictures I took, some of which turned out nicely. So, here is a random assortment of photos of the grounds of the Chapin Mill Zen Center.
This was the Chapin Mill stone. It was in a beautiful little garden memorial on a slight rise on the Zen Center property. The memorial was to the founder of the Center.
The Zen Center was surrounded by several beautiful little gardens. One of which led to the old mill house through a row of boxwoods.
Having gone through the boxwoods, one came upon a curious stone fixture. This fountain head looking contraption was on the back of what was actually a chimney for a grill. Not sure what the fountain head piece was doing there…
As I mentioned previously, there were serene meadows with benches scattered throughout. Plus the Chapin Mill Center was on land known as the Seven Springs (or so I heard anyway). I don’t doubt this as there seemed to be little springs gurgling in abundance. There were also benches near the springs and creeks.
I got a glimpse of a rattlesnake escaping into a garden near the boxwoods above. It was a curious sight – I only caught the second half of the snake, so I saw a dry, scaly tail and had no idea what I had just discovered. Luckily, I did not follow my foolish thought to pursue the creature. I put two and two together when I realized I had seen a sort of dry, bulbous end to its tail and someone else mentioned that they had seen it. How auspicious nonetheless!
There was a little stone pagoda looking feature near the pond. And peeking inside, I found this candle. I like the enigmatic stone passage way here.
If you get the chance to visit Chapin Mill Zen Center, I think I’d recommend it. From a gross stand point, the beauty is more subtle and refined, so it might take a few minutes to slow down enough to take it all in. But in a Zen manner, the subtleties and sparkles are still with me as I reminisce. I am grateful for my time there.
Meditation Informs Healing Facilitation 