Do Over...

So I kept thinking about the choice I made of the photo of Karen's garden bench. When I chose the first version of the scene, I was thinking about the object itself - the bench. But the more I thought about it, I realized that perhaps the more interesting photograph was the bench as seen in its surroundings. I think this photograph is more interesting because you can get a better sense of where the bench is. The boulders in the background add more interest, AND the light is more interesting as well. I should tell you that I photographed this scene first when there were patches of sunlight on the scene. I shot both close and wide. Then I waited an hour or so, and photographed the scene again, in softer light, both close and wide. So I think this is the best photo. Many times I will photograph a scene like this, over a period of time, and I am always trying different compositions. So help me out here - is this the better photograph?