On a whim last week, I took a drive to Filoli Gardens in Woodside, California to see their early spring blooms and practice taking landscape photos. I was also hoping to find a few interesting doors, as it’s been a while since I’ve participated in Norm Frampton’s weekly feature, Thursday Doors. The day was overcast, a good thing when taking photos in the middle of the day.
Alas, the blooms were scarce but for a few tulip gardens, my exposures and focus were off, and there were many visitors making it difficult to get people-free pictures. Whine, whine, whine. LOL. But, I did get a few door photos that I took creative liberty with in enhancing the less-than-wonderful original exposures. For better or worse, here a few of Filoli’s lovely doors.
About Filoli:
Hidden in the foothills of Woodside, California, Filoli Gardens was created as a grand country estate for the wealthy Bourn family in the early 1900s. The name “Filoli” comes from the first two letters of “FIght- LOve-LIve.” Bourn’s credo was “To fight for a just cause; to love your fellow man; to live a good life.” These are worthy words to live by.
The estate features a 20th-century Georgian mansion, 16 acres of remarkable formal gardens, a Café and Gift Shop, and docent-led hikes through the estate’s nature preserve. Filoli is a not-for-profit organization that is open to the public thanks to approximately 1,200 volunteers and financial support obtained through fundraising, grants, and donations.
Filoli website: www.filoli.org
Capturing Moments 
Nice post, I wonder if our paths crossed; I was there with other photographers on the 17th and it was my first tour of the mansion. It was a nice day, even with the crowds but that’s how you practice patience.
Thank you, Gordon. It’s nice to meet another blogger from the SF Bay Area. So amazing that we both were at Filoli last week and both of us posted doors on Thursday. I went to Filoli on Tuesday the 19th. I arrived just when a group of young school children were leaving. Phew. I was surprised at how busy the place was for a Tuesday! Agree, when faced with a crowd in the gardens, practicing patience is a good thing. 🙂
Donna
What general district in SF do you live in, Donna? I retired from the SF Public Works Dept several years ago. We may run into each other some day or share some door locations.
San Jose. How about you? It would be fun to do a doorscursion with fellow Bay Area bloggers that contribute to Norm’s Thursday Doors. 🙂
Donna
Hey, until recently, my mother volunteered there. It is not too far from here.
Hi Tony, So cool that your mother volunteered at Filoli. Nothing better than spending time in a beautiful garden setting.
Donna
Well, not to brag, but in some ways, the farm is prettier; but no one volunteered there.
Where is the farm? Must have been or is a labor of love?
The farm is close to Scott’s Valley. Rhododendrons and azaleas had been the major crops since the 1970s, but camellias are becoming as important. For many years, bloom was just a by-product of what we did, and no one else was there to see it. In the 1990s, we starting hosting Open House events so that the public could see how spectacular it is. The arboretum where the stock plants grow is as impressive as any public garden, and is out in the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
How wonderful. The farm does sound spectacular.
Donna
Oh, it is. I SO want to go back to work there full time if I could.
Donna,
I live in Daly City, north of you. Keep in touch and maybe a doorscursion might happen.
Gordon
Sounds good, Gordon.