One of the greatest pleasures of this trip has been jumping ahead in time, so to speak, on the spring season. At home, we had just barely watched the last of the snow in the woods melt. Garden season seemed a far way off yet. But here, we are seeing plant color and full bloom on so many things! Each morning as we wake up here, and I feel the warm air coming in, I get an instinctual garden itch. It's time to get out there and start planting! A day in the garden is ahead! But alas, we are not home, and home is not ready for a day in the garden even if we were. Instead, we'll just enjoy this spring-forward peek of flowers and blooms, grass and trees that is happening here in North Carolina.
Yesterday, we spent a lovely afternoon at the Asheville Botanical Gardens doing just that. Noticing new-to-us plants, and recognizing familiar ones too - "Oh, hello columbine! See you again in nearly two months in Maine!" and so on. Adelaide and I both soaked that goodness right up, and enjoyed the sweet smells and sights all around. And, because we were traveling with the (dubbed by Adelaide) King and Queen of picnics (A Year of Picnics by Ashley comes out in 2017 via Roost Books), we were also treated to the most delicious tastes in that beautiful place. A picnic on the rocks by the stream. Delicious and delightful - the sun on our faces. Our first picnic of the season!
