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Cherry Blossoms are Good for the Soul
This week I have been in a mood. Practically a state. Today not even a long whirl on the stationary cycle improved things, so I did something I don't do nearly often enough; I went for a walk.
Today the destination was a local park that while practically in walking distance I haven't been to before, because they charge for parking, and truthfully it didn't look very interesting. So I parked on a side street, walked through the parking lot, and entered. To my surprise, it was much larger than it appeared on the inside, with paths leading down to a hollow surrounded by young redwoods. The noise of traffic was muffled there, and it was shady, wet and cool. I explored for a while, seeing the small amphitheater, the children's museum, and the old miniature railroad tracks that were disused now, covered with dirt tree litter. And then I went through a gate, and there was the Japanese Friendship Garden. There was a series of large shallow pools, small islands, and a waterfall tumbling down a small cliff of artfully placed boulders. Going up some nearby steps, I found another large lake, an island, a Japanese-style bridge going nowhere...and cherry trees. The trees were in early blossom, so I wandered in and around them. The trees were surrounded by bees, intent on the first thing to bloom near them.
And so I took some pictures. Here are a couple of the better ones (The rest will end up on my DA account):
( A picture of the upper pond. )
( Some not-so-good pictures of the trees. )
( I do like this close-up. )
All of this put me in a much better state of mind, ready to face my evening's client. It's interesting how quickly I forget in this highly urbanized area how much a walk outside in quiet nature heals my moods. I think I'll remember that from now on. And I also think I'll learn to use that nice camera I was given.
Today the destination was a local park that while practically in walking distance I haven't been to before, because they charge for parking, and truthfully it didn't look very interesting. So I parked on a side street, walked through the parking lot, and entered. To my surprise, it was much larger than it appeared on the inside, with paths leading down to a hollow surrounded by young redwoods. The noise of traffic was muffled there, and it was shady, wet and cool. I explored for a while, seeing the small amphitheater, the children's museum, and the old miniature railroad tracks that were disused now, covered with dirt tree litter. And then I went through a gate, and there was the Japanese Friendship Garden. There was a series of large shallow pools, small islands, and a waterfall tumbling down a small cliff of artfully placed boulders. Going up some nearby steps, I found another large lake, an island, a Japanese-style bridge going nowhere...and cherry trees. The trees were in early blossom, so I wandered in and around them. The trees were surrounded by bees, intent on the first thing to bloom near them.
And so I took some pictures. Here are a couple of the better ones (The rest will end up on my DA account):
( A picture of the upper pond. )
( Some not-so-good pictures of the trees. )
( I do like this close-up. )
All of this put me in a much better state of mind, ready to face my evening's client. It's interesting how quickly I forget in this highly urbanized area how much a walk outside in quiet nature heals my moods. I think I'll remember that from now on. And I also think I'll learn to use that nice camera I was given.