Going to the Follies

 It was Thursday morning and the weathermen were gushing over what a nice day it was going to be. Officially, there were only three more days of summer left. Listening to the radio as I lay in bed, willing myself to get up, I decided to take a walk and I knew exactly where I was going to go.

    An hour or two later I was driving down a narrow neighborhood street in Highland Park. I pulled in-between two cars parked along side of the road and got out. I slid my camera gear over my shoulder and turned on my GPS. Locking the car, I walked over to a barely noticeable path leading into the woods and stepped in.

    Dropping down into a valley, the trail starts out on a set of brick steps with a thick handrail beside them. A finial sits atop the metal post at the bottom, giving credence to it being built many, many years ago. Putting nice finishing touches on things such as these are rarely done these days.

    There used to be a sidewalk at the bottom of the steps, it has since washed away with only occasional pieces of brickwork scattered across the steep slope. The pathway goes around theses remnants rather than across them, the angle they sit on makes them unsafe and also, unnecessary.

    Passing a small spring, I maneuvered around a fallen tree. The well-worn path showed me the way. After this, the trail leveled off, to one side was the drop into the valley and to the other, a steep hillside filled with tall weeds. I rubbed across a bush and was rewarded with some swollen bumps which thankfully, itched rather than stung. I nearly grabbed a thick stalk for balance when I realized that it was covered with thorns and sharp needle-like hairs. Luckily, I pulled my hand back before I touched it. The path was mainly dirt but there are numerous large stones imbedded in it, the hillside is covered with them. A careful eye was needed to avoid tripping.

    It wasn’t a long walk and the day was perfect for it. The trees kept the sunshine off of me and kept me cool. Spots of sunshine slipped through the trees illuminating the batches of white snakeroot and pokeweed covering the slopes. The sounds of cars had disappeared, there was no one around and even the birds seemed quiet, it was a peaceful and relaxing setting.

    I passed under a low hanging bush and saw what I had come to see. Sitting in front of me, lying on its side was what looked like the top of a castle turret. Round, about 10 foot tall, made out of hewn stone, cemented together. It was a remnant of the folly that used to sit in the backyard of the house at the top of the hill.

    A folly is an ornamental building which serves no purpose except to stimulate the imagination. It has no historic relevance. Follies are popular in England and Europe, putting a set of ruins in the middle of a field or lawn adds an eye catcher to the scene.

From Landmark Architecture

Pittsburgh and Alleghany County

1985

Date unknown

    This particular folly was built in the late 1800’s by Robert King who later inherited the house from his mother. It consisted of four towers with crenellated tops, looking much like a rook in a chess set. They were complete with doors and small arrow windows looking out into the valley. Walls connected them, looking much like the walls of a castle or fortress. The yards, gardens and the folly were well kept and maintained during his and his wife’s lives. After they passed on, the land was donated to the city and it became part of Highland Park. The folly was no longer cared for and over the decades has slowly crumbled and fallen over the hillsides of the valley. Today, only one tower remains standing, along with the remnants of some of the walls below. The house has since been sold to a private owner. Even though I know better, I feel as if I am in a historical site, and in a way, I am.

    First things first, there is a geocache in the near-by area. I un-slung my camera bag, took my GPS and started searching. Five minutes later, the cache had been found and the log signed. One of the things which first interested me in geocaching was the various places the game would take me to, places such as this!

    Returning to my camera gear, I got out the cameras and took some pictures. There are lots to see on the hillside, I enjoyed myself walking around and finding different places to shoot, shots I hadn’t taken on previous visits. The heat of the day was increasing and the bugs had located me, so I packed up my gear and returned to the path and the car.

     Having been in the woods for just a little over an hour, I came back to a ticket stuck under my windshield wiper. It seems I had picked the one day of the month that the street gets cleaned. On the sign located halfway down the block, it lists the two-hour period (of the month) that cars couldn’t be parked here. I could see the marks on the street showing that the street sweeper had passed by, I also could see the tickets stuck on the cars parked around me.

    So, I had taken my walk, found a geocache and had taken some pictures. I also got some exercise and was relaxed and calm, this was all good! The only down side of the morning was that it cost me a little more than I originally planned. I guess I found two follies all together, the ornamental buildings with no purpose other than decoration and my own lack of good sense; not checking the signs better. Oh well, live and learn!