On my last day in England I spent the morning at the Temple Church, ate a luxurious lunch at The Wolesley, and then spent the rest of the day laying in the grass, painting, and soaking in the warm sun and all that is beautiful about summer in two of London’s royal parks – St. James’s Park and Green Park. In the late 19th century these parks inspired Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of landscape architecture, to design public spaces and park systems throughout the U.S. and in turn his work has inspired me. He crafted landscapes by teasing out their essence, and it is the essence of place that I’m on the trail to find. (Turn on your sound to get the full effect of this beautiful day and place)

As a landscape historian I’m intrigued by what communicates the sense of place. Earlier this year I spent three weeks traveling through England and Scotland researching, experiencing and trying to capture base layers of each place’s essence. The Cotswolds was one of the landscapes that resonated the most. I recorded its landscapes, sounds, colors and objects – historic and contemporary, sacred and profane. Here are some impressions from that study. (Make sure your sound is turned on to get the full effect.)