Garden

Today's hero is the fellow responsible for the lovely little garden above. His name is Andre Le Notre, and he was born this day 1613 in Paris, France. Andre was born into a family of gardeners, which is appropriate considering the work above. In case you do not recognize it, it is the gardens at the Palace of Versailles. If you have the means, I would highly recommend seeing them in person, as a picture just does not do them justice. No wonder old Louis XIV had such a big ego. Staggering out of bed, throwing open the window, and looking out on stuff like what is in the picture above would give me a "I rule the fucking world" complex as well. Andre's father was the head gardener at the Tuileries, and it was from him that Andre got his education in planning breath taking scenes like the one in the above picture. There is little mention of Le Notre in the royal accounts, and he seldom wrote down his ideas. Rather his ideas were expressed in his garden designs. No need for sketches, or blueprints, just go to the garden and see his genius writ large. So coming from a man who has, at one time, declared "nothing green can stay" his status as a hero is a bit surprising. I guess given enough room, money, and ideas nature can be forced to be beautiful, orderly, and not as deadly as my particular patch of it is. So, from a self-confessed nature hater who still can appreciate beauty, Andre Le Notre (March 12th, 1613-September 15th, 1700, at the age of 87) you are my (197th) hero of the day.