FINISHING A WALK AROUND GREEN SPRING GARDENS

Looking across the large green as we make our way around the walking path, we see a family sitting on a blanket in the shade of the trees.  This would be a great place to bring a picnic, as I have seen people do several times on previous visits.

The gazebo is a very short walk from the Visitor Center where I saw this vase of pretty peonies.

The ground covering of small pansies were lovely,

as were the Trumpet Vines starting to cover this arbor.

We didn't see many birds to take photos of, but early in our walk we noticed that House Sparrows had taken up residence in the multi-story birdhouse high on the pole (left of the photo below).

Another small section of landscaped garden to enjoy...

and information on how to help our feathered friends.

Our bees are also mentioned.

I'm sure the frogs weren't left out.  I probably missed that sign.

By this time we are at the path that leads down to the ponds.  We leave the more manicured area and make our way down the hill.  The path here is gravel and a little uneven, so I always take extra care.  

I love this wooded area.  Everything is so lush and green.  Old trees are left to slowly decay, adding nutrients back into the soil.  They also give homes to countless species of wildlife.  

I read here that there are those who believe "the removal of dead material from forests can mean a loss of habitat for up to one fifth of the animals in the ecosystem."  Quite a sobering thought.  There is a lot of interesting information at this link regarding dead trees and how important they are.  Here is another link with more interesting information.

By this time we had walked down the gravel path, crossed over a small creek, turned left and headed towards the two ponds.  We stopped at the second one, sat on a bench under a shady tree, and enjoyed looking across the water.  Again there weren't many people here, but we noticed a family across the way, making use of another shady tree.  

A couple walked by with a small dog being transported in a pet carrier.  I was so curious about this carrier that I looked on Amazon when I got home, and found one here, which is very similar to the one this lady had. A cute little dog who seemed very comfortable and enjoying his ride.

We sat on the bench for a while after little dog and lady left, enjoying our surroundings very much.  It wasn't long before we saw a flash of red flying from one tree to another, almost above our heads.

A male Cardinal put on a performance.  I found a website where you can hear its call - at this link - if you click on their video.

It is always enjoyable to explore our local parks and gardens.  We have been to many of them and had some great walks.

Thank you for coming along with us on this one.  Enjoy your day.

MORE FROM GREEN SPRING GARDENS

When we were trying to decide where to go for our walk, we chose Green Spring Gardens which I mentioned in my previous post. The places we go within a relatively short drive always guarantees a pleasant time, and today was no exception.

There is an open gate as we enter the garden area.  We saw that they close at 5.00 p.m. and it was already 4.00 p.m.  We decided it would be prudent to park outside the gate, as the sign suggested.  There were many cars parked outside already.  Gregg dropped me off at the top so that I could walk down to the pond and meet him there.  But first I took a photo of these cute dogs who were already leaving.  I saw several dogs this day.

When I sat on the seat next to the pond where I was to meet Gregg, this little girl introduced herself.  She is a little blurry as she trotted in fast.  Her name was Hope and the lady walking her told me she was a rescue dog and she hadn't had her for very long.  Hope was a sweet furry friend and I made a big fuss of her.  

We stayed chatting for several minutes until Gregg turned up, and it was time for Hope to continue her walk.  A sweet encounter and a good start to our own walk.  

Here she is checking out one of the many smells she would encounter that day, curious about everything as I saw her disappear out of sight.  I could tell Hope would have a very happy life with the lady she was with.  I had a good feeling and I just knew there was a special connection between the two of them, and a whole lot of love.

The only birdlife I saw on the pond were two Canada Geese.  There were no nests nearby that I could see.

Do you ever like to study the bark on trees?  We are always interested in them and need to learn how to ID all the ones we see.  Our next project!  Gregg took the following photo.  

Here is another I don't know the name of.

It seems that many have decided to show how much they care for their partner.  I know it is an age-old tradition but what I would say is give them a hug instead and tell them verbally.  Leave the tree alone for others to enjoy, what say you?  I wonder what Hal and Nancy are doing now?  I wonder when it was that he carved their names on this tree?  Hal had to be a tall man to do that.  It was way above my head. (I believe I have shared this tree in an older post.)

It is really peaceful in this area.

"Rivers know this: there is no hurry.  We shall get there someday."

~A. A. Milne~

It would be lovely to live in a home next to a park or a large public garden...

and it always gives me a lift to see the first daffodils.

 How sweet the daffodil, its sunlight hue calls out, "Notice me, I am joy!"

~Author Unknown~

'Glory of the Snow' from my last post.

Blue Anemones.

Purple Pansies.  

I thought the hyacinths were a very pretty shade of pink.

The cherry blossoms were in bloom.  

There were also more dogs to see.  I didn't take photos of them all...

and I was surprised to see so many of these small dogs. Are they Maltese?  A Maltese Convention perhaps?  

I don't think I was seeing the same dogs over and over again.

We are slowly getting to the end of our walk, and we stop near the house.  If you go here and scroll down its page, you can find a short history of the place.

From the lovely green door...

down to its door knocker, it is interesting to read its history.

As we walked down the hill to where Gregg had parked our car, I stopped to take one more photo of these new buds.  

And that was it for the day's walk and photo taking.  It was lovely, and now we have to decide where we are going to go next time.  

We have company coming, so may be a little slow getting back to you over the weekend. 

HELLO BEAUTIFUL!

While out shopping the other day after we parked the car, I was in the passenger seat about to get out and right next to me were two eyes staring intently, following my every move.  She gave me a big smile and was very well behaved.  I didn't get too close.  She remained silent and curious, and was still there when we came out of the store.  I noticed the back window was open an inch or two.  It was a chilly day but I expect she was comfortable, with the warmth of the sun coming through the glass. No danger of her getting too hot while her humans were away shopping at this time of the year.  There are also distractions to stop from getting too bored, posing for photographs for the lady cooing at her.  Hold on, is this my best side?  It certainly is, you are beautiful!

"Dogs do speak but only to those who know how to listen." 

~Orhan Pamuk, author of My Name is Red~

We have company coming soon, so might be a bit late visiting you.  I will be catching up as soon as I can.