Frances Y J Wheeler recently sent us the above photo which she took on a visit to The Mount and writes:
"While checking your web site the tab entitled "Ghosts" caught my eye. It reminded me of a photo I took when I visited The Mount with the Landscape Design Council on June 20, 2007. ... the light anomaly on this image of a path into the woodlands does not appear in other photos I took of The Mount that same day.
As far as when I took the photo, I didn't notice anything on the path, I was just trying to capture the "linear path experience," as we Landscape Design Council members would say.
I was visiting The Mount with the Landscape Design Council of Massachusetts on a three-day learning excursion to the Berkshires, where we visited several properties. Due to the nature of our group, we were particularly interested in the landscaping and gardens.
While in the formal floral garden, I noticed some paths leading off into the woodlands, and I followed them for a bit to take a look. I liked the way this path wound through the lawn and then disappeared into the darker woods, and so I took the image. Only later did I discover the white spot in the center of the photo.
We visited on June 20, 2007 and it was an overcast day. Aside from the evidence in the photographic images, I recall that we were disappointed that our lunch, which had been planned for the patio, had been moved into the stables. So it is unlikely that the white spot on the image was caused by glare from the sun."
The Mount is sorry that the lunch had to be moved, but are very grateful for the photograph. It seems appropriate here to quote one of Mrs. Wharton's own stories--there is a ghost but "You won't know till afterward...you won't know till long, long afterward."
