Victorian Bellefonte, Viewed from Talleyrand Park

I love to visit Talleyrand Park, in Bellefonte, in the springtime. There is a charming little park with a gazebo and a swinging bridge and picnic tables along the water that flows from the big spring run.

The spring is legendary for its clean, strong flow, and it provides drinking water to the town and the surrounding area. Railroad tracks run through the park and trains traverse them. (Yes, my husband and I even took a ride once!)

It was a sad occasion that brought me to Bellefonte on this day, however. One of my close friends had just shared the news late last week that her mother had passed away; and early this evening, I was in Bellefonte to pay my respects at the family visitation.

But I arrived in town with a little bit of time to spare, and so I was able to fit in a very short visit to the park. There were birds everywhere, mostly ducks. And I saw my first few baby ducklings of the year.

The trees were bedecked in bright green leaves, and pink and purple and white flowers. There were people everywhere - small children, old people, young lovers, entire families - enjoying the day, feeding the ducks, having picnics.

This is the view looking into Victorian Bellefonte from Talleyrand. Birds are nesting in the daffodils, and you can see a few of the park's mallards sitting in profile along the right side of the run.

The song to accompany this image is one I chose for my friend. This was a sad day for her, and I wanted to be there for her and show my support to help get her through it. Several other of our "ladies who lunch" crowd also came out to support her. I hope my friend felt surrounded by our love.

So this one's for you, Cindy, and for your mom and all who love her: The Beatles, with All You Need Is Love.  I'm also taking the liberty of including the fine version of this tune from the film Across the Universe, performed by Dana Fuchs and Jim Sturgess.