Saturday, April 9, 2016

MULTIPLE MEMES - MEADOWLARK GARDENS IN VIENNA, VIRGINIA

We have had company staying for a while and I am trying to include as many memes as I can this week.  I don't think I will have much time on the computer.  Consequently, some may be days ahead of when the memes actually open.  


It was Gregg's birthday and our son visited that morning. Fortunately he had the day off and spent several hours. The best kind of birthday gift for his Dad, though he came with his own gift also. 



We went out to breakfast. Normally if we know son is coming over, Gregg enjoys putting his chef's hat on and cooks at home, but today the Birthday Boy said he would like to go to the Silver Diner.  We had not been there in over a year.  Car journeys, no matter how short, are wonderful places to have conversations and it is always fun to catch up. 




The weather was lovely and there were all kinds of big, puffy clouds in the sky.  After our son left it was a bit chilly but, only needing a sweater, we had plenty of time for a walk at Meadowlark Gardens.   The painting above is the one I shared in this post.....


and the chameleon I shared in this one.  He was such a cool little guy.  Shedding his skin, a sign that he is getting bigger.



The daffodils were blooming.








and the grass and the trees were still in their winter slumber.... 


but we noticed there were new buds sprouting....


and the geese found new shoots of grass to eat.


I have always liked this bush.  It is called a golden curl willow (salix matsudana erythroflexuosa).


We found rather a large frog.....


and an enormous dragonfly on the branches of a nearby tree.




This is the pathway we take in the summer after we have walked around the lake.  We take the path as it is shaded and noticeably cooler in the height of summer, when the trees are full of leaves.  A wonderful walk full of shade plants which takes us back towards the exit.  By this time we are usually very hot, 'we' being me and the mouse in my pocket!  The Virginia Boy I am married to has no problem with the heat and humidity, the more the better.




In this shot to the right of that normally shaded path, you can just make out the roof of the visitor center (on the right of the picture), where the grass meets the sky.




Another shot looking towards the center.  By this time Gregg is sitting on one of the many benches waiting for me.  I've been taking more photos of spring flowers, and lovely plants.




This is a very interesting plant called the Sawara False Cypress..... 


(Chamaecyparis pisifera) Golden Mops.





I am sharing with the following memes as they become available, with my thanks to all our hosts for bringing them to us.  You can click on their names if you would like to visit other participants.



Eileen at Saturday's Critters
Misty at Camera Critters
Anni at Bird D'Pot
Laura at iHeartMacro
Michelle at Nature Notes
Stewart at Wild Bird Wednesday
Jesh at Seasons 
N.C. Sue at 
Linda Kay at Wednesday Wit and Wisdom

32 comments:

  1. You ARE the multi-meme queen.
    A belated Happy Birthday to Gregg and enjoy your ocmpany.

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  2. glad you got to spend some time with your son - and nature, too.

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  3. Love the shots of the dragonfly and chameleon. I hope the birthday went well. I admire your patience with all those memes.

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  4. Hello Denise! Glad you found time to share these wonderful photos with us and still enjoy time with your son on his birthday! So many fun sights and critters!
    have a happy weekend!

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  5. Well I just love your multi-meme's, you have such a lovely selection for us to look at and I certainly enjoyed my walk around the park with you ...

    Belated Happy Birthday to Gregg, always great when your son can visit.
    Enjoy your weekend and your company

    All the best Jan

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  6. Hello Denise, Happy Belated Birthday to Gregg. I enjoyed this walk around the gardens and your wonderful photos. The Chameleon is cool. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Have a happy weekend!

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  7. what a great spot!! i enjoyed the tree and garden decor. happy birthday to greg, may he celebrate all weekend!!!

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  8. i want to sit on the bench and look at the yellow flowers, i want to walk in the paths and I love the lamp over the painting...

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  9. Good to enjoy the company of your son for dinner and to catch up with one another. You have captured beautiful critters and nature photos and I enjoyed them all.

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  10. You had very productive walk. It takes a good eye to catch all this stuff.

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  11. The chameleon looks like quite a character!

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  12. So enjoyable to tag along with you, D. Happy Birthday Greg!

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  13. A belated Happy Birthday to Gregg, and your photos are gorgeous, Denise!

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  14. Oh what a great spot to watch spring bloom...and great art sprinkled around. Wonderful that you were able to spend time with your son!

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  15. Beautiful Park. I'm sure it gives you your thirty minutes of exercise a day. I notice Gregg can find the benches as David does.

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  16. You have a great week. I hope you have time to sit and relax!

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  17. Fabulous Denise!! I personally like the multi-meme posts myself. So much to view of great interest all the way around.
    Love the mosaic frog and the dragonfly. The beautiful scenery and of course the birds!!!

    Hope you enjoy your company and most of all, I wish Gregg a birthday wish tho a few days late.

    Thank you so much for stopping by to add your link for us birders at I'd Rather B Birdin' for us to enjoy your post!!

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  18. Oh, my, I did enjoy this post...and I still want to go back and expand the view. LOVED that big dragonfly...would love for this place to be close to us.

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  19. I like the frog and chameleon...Happy B-Day, Gregg!
    ~

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  20. What a marvelous way to spend the day! Happy Birthday to Gregg. Thanks so much for sharing the love up-close with I Heart Macro ♥

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  21. The chameleon is amazing! Great photos.

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  22. This is a great outing you're sharing with us and having a good time with your family! The Sawara false Cypress is eye catching - such beautiful yellow! And lovely views of this area.
    Denise, hope you are not feeling guilty for putting all the memes in one post - it's just another style of blogging! There are only 24 hrs. in a day, and sometimes we are traveling, having guests, work, or other things come up.
    Many thanks for being a part of SEASONS, and "see" you back very soon!

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  23. Love the chameleon and beautiful spring scenes. Enjoy your company!

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  24. Oh my word - I've never even IMAGINED a dragonfly that large!
    Great shots.
    Thank you for sharing, and happy birthday wishes coming your way from http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-many-faces-of-louie.html

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  25. Happy Birthday to hubby... I enjoyed the critters and scenery... Michelle

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  26. Thanks for taking us along on your walk, Denise, and for sharing your pictures and story!

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  27. A lovely series of photos!
    Hope you are having a great week!
    Lea

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  28. Hello Denise and happy Birthday to Gregg!
    Beautiful aspects captured and shared with us! A gorgeous path and so many wonders of nature, as always! For sure, a delight for soul! So impressed by...
    Have a great week ahead!

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  29. What a fun post. I didn't get to come by from the Critter posts. I came over from Wit and Wisdom. It was nice meeting you. I am following you now.
    I'd love you to come over. I did link critters. I also linked at Wit and Wisdom. I didn't end my story though. Come over and help me write the ending.

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  30. What a beautiful garden with so much to see!

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  31. What a lovely day with the Birthday Boy! Great place to get some awesome photos, too. Love that chameleon especially!

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  32. I love the chameleon. It's a very cute and interesting critter. Enjoy your weekend!

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