Monday, July 17, 2023

In a green place, with dogs and blossoms

My childhood memories of trips to Connecticut involve crowded rooms full of aunts and uncles who had very firm opinions on many topics of no interest to a small child; now all the aunts and uncles are gone so our visit to Connecticut was crowded with dogs and trails and waterfalls and flowers.

And a kayak. Yes: my brother succeeded in persuading me and my husband to try out his two-person inflatable kayak, which he promised we novices would not be able to flip. And he was right--we paddled around a flat, calm lake without incident, except for my difficulty in getting in and out of the kayak. 

We hiked to waterfalls and took the dogs for a splash in a creek, ate fabulous food (much of it cooked by my talented brother) and stood in the rain eating ice cream at a dairy--but not before visiting the Pinchot sycamore, where we were dwarfed by its nearly 30-foot circumference. 

And then this morning we left Connecticut and drove to Longwood Gardens, south of Philadelphia. I promised myself that this time I wouldn't take a zillion photos, but then I saw a hummingbird and started clicking away.

Tomorrow we get up early and make the long drive home, taking sore joints and piles of sweat-soaked laundry. And pictures, of course, and memories. This vacation has passed too quickly but I doubt that I'll soon forget the many varieties of beauty we experienced.

The Pinchot Sycamore, in the rain

Bash Bish Falls


Cloud hugging the mountain




Indian pipes

Striped wintergreen


Looking toward Hartford from the top of Case Mountain











Mississippi River Trillium

Cup plant




Shrimp plant

The orchid room was amazing


Orchids that look like autumn leaves








Lollipop tree




Artichokes in Pennsylvania? Yes!


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