The Coral Gables Times

16 CORAL GABLES TIMES Thursday, November 1, 1962

East & West Meet

STAFF PHOTOS BY RAY LANG East & West Meet By JUNE GRAY Woman's Editor A bright tangerine gate guards the entrance of the Japanese garden of Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Ballard, 731 Minorca Ave. Before guests are permitted to enter the main garden from the entrance garden, they must pay homage to the fou dog, a combination of dog and lion, that keeps away evil spirits. The garden has very little color in it but is chiefly green foliage. The Japanese custom is to make their gardens look as old as possible, Mrs. Ballard explained. For this reason she stained her porch and stepping stones. Statutes of Budda and St. Francis face each other. St. Francis does not really belong, Mrs. Ballard said, but he is the protector of the birds that have made the garden their home. They are closely watched by Kwaynen, the Japanese goddess of mercy. A stork for longevity and a turtle for good luck sit near a lily pond in the center of the garden. In one corner, the Ballards are piling all their extra rocks in attempt to build a "mountain." Mrs. Ballard has made her back porch into a tea house. She does not require visitors to pull off their shoes, but all the Japanese visitors refuse to walk on the tatami straw rug with street shoes on. The tinkling of Japanese windchimes entertain guests as they sit on the waiting bench listening for the tea gong. Japanese rice cloth covers a portion of the dining room wall. Part of the furniture has been converted from early American to Japanese. Until five years ago, the whole house was done in Early American. Mrs. Ballard said she got tired of it and decided upon a complete change. The couple has two children and six grandchildren. Mr. Ballard is a retired general manager of the National Mattress Company. They moved here 16 years ago from Huntington, W. Va. HOLDING HANDS over the cypress bridge in their Japanese Garden are Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Ballard, 731 Minorca Ave. The bridge crosses a dry river bed which symbolizes the life cycle. When it rains, the bed overflows and symbolizes youth, but the receding waters represent creeping old age. At left is a pagoda. A CHINESE "coolie" hat keeps out the sun glare even on the hottest of days. ON THE entrance porch is a "tokonoma" made from bamboo. There a flower arrangement, incense burner and Budda are kept. In the center is a scroll which changes with the season. Mrs. Ballard is holding Getas, Japanese sandals. THIRTY INCH GEISHA GIRL JAPANESE PEOPLE keep ashes of their ancestors in Pagodas of this type. The five roofs represent beginning at the bottom - earth, water, fire, wind, and heaven. MRS. BALLARD relaxes in a "queen's chair" on her front porch where she has a view of her lawn and through the rear window can enjoy her Japanese garden. DANISH MODERN furniture is used by Mrs. Ballard to complement her Japanese accessories in this spacious living room. On the mantle are a pair of Chinese clausanas, which are candle holders. An opium bowl and pipe, used for flower arrangements, are on the Japanese chow table. The window screen is called a "shoji."