Monday, April 9, 2012

Season Opener

Spring came early this year - and with it a palette of colors in hues so magnificent that we all just seem to stand in amazement and stare.  Almost a full three weeks earlier than the usual arrival of spring in "these parts" - without a doubt - it has been the MOST beautiful season opener~~


 The Lexington Cemetery and Arboretum  was established in 1849 as a place of beauty and, in part, to deal with burials from the cholera epidemic that was prevalent at that time. 


 The Cemetery comprises 170 acres and is know for its spectacular display of flowering trees in the spring.  The arboretum is reputed to have some of the oldest and largest weeping cherry trees in the nation and is also home to the most concentrated plantings of burr oak trees in the world.  (the acorns from burr oak trees are almost golf ball size!)

 The Cemetery was full of visitors who were all there to enjoy the beautiful blooms.  Professional and amateur photographers were everywhere.  This lady was nice enough to allow me to photograph her beautiful afternoon sketches. (I regret that I did not ask her name - what was I thinking!!) 

 Such a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. 
 I'd love to have talent like this!


 We couldn't resist the opportunity to take some
 photos of our Grand daughter,Keri Beth 
amongst all this gorgeous color.

 Even the ground cover was a brilliant display
 of tiny little white blooms.


She was not sure about the "sitting on the ground thing!"


Our baby girl will turn 2 years old later this month.
It seems amazing to me that she can be growing up so quick!


She was fascinated by the flowering branches
 that hung to the ground. 


When  you are 2 years old -
the world is bright and new-
so many things to touch!
  
Keri Beth loves "quack-quacks".
We enjoy taking her to the beautiful lakes
at the Arboretum.




When you take Keri Beth to feed the ducks-
you need an endless supply of bread!

 She adores her Papaw




The Arboretum is huge!  Roads branch off here and there
and it is easy to get LOST!
(When we visit here I always use the "find my car" app on my iPhone!)


 






By the lake, the tulip trees were dropping their leaves.
Another baby photo-op~




Forsythia bushes in brilliant shades of yellow.













She found a turtle~
















 The Breath of Spring. . . 
(John McLeod)
 

The breath of Spring
Lifting on wings that feel
The pulse of Life
Hope that will bring
A sense of 'real'
After the shadowy, wintry days
Now gone....

The sun feels warm, I'm already mowing grass - (that crazy thing I LOVE to do)~~and I'm ready to open up the pool!  My nesting is finished!! So- coming up next is my little Celebration post - and a surprise for all of you (like you don't already know what it is!!)~
Love,
Vicki
 

39 comments:

A Scattering said...

I can't believe how big Keri Beth is! Looks like you had a lovely visit in a beautiful location.

PoetessWug said...

These are the most beautiful photos!! The weeping cherry trees brought back a memory from my youth. We used to play under weeping willows in Georgia, pretending it was raining. :-) Thanks for sharing your trip.

Julie Marie said...

Just beautiful Vicki!... and your little granddaughter is adorable!... I love it when Spring comes early... and lasts the full time... we had some snow several days ago, but it quickly melted and Spring took over completely... thanks for sharing your always beautiful photographs... Happy Spring!... xoxo Julie Marie PS I would sooo love to paint or sketch like that too... I paint a little... but not that well...

Suzan said...

Absolutly, totally, completely beautiful colors of spring!

Suzan said...

PS- How many Brides have their Spring Weddings photographed in the Cemetery? Even with a summer wedding - I'd go for photos there!

Julie Whitmore Pottery said...

Astounding! I just love this post and appreciate all the pictures so much, darling little girl and lucky too with such grandparents as you.xx
julie

yaya said...

What a beautiful place! I've never seen weeping cherry trees that are so huge. Just the pics take your breath away, I can't imagine seeing them in person. Your Grandbaby is adorable in her little hat. Some of your shots look like they could be paintings! Happy Spring to you!

Mereknits said...

What a beautiful post, and your granddaughter with those tulip flower petals under her feet, beautiful
Meredith

Debby said...

Thse trees are amazing and so is the painting. They almost look like a beautiful ice storm but in color.
YOur little girlie is adorable.

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

I could not get all the pictures on my iPad, but what I could see were beautiful. I bet people are dying to get in there.

Suztats said...

Gorgeous pics! I imagine the scent was marvelous, and what a cutie!

Tanna said...

Oh.my.goodness!! Stunningly beautiful. LOVE the photo of you and your sweet little granddaughter, Vicki!! So beautiful! blessings ~ tanna

sjmcdowell said...

Hi sweetie,

What gorgeous pictures. I have always loved the weeping cherry trees!! When I designed my garden in England I planted a Weeping Cherry tree in it...I still miss that tree so much!!
Thank you for the lovely tour.
Your granddaughter is so adorable!!

Love and Blessings,

Susan

Shirley said...

Hi Vicki, Your pictures are beautiful. I saw roses blooming today when we were at the doctors office. Everything is so far ahead of schedule. The weatherman says we may have frost on Wednesday. Your granddaughter is so cute and of course she has her grandpa wrapped around her little finger. All little girls do that. I have enjoyed reading your blog tonight including the previous post with your nest. Have a great day. Hugs Your Missouri Friend.

Seawashed said...

Breathtaking. Can you imagine having your wedding there? We really do not have anything like that here in California. I loved the photos of the blossoming trees and the artists drawing. Gorgeous! Your little grandgirlie is the sweetest. ox

Kim Stevens said...

Holy cow Vicki, these are just gorgeous. Those trees, I've never seen anything like them! Wow, wow, wow!

Janny de Roo said...

The trees are amazing....!

Dorthe said...

OHH dear Vicki, that looks like in a dream, with those beautiful flowering trees all over...so stunningly wonderful. How fantastic, to sit there on the lawn with your dear Keri Beth. What an amazing experience.
Hugs,Dorthe

Sandies' Patch said...

That is such an amazingly beautiful place!
And your baby is growing so fast!

Lovely post that has brightened up my day!

Bless you!

Sandie xx

Maggie said...

Loved touring the aboretum with you all today and watching Keri Beth feed the quack quacks was a delight!
The trees are simply magnificent.

Anonymous said...

Oh my, Vicki! Such gorgeous photos!!! Spring has arrived beautifully at your house!
Hope you all had a lovely Easter!
~ Zuzu

SuZeQ said...

BATTER UP! Now that's what I call a good season opener. Ain't God good? What a spectacular visit you had. Oh, and that KB is just a delight, I can tell!
kosec@sbcglobal.net

Tanya said...

Breathtaking! I love nothing more than to wander the old cemeteries, and this one is spectacular!!! What a great place for Plein Air painting, too! A fabulous day with a beautiful two-year old - lucky you! Happy Tuesday - Tanya

Mila said...

OMG Vicki! I've never seen this wonderful "big pink explosion"!
Really, really cute and sweet your little Keri Beth (beautiful name).
Hugs,
Mila :)

Sherri said...

Vickie, how absolutely gorgeous those trees are!!! Thank you so much for sharing them with us! HUGS!

Acorn to Oak said...

Wow! So many great photos! What a beautiful place to visit! Those trees are incredible!

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

What an absolutely wonderful outing! I have never seen such huge flowering trees like that. They are absolutely gorgeous! Seeing everything through the wide-eyed wonder of a 2 year old is always inspiring! Blessings to you and yours, Tammy

dreamchallenge said...

God has so blessed us with your friendship. Reading and looking at this post is inspiring me to go out and look at the beauty around me. Our dogwood is the prettest in years. LU, Jan

Jim said...

I am speechless! I really don't know what to say because my jaw is hanging!!!
Now THAT is a destination point!!
Thanks for this Vicki!

fromsophiesview said...

SPLENDIFOROUSMAGIC...it almost seems surreal...the millions and billions of blossoms...absolutely wonderful...and from the eyes of a 2 year old!

Karen Valentine said...

Oh my gosh Vicki these photos are GORGEOUS! What an absolutely wonderful way to spend the afternoon.
The pics you got with your beautiful granddaughter are priceless! We don't have a Spring bloom any where near that so it was fun to see the beauty that exists every where else.
Have an awesome week my friend!
xo,
Karen

Completely Coastal said...

Wow. The trees are so gorgeous! Must have been wunderful to walk under them!!

Mr Paul said...

Vicki, it looks like you had a wonderful day, those trees are magnificent aren't they! Makes you feel quite humble to be in their midst.
Have a great weekend.
Paul

myriamkreativ said...

Hi my friend,
Im glad that you had a wonderful day. These trees are amazing. I would love to stand there and paint... it would be glorious.
Hope you had a wonderful easter break with the little ones and a busy easterbunny.
Hugs Myriam

nanny said...

Your pictures are breathtaking......What a wonderful arboretum.

Precious granddaughter. just adorable.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

The color is so saturated it's almost overwhelmingly beautiful! The grand is cute as a bug and looks like everyone had a fine time.

Plush Possum Studio said...

Glorious day! Such a wonderful memory--thank you for haring the beauty of your visit.
Rose

Rhissanna said...

Baby looks adorable, she clearly was enthralled by everything she saw.

And those trees! They look like tutus! Frothy pink tutus!

Yitte said...

OMG... Absolutely beautiful colors of spring. What a glorious day!!