Second visit to Eloise Butler

Our second visit happened on April 21; we slipped away from Minicon after Closing Ceremonies, as is our habit when weather and the timing of Easter make it possible.

The day was windy and I was having trouble keeping the phone steady. It was really a glorious spring day, though. There's a three-trunked river birch at the edge of the parking lot, right behind the pay box for parking, and it was full of little catkins. I saw a green darner patrolling the trees on the edge of the parking lot. Little woodpeckers twinkled in and out amongst the branches of the oak trees. I forgot to mention that on our first visit, also on a windy day, the long-hoarded leaves on these parking-lot oak trees were being whirled away by the wind in a dance like the ghost of autumn. The few remaining ones drifted down now and again, a week and a half later. Along the shallow steps that go down to the the front gate of the garden, the spotty leaves of Virginia waterleaf were coming up.

( Cut to spare your reading page and possibly also your sensibilities -- I am not a great photographer )