Dahlia: The Flower and the Flame

I needed to print some things out and grab a few files, so I ran into the office to do just that. Of course, I made a quick visit to the Arboretum on my way out. The summer blooms are amazing, especially the dahlias and the campanula (bellflower).

Above is one of my best photos of a dahlia. I thought the flower was gorgeous, and the flame-colored background too. In the extras, you may see some pink water lilies, which were also putting on a fine show.

My travels included a quick stop at Bernel Road Park, where I spotted a pretty yellow bird I did not recognize. It turns out it is a yellow warbler, and I understand they are great singers of songs, as well as being lovely to look at. You may learn more about this bird and hear its song at the Cornell Lab link.

In completely unrelated news, on this afternoon, there was an online town hall for Penn State faculty and staff, to discuss plans for students to return to campus in August. The University president indicated that Penn State will NOT be reopening the Nittany Lion Inn; instead, that space will be used for coronavirus quarantine. Wow, things are strange; it feels like we are living in war times!

As some of you may remember, I am a big fan of the Nittany Lion Inn's lobster bisque; in fact, there is a small group of us known as the Risky Bisquers who go there specifically for that dish once each semester.

I posted a very prescient blip the other day that bemoaned the loss of bisque, even before this announcement was made. Among the many, many other things that have been cancelled due to coronavirus, we can add bisque to the list. Apparently there will be NO BISQUE for us Risky Bisquers anytime in the near future! Hmmph!

The soundtrack song is for the dahlia above: the Bangles, with Eternal Flame.