An Outside Day

Ooh...it was chilly and foggy this morning! A mere 37F when we departed for our walk in the Arboretum, where it wasn't as foggy but just as chilly. There's a Larch - a Western Larch I believe (see extras) that somewhere along the line had its top lopped off so it's a wide, gnarly looking tree. But in its autumnal glory (Larches are deciduous conifers) with the clouds draping the hills in the background, it makes for a good subject.

Later this afternoon my co-grandmother and I took the grandchildren (3 and 7) to lower Washington Park - a huge city park (at 458 acres one of the largest in the US) - which the Olmstead brothers had a hand in designing. Several areas of the park are so elegant, with classic street lamps, like the main blip. The fallen leaves had been swept up around the bases of the trees so the children had a grand time playing in them. Read more about Washington Park here if you're interested. 

Many plants were blooming in the gardens today - camellias, hardy cyclamen (see extra) and daphne. What a joy to see the contrasts of fall colors and blooming plants!