Friday, July 21, 2023

Trolls-Part 1

Hi everyone. Happy Friday. 

Last week I went to Boothbay Harbor, Maine to  visit the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens with a couple of friends.  It's just over a 2 hour trip from my house to the garden, so we left early and came home that evening, having a fun day trip.

I had visited these gardens in September of 2021, but the 2 friends I traveled with last week had never been there. They really wanted to go see the trolls. The trolls are wooden sculptures by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. He has built various  trolls worldwide. They are made of wood and are not meant to be around for many  decades because the wood eventually  will rot. At these gardens in Maine, he built 5 trolls, all known as the Guardians of the Seeds. Each troll has a specific role in plant structure. 

I enjoyed this trip because 1) it was great to see the trolls again and how they have weathered in the last couple of years and 2) the gardens were quite different it being July when there is so much in bloom compared to mid/late September when I last went.

Let me share some troll photos from this visit. They might look familiar to some of you long time readers as I shared photos of these trolls back in the fall of 2021 after that visit.

Here's the first troll I'm sharing,. This troll is Soren, for the branches.




I love his "hair".




And here's the second troll. Gro is for the leaves.


She's the only one of the trolls at this garden with closed eyes.










I am linking these up to Nicole's FRiday Face Off and Gillena's Friday Lunch Break.

Besides trolls we saw some beautiful flowers too. And not to overdo the trolls,  let me finish off this post with a few photos of the gardens. I'll share the rest of the trolls next Friday.






Here's the garden's website if you're interested: Coastal Maine Botanical Garden.

Have a great start to your weekend.






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27 comments:

  1. TomJuly 21, 2023 at 7:46 AM

    ...I have featured Thomas Dambo work that I found on the internet. I actually see his work in person is fabulous. Thanks Erika for sharing.

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  2. Gillena CoxJuly 21, 2023 at 7:50 AM

    Happy trolls and flowers. Nice. Have a good weekend
    Thank you gor linking to AFFF today.

    Much💜love

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  3. Iris FlaviaJuly 21, 2023 at 8:29 AM

    Wow, the Trolls are truly "great" - thank you for sharing!
    Have a great day, hugs

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  4. Valerie-JaelJuly 21, 2023 at 8:48 AM

    Hi Erika, I adore those trolls, the artist has so much talent. The flowers are gorgeous, too, especially the one with the bee. That's another place I would love to visit! Have a great Friday, hugs, Valerie

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  5. sirkkisJuly 21, 2023 at 9:05 AM

    Wonderful faces from wenderful places 🤩
    Thanks for sharing your lovely flower photos as well,happy weekend my friend 😘🍓

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  6. Gene BlackJuly 21, 2023 at 9:47 AM

    Soren's face reminds me of a matchstick jewelry box that I made in high school.

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  7. ChristineJuly 21, 2023 at 10:07 AM

    Great photos!

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  8. CJ KennedyJuly 21, 2023 at 10:47 AM

    I remember those sculptures so fun. You can't help but smile when you look at them. Gorgeous flowers, too.

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  9. Debra She Who SeeksJuly 21, 2023 at 11:21 AM

    Cool faces! Soren is my fave! Love the bee photos too.

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  10. Angie's RecipesJuly 21, 2023 at 1:44 PM

    Wish we had something like this here...really cool wood sculptures!

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  11. DVArtistJuly 21, 2023 at 1:49 PM

    Ohhhhh..... these are just stunning. I so wish I lived by you. I have this weird/strange connection to trolls. I know, I know I am just to weird and strange. I love love love these. Thank you for sharing these and the gardens with FFO. Have a lovely day.

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  12. kathyinozarksJuly 21, 2023 at 4:39 PM

    Wow the sculptures are amazing, enjoyed the flower photos too Happy Friday hugs Kathy

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  13. peppylady (Dora)July 21, 2023 at 5:21 PM

    I smiled at every photo.
    Coffee is on, and stay safe.

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  14. Bleubeard and ElizabethJuly 21, 2023 at 7:16 PM

    My internet friend Helen goes to Kew every week (in London) and they had two trolls on loan for awhile. I was surprised to see these were permanent. I love them.

    I really LOVED the flower with the bee. Just awesome. Hope your Friday is going great. We are under a t-storm watch.

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  15. Aimeslee WinansJuly 21, 2023 at 8:44 PM

    Hi Erika, wow - Dambo's skill and craftsmanship is amazing! Great troll angles and nice flower photos from you as well. Hope your weekend is loverly! xoxo

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  16. Bleubeard and ElizabethJuly 22, 2023 at 4:50 AM

    Just read your question about the high temps for my herbs. The majority of my herbs are originally from the Mediterranean, so they thrive on heat and humidity. Not sure about the Bergamot (Bee Balm) or the peppermint, but my cilantro, mint, and dill have overwintered on my outdoor table in past years. Thanks for asking. Have a fabulous Saturday, dear.

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  17. David M. Gascoigne,July 22, 2023 at 7:36 AM

    Someone has a fevered imagination, I see! I am encouraged that the artist has left the wood untreated so that it will ultimately decay and return to to the soil as it should. In the meantime we can scare the pants off our kids with these trolls! Hugs - David

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  18. Liz HindsJuly 22, 2023 at 12:13 PM

    Wow! I was expecting little dwtty things not these giants! How amazing.

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  19. carol l mckennaJuly 22, 2023 at 1:47 PM

    Wonderful wooden carved statue and botanicals ~ fun time ~

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  20. Beatrice P. BoydJuly 22, 2023 at 5:00 PM

    Erika, the flowers at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens were lovely, but admittedly those trolls are what I would want to see! It's not that flowers are't lovely but can be enjoyed in many places, now trolls are something different!

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  21. Andrea @ From The SolJuly 22, 2023 at 5:02 PM

    We had a Thomas Dambo Troll display at our Arboretum several years ago ... they were here about two years and then removed (I thought at the time that they were taken elsewhere, but from your comments perhaps they don't keep long enough to be moved about). Our trolls were different than yours but the artwork is very familiar. And, your flower photo's, especially the one with the bee, are spectacular. Lovely post, Erika ...

    Andrea @ From the Sol

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  22. Stevenson QJuly 22, 2023 at 6:16 PM

    Growing up my cousins from California would send us little trolls and my brothers will use those to scare me! But these ones are actually very beautiful Erika! The wood gives it a very earthy feel and makes it very natural! Oh Gardens always entices me to visit. Just this week I spent a week in Morocco for vacation it was 105-110F in the afternoon but it was dry heat so it wasnt as bad as Philippine Humid summers to be honest but a beautiful Garden near the royal Palace was my favorite spot in Fes because it really has a different climate under all the trees! Thank you for these beautiful flowers!

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  23. Lowcarb team memberJuly 22, 2023 at 7:30 PM

    WOW! What a great place to visit.
    The trolls are wonderful and the flowers beautiful.
    Great photographs, thank you.

    Happy weekend wishes.

    All the best Jan

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  24. Anne (cornucopia)July 23, 2023 at 10:02 AM

    Those troll statues are fantastic!

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  25. Carola BartzJuly 23, 2023 at 3:15 PM

    The trolls, especially the first one, remind me of Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are". Wonderful that the wood is untreated and the trolls will evetually rot away. The gardens are beautiful with stunning flowers. That combination of pink and orange is stunning.

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  26. JeanieJuly 24, 2023 at 8:57 AM

    Oh Erika, the flowers are pretty but the trolls are fabulous! What terrific skill with these -- -massive and marvelous!

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  27. NatureFootstepJuly 25, 2023 at 5:57 AM

    wow, these are amazing. How on earth did he manage to create them?

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