Edison and Ford Winter Estates

[urbpan]

Our last stop on the vacation was the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. I was keen to see the botanical laboratories and such, not so much the big houses of two rich men I don't particularly admire. Edison was a ruthless capitalist and elephant electrocutor and Ford was a noted anti-Semite. We saw some cool stuff there though--check out the tree behind this statue of Edison.

I made sure to show my dad the Oatmeal strip about Tesla, after we got back, just so you know.



One of the purposes of the Winter Estate was to grow tropical plants to find one that would produce latex cheaply and efficiently. Fig trees didn't cut the mustard, but they ended up growing one of the biggest most beautiful monsters of a fig tree (Banyan, Ficus sp.) found in the United States.


The estate is located on the bank of the Caloosahatchee River, which allowed for easier transport of supplies. Edison had this long pier built into the river, so boats wouldn't run aground in the shallows when delivering elephant electric chairs and crates of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.


I took this pictures and remarked that I wouldn't mind being unspeakably wealthy sometimes.


One of the plants they hoped would produce rubber for tires was good old goldenrod! Would have been great if it had worked--turn weeds in to resources!


I will admit, it was very cool to see these old labs.


I may have tweeted a joke about how the "Tesla head in a jar" exhibit was a bit much.


I think we all kind of wish that laboratories still looked like this.


They should have sold reprints of SCIENCE Newsletter in the gift shop.


That preserved weed towering over my dad is none other than...




Back outside, I found a fallen fig and split it open, hoping to find the symbiotic wasps inside.


The trees themselves were painted with a lovely diversity of crustose lichens.




Caterpillars in December? I should come here more often!

Comments

[bosoxmom.livejournal.com]

I saw that video of the elephant years ago and it made me cry and it made me sick....and it made me mad.

My kids all grew up knowing what a great guy Tesla was and what a raging douche Edison was....

Tesla may or may not have been an eccentric, but he was at least kind to animals.

[elainetyger.livejournal.com]

more&more good pix the past couple days. I especially like the picture of the pier in this bunch.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Thanks Elaine! :)