A Walk in the Park —

What is so fair as a day in May? When the sun shines from a blue sky on the tender green emerging everywhere.  When young spring flowers elbow forward with a single message, “Look at me!”,  whether boldly or shyly, depending on their temperament. When this old world once again renews itself, all fresh and glowing.

This was such a day, and we went out walking in Childs’ Park in Northampton. Scarcely two weeks ago, it was still a scene of devastation, littered with myriad bare skeletons of trees ripped mercilessly down by the Hallowe’en blizzard and left to decompose, still off limits to cars and even to walkers. But today the chains were lowered across the car entrances, all the skeletons have been removed, and here are some glimpses of the resurrection that greeted us:

For lovers of gingko trees, who are more numerous than I might have expected —

And an attempt at unfocus among the gingko leaves, for lovers of bokeh like me — (Check out more bokeh and gingkos on my recent post on A View from the Woods.)

Azaleas, of course: characteristic flowers of spring in New England (and in Japan) —

Bleeding Hearts should be sad, but I love them, they make my heart leap for joy —

Pure white spring wildflowers that almost prompt a memory of their name — but then it eludes me. Does anyone know what these are?

A tree with wonderful scoured reddish bark, a low growing tree, with feathery green leaves emerging at its base as well as from its branches. Might this be a mimosa tree? If you know, please tell!

We strolled and admired and returned home rejuvenated. An annual miracle: Spring.