Around 1985 1986

wanted to introduce my family to the group? but I do want to go back to Johannesburg and South Africa later

Around 86/87
I was already a radiologist, and trained as a cardiovascular radiologist, had dated many but found no true bonds. In fact I was so sick and tired of the dating scene that after reading Walden pond by Thoreau, I bought a house in Holliston in rural Western Massachusetts ? a quaint New England town . (Walden pond is within 20 miles of our current home and is also in Western Mass)

The house in Holliston was modern by US standards, had an art studio above the garage and overlooked a pond. I could not see nor hear my neighbours who owned horse farms and cattle farms. The frogs and crickets were so loud at night that the sensitive were kept awake by the symphony of sounds when the windows were open. I lit fires, had wood burning stoves and coal stoves for the winter. My wealth was reflected in the height of my woodpile. I was quite prolific in my artistic endeavours. There were times when I was in pure bliss ? and at peace but times when I was quite lonely as well. No doubt about it.

My younger brother Ravin was on the lookout for me despite my protestations and my failure to admit to my lonely times. ? Ravin had been married for a year or two by now, and came across a young intern, Naomi Fisher whom his wife had known from college days, and whom he had met and worked with independently.

Our first date was spent in Holliston ? I refused to go to the city After a night of call one Saturday she came out to the country for our first date. We shared a beer and an hour or two of conversation after which she asked for the bedroom and promptly fell asleep in my bed ? alone -hopefully from intern exhaustion rather than a boring first date.

The relationship flourished, over a year or two ? we spent a glorious vacation together in Peru ? where I kinda sorta proposed to her in those glorious spiritual mountains of Machu Picchu, but only really consolidated the proposal later and we were married in June of 1989. Her sparkling green eyes caught my eye and won my heart We were and are very different and knew this from the beginning ? and our consolidation understood that opposite forces ? not like forces were attracted (Lindsay ? does this not work well in chemistry?) Her left brain is as big as mine is small, but we complement each other well. She is and was a city girl ? the absence of bagel stores in Holliston, and the lack of a sound Jewish community was untenable for her ? and I sadly gave up my home in Holliston for the sake of creating a fertile Jewish environment for the intended family .

She comes from a remarkable family of 7 children all of whom are doctors. (3 cardiologists, 2 radiologists, 1 infectious disease specialist, and she is an endocrinologist. Her Dad is a doctor, and was the type of family doctor as Terry describes Rhona. Dedicated and loved by all. Her Mom is a physicist.

The values of the family are spot on. Naomi?s Mom is as unmaterialistic as they come. The older her jeans the better. She wastes not a thing, makes compost out of the garbage, recycles ? and as green as they come. This was such a breath of fresh air. Their home in New Jersey is packed with books They have so many books that they are now accumulating on the dressing table tops. George Subotzky?s family home on Meyer street was like that Shelves filled with books I think his DAd Ralph, was an intellectual.
Sunday breakfast in the Fisher home in Nj was spent with everybody getting a copy of the NY Times crossword puzzle. The abridged Oxford dictionary lies 3 foot high on their cofee table and it is opened more frequently than the catalogues that accumualte and fill the American daily mail. The family is ardently and passionately Jewish, with hearts in the right place. Naomi?s Dad is a humble genius. These traits are spotted throughout the genes of their amazing offspring ? including all the things I love about Naomi ? humility, gentleness, incredible intelligence, and human values.
After our first child ? Talya was born in 1990, we enjoyed parenthood so much that we had Arielle 2 years later in 1990, then Aaron Percy 1994, and finally Danielle in 1997. Each child is so different and it is glorious and sometimes hurtful to see the strengths and truism of the genes ? Things of my mother and father coming through Things that I do not like about myself coming through ? and things that I am proud of come through. Things that I know will get in their way, so patently obvious to me now, are explicably and irevocably present in their natures ? and no matter how much I want to prevent the hurt some may cause ? I have no recourse to change them They are what they are for the better and for the worse. That is life Our job I believe is to love them, ground them, try and recognize who and what they truly are, and promote their talents. My son has termendous musical and dance talents. He is pursuing his musical talents. I am unable to do for (to?) him with dance what I am thankful my Mom did for (to?) me
We live in a town called Newton just outide of Boston in a carriage house built in 1845 The yellow pine floors have hand hewn nails and the ceilings upstairs must be 20 foot high. It is quite unusual and a thrill to walk on floors and sleep surrounded by walls that housed people and horses 160 years ago. It is quite small but we have used and abused every space we can.

The kids are in public schools except for Danielle who has been at a Jewish day school for the last year. They go to an overnight Jewish camp called camp Ramah for 8 weeks in the summer which imbues more spirit and comraderie in one season than 12 years of King DAvid School did for me. I only ?got it? after our trip to Israel in 67. One year Naomi and I spent a shabbat at camp Ramah and found the counsellors standing on the tables leading the shouting screaming high spirited kids in Birkat hamazon ? Incredible At the end of camp there is so much crying as all depart that one knows that they have been truly touched by something real relevant and important

So in a nutshell ? my family and my home

Talking about nuts seeds

Our Garden

The garden art is set around a mid 19th -century carriage house, decorated with hand-painted flowers. Hidden among the beds in the front, you will find a variety of sculptures, some from rocks (?The Wedding?), and some from aged tree stumps and roots (Youth). A children?s playhouse is landscaped with miniature alpines and mystical figures of weathered branches, old bark, moss, and shells.

Around the corner you will be greeted by a magical garden with three waterfalls. In the garden mingle a host of personalities created from natural elements in minimalist combination ? ?The Stick Man with his Yapping Dog?, a man and women in passionate conversation, a monk in meditation, and two Swazi men looking to the heavens for their inspiration.

The waterfalls and evergreens have been positioned to surround and embrace you with nature. The 10-foot waterfall is attended by hundreds of stone figures with colorful heads, standing silently and witnessing the spirituality of Sinai.

The inside gallery displays the beauty of form and function in biology and medicine. Here you will get a sense of the art of the inner body. ?Body?s Blossom,? ?Moods of the Belly Button,? and ?Trees in the Body? are but a few examples inspired by the beauty within.

The driving intellectual force is a program called The Common Vein, which unites art, nature and biology. The web-based educational program emphasizes simplicity of principles that underly complexity of detail in biology and medicine. (thecommonvein.com).

Garden

The garden is small and is densely packed with annuals, perennials and evergreens. The front of the house is the only part of the garden that has full sun

 

The House on 3 Lake Avenue

The house is a renovated 1845 barn that is loacetd on 3 Lake avenue in Newton Center in Mass.  It is positioned very close to the sidewalk but enough room to have a robust garden both in front of the house as well as on the birm.82735p home painting Alfred Mira Newton artist Courtesy Ashley Davidoff MD

 The Front Garden

The flowers bring incredible beauty ? but are short lived.  The foliage brings more long lasting beauty and so the trees with very different color and textures are juxtaposed for the beauty of one to be brought ourt by the other.  The combination of flowers and foliage = beauty = spring and summer. difference in color 77095p800 roses red maple Davidoff garden Courtesy Ashley Davidoff MD

The Chinese Peasant

76840p.800 Chinese peasant Davidoff garden Davidoff art

Roses Over the Front Door

62063.700 roses clematis  flowers Newton Center Massachusetts Davidoff photography Davidoff art all rights reserved copyright 2009

Little Space for More

The Little House is to the Right

Twirly Wirly People of the Miniature Garden in Front of the Little House

82760p Bonsai Garden with People of Twirly Wirly Twirly People of the Wirly Bonsai Village Davidoff garden Photography by Talya Davidoff

 

Cherry Blossom Time on the Sidewalk

Early Spring Before Fall Clean Up

94908p.8s spring time early April 3 Lake Avenue 2010 purple azaleas Davidoff photography copyright 2010

Later Spring Time on the Sidewalk

Clematis Up the Telephone Pole

62072.700 clematis flowers Newton Center Massachusetts Spring Davidoff photography Davidoff art all rights reserved copyright 2009

Side Door

87196pb.8s home 3 Lake Avenue Newton garden Newton Open Studios dancers Davidoff art copyright 2009 all rights reserved

69406.8s

69406.8s Lake avenue home side entrance painted windows ferns stone steps garden Davidoff garden

66732

66732 first waterfall Swazi men stairway Davidoff garden

Walk Around the Side of the House to the Garden

Up the Stone Steps

80656p.800 Davidoff art Davidoff garden Courtesy Ashley Davidoff MD

The First Small Waterfall at the Back

Note Different color and texture of foliage

69414 home Davidoff art Davidoff garden Courtesy Ashley Davidoff MD art

 

   

 Back Garden Design ?

Le Dor Vador

Triangles in the Garden in the Fall

Front Triangle encloses the Large Waterfall and the Current Generation

Back triangle Encloses the First Generation

 82350pb01a01W04 Davidoff

 

Children of Israel Witnessing Har Sinai and the Water Coming Out of the Rocks

68962.8s Lake avenue home approach to the second waterfall Tolleson?s weeping evergreen Mount Sinai people of Israel green garden Davidoff garden

Second Waterfall

82752p Mount Sinai Ten Commandments triangle second waterfall Davidoff garden Photography by Talya Davidoff

New Garden on the Hill

Maples Weeded Early Terracing and Early Framework May 2011

Davidoff photography Copyright 2012 102418p.8s

Maples Weeded Early Terracing and Early Framework June 2011

new garden the hill Ron and neal Gold construction spring 2011 rocks terracing garden Davidoff photography Copyright 2012 102428p.8s

A Closer Look

Davidoff photography Copyright 2012 102428pb01.8s

July 2011

Davidoff photography Copyright 2012 102712p.8s

By Summers End 2011 ? Garden Complete

Davidoff photography Copyright 2012 106665p.8s

September 2011

Davidoff photography Copyright 2012 107442pb.8s

MAy 2012

Davidoff photography Copyright 2012 109414p.8sb01

To be continued?????

Late Winter Early Spring

90812p.8s

90812p.8s late winter early spring Red Hellebore home Davidoff photography garden Copyright Davidoff

Mature Fall

but it don?t last too long

93408p.8s 3 LAke Avenue newton center October 2009 from the kitchen window autumn fall Davidoff photography copyright 2009 all rights reserved

One Month Later

93828p.8s One month difference between this image and the one taken in the fall of 2009 This was the first snowfall of theis year garden time Davidoff photography Copyright 2009 winter snow

Dancers

87823p.8s home 3 Lake Avenue Newton garden flowers dancer early summer Newton Open Studios Davidoff art copyright 2009 all rights reserved flower mid to late summer ladybells Tall, 24- to 30-inch spires of dark blue, bell-shaped flowers bloom in mid- to late summer. These flowers are often found in old gardens, as they persist for years.

A Stolen Kiss in the Gardenhome tree water rock 68972 Davidoff garden Davidoff art

Monk in Meditation

68976 home Davidoff art monk in the garden Davidoff garden Courtesy Ashley Davidoff MD art