One of the great things about being retired is the time to go traveling. Its even better when I get to visit beautiful gardens all over the U.S. for my garden travelogue!
This summer is starting off right with a trip to Delaware and Pennsylvania then up to New Hampshire to do a bit of pet sitting with these guys
My daughter and Son in Law went out to California for a wedding so I got to hang out with Monster the Cat, Buck the Hound and Tank the Bernese Mountain dog puppy. Not shown is Rocket the giant fuzz ball. An enormous and annoying cat that is very needy while randomly lashing out with claws just for the hell of it.
Still they are all sweeties and it was my pleasure to spend time in the New Hampshire woods with them while avoiding black flies and mosquitos not to mention ticks. Spring brings out the bugs and lots of pollen. But the upside are the gorgeous Rhododendrons, garden blooms and wild flowers. Here are a few pics of them
I love that the ground cover in the forests are these lush, green ferns
Its such a change going from Los Angeles to the East Coast. There is sooo much water there- streams, ponds, lakes, marshes, and rivers, all thanks to year round rain storms plus a coating of snow in the winter. Its like being dipped in green, walking on the trails there!
The kids bought a house a couple of years ago in the South-West corner of the state and I try to help out with the garden and home fix ups when I visit. We are slowly making some progress but I have to reign in my designer instincts to just take over the whole thing. Planting huge perennials beds, roses galore and making sitting areas under all the trees isn’t what they are going for. Darn.
Its hard for a Mom and a Landscape Designer to hold back when there is so much potential! I have a new mantra: It is their house and they need to be in charge of what they want. It has taken me awhile but I am working on letting go and going with the flow. Wish me luck!
Speaking of luck, my son in law has become very interested in vegetable and fruit growing. He started plants in their sunroom this year and last, around the end of March and they grew so well that some of them even got little fruits on! I am so proud of him for having the enthusiasm and initiative to try something new. We planted the starts out into the garden when I was there, so I am looking forward to seeing how they are doing and eating lots of tomatoes when I go back to visit in the late summer.
We had a bumper crop last year and this year is looking great. A cucumber and some peas have already been harvested.
I visited 3 outstanding gardens before going up to New Hampshire- Longwood Gardens, Winterthur and Hershey Gardens. Each has its own style and feel with the incredible deciduous, broadleaf forests of the East Coast as the surround. Pennsylvania is so leafy! My knowledge of the trees and plants of the region is somewhat limited but I am starting to learn more and more as I visit New England. Many of the plants I have only seen in books so its wonderful to view them in the gardens at last. A blog about these gardens will follow this one. And there will be a more extensive write up in the Travelogue.
Travel time continues (after a short breather), when my West Coast kids and I will travel to El Salvador for 8 days for some beach resort action, mountain adventures and family visiting. My daughter’s husband is from El Salvador and immigrated to the US when he was 5 years old. I am looking forward to meeting his relatives there, seeing the sights and exploring the culture with expert guides in the form of family members. Exotic fruits, foods and flowers await us! But wait- this is just part of my travel time.
Lastly, I have a long road trip coming up after the El Salvador trip. I will going up to the bay area from L.A. to see family then a off to Seattle to visit the famous Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island plus have some tourist time in Seattle. I am checking off some of my bucket list places on this trip with Seattle then Yellowstone National Park as my two big destinations. Both are places I have longed to spend time exploring and sight seeing.
After a stop in Chicago to do some fun stuff with my niece, I will work my way out to New Hampshire again to spend late summer and fall with all those pets! I will post some photos and interesting stops on the blog and add some beautiful gardens to the travelogue so stay tuned. I love travel time but anticipate being worn out by years end!
