Peregrinations

I don't know her name - the leaves look like beech to me. I saw her at Stourhead.

Read more about Stourhead Stories

A couple of years ago, I flew to Boston, visited shrines right and left from Cape Cod to Burlington, VT. By the end of the journey, I had circled back with one more shrine on my list. The home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in Cambridge, MA. Read more about Three Trees

When I was a child, I lived in the trees. Or I would have, if my mother hadn't made me come down for supper.

It's easy to take trees for granted. There they are, rising above the houses, making shade, blocking the view, hosting birds and squirrels, making us sneeze. They're part of the scenery, generally relegated to the backdrop, because trees in the foreground would block the action. There's no actual drama in the tree itself. Nobody actually sees trees. Read more about I See Trees

Tra la! For the last Friday in May, we travel home to my backyard - my backyard of 2008. When the Wisteria ripened like grapes in autumn. So luscious they looked juicy. The vine is coming back now, after a couple of hard years. Wisteria can crawl all over your house, plucking at the weak spots in the siding, loosening shingles, and twining around ornamental trees. But as long as it puts on this yearly show, you forgive it for all the work it's made necessary the rest of the year. Read more about Flowers That Bloom In The Spring

Springtime on the Acropolis

Read more about Speaking of Greece

I know it's the middle of May, but I can't help posting this picture from an October of a few years ago. I was visiting my best friend from high school, and she took me to visit Asticou Azalea Gardens on Mt. Desert Island near Acadia National Park. Read more about Spring Far Forward

It may be a cliche' about spring showers and their inevitable results. But that does nothing to diminish our delight.

Istanbul is known for tulips, but apparently I was too taken with the pansies to notice. These are just outside Topkapi Palace.

Read more about The Joy of Pansies

If you go to Venice, go on a rainy day.

You know the old song:

April in Paris
Nothing's in blossom
What have I done to my feet???

Back in 2005 when I made my first driving tour of England, an item on my itinerary was the shipyards at Southhampton, from which both Mayflower and Titanic sailed. One made it. One didn't. Nearby is a column dedicated to the first ship. Read more about Two ships