Our Summer started off rather cool in June and only heated up at the start of July. The heat was briefly blistering before rains set in to keep lawns green. It’s pretty hot and humid this week but I’ve not yet tired of the ease of Summer weather, which allows me to slip outside without worry. The days seem relaxing as they fade into one another. I thought about the pace of Summer as I enjoyed the shade at Colonial Park the other day.
The backstory: JT is training to run a 100 mile race and so nearly every day is a running day. Some days, there is rain in the forecast and he’ll tie on his shoes and then stand on the porch and announce he doesn’t want to get wet. Every single time, I respond, “Why? You aren’t made of sugar. You won’t melt.” It’s sensible and it’s true.
Today, we went to Colonial Park so he could run and I could go for a walk. We set off in the same direction and heard thunder in the distance.
Me: I hope it doesn’t rain.
JT (as he ran off): Why? You aren’t made of sugar. You won’t melt.”
I guess that he does hear me.
I first came to admire magnolia trees and their velvety blooms when I lived in Nashville. The trees were abundant in the area, tall and full with branches that reached the ground. In May, those branches were heavy with the luscious scent of the blousy magnolia flowers that perfumed the month of May. I could walk right up to the trees and breathe in the scent. Here in the North, magnolia trees blooms later, from June into July. Most people trim the lower branches of the trees and so the blooms are high above. They are still fragrant and beautiful, though not quite the magnolias that I grew to love. But in Colonial Park, there are two grand magnolias with branches that sweep the ground.
We’ve had a beautiful May around here and I’ve been able to go outside a lot. I’ve done work outside, I’ve sat in the sun and read books, and on Memorial Day, JT and I went to my favorite local park for a walk and a sit in the sunshine.
The Rose Garden is at its splendid best.
It seems that I am always impatient for the arrival of Spring. Though we had an incredibly mild Winter, this year was no exception. I have been on the lookout for signs of Spring since I returned from California in February. That means frequent visits to Colonial Park, where I like to take my walks and look for all the new blooms. In the past week, the pace of Spring blooms has picked up. There are daffodils everywhere. Some are just starting to open their flowers.
Others have begun to bloom.
Within the week, more fields of daffodils will emerge everywhere I look. I'm excited for the blooms.
I can never get enough of being outside and in all seasons, I like to go for a walk in the gardens of Colonial Park. The gardens stretch along the D&R Canal, with open fields and a trail that offers plenty to see. There are lots of other places I like to go for a walk, but this place is my favorite and offers enough variety that I never seem to tire of it.
My favorite seasons are Spring and Fall, because everything is changing and because the weather is often mild enough for me to be outside for hours, walking and then reading and resting on one of the many benches in the gardens and lawns. Winter is trickier because sitting outside is less comfortable but I am cold-hearty enough for a good long walk.
This past weekend, I took my walks in the mid-afternoon, when the sun was high.
In the Summer, the trail is mostly shaded and offers a cool respite from the heat. But the weekend was cold and the sun was lovely on the trail, shining through the limbs of trees now bare of leaves.
Though it’s just mid-January and there is plenty of Winter left on the calendar, I’m already turning my imagination toward the Spring, with its fresh blooms and hopeful promise. It’s nice to look forward.
