Travel

October 19, 2007 Miscanthus sinensis ‘Purpurascens’ (Flame Grass) At the Chicago Botanic Garden last week, we bypassed several other gardens in order to see Evening Island before we had to catch the train back to town. It wasn’t yet evening when we crossed the bridge onto this 5-acre island garden, ...

October 17, 2007 During last week’s 6-hour visit to the Chicago Botanic Garden, we found ourselves rushing to get to Evening Island before we had to catch our train back to the city. So, after a nice lunch at the visitor’s center, we walked briskly past the Model Railroad Garden ...

October 17, 2007 One of my garden goals is to learn more about Japanese gardens, ideally through a trip to Japan. (Have you noticed that I like to travel?) Last spring I was inspired by Tom Spencer’s beautiful garden photos from Japan. Despite my appreciation for their quiet, reflective beauty, ...

October 16, 2007 After unseasonable heat for the Chicago Marathon weekend, our last day in Chicago, October 9th, dawned clear and cooler, with highs in the 70s. Ahhh, much better! Taking advantage of the beautiful day, we took a 45-minute train ride north of town to the Chicago Botanic Garden ...

October 11, 2007 Cloud Gate, popularly known as the Bean, in Millennium Park I would return to Chicago for the gardens alone. From street-corner planting boxes filled with tumbling perennials and annuals to prairie-style Lurie Garden to the vast Botanic Garden, Chicago had my head swiveling to take it all ...

July 17, 2007 Traveling home from Tanzania, my dad and I stopped for two nights in Amsterdam to have a look around, as we were passing through and neither of us had been to the Netherlands before. What a change from dusty, dry-season Tanzania. Surrounded by water and picturesquely built ...

July 15, 2007 Beautiful Sunbird on flowering aloe. Tarangire National Park, Tanzania Carol commented recently that my African animal photos were nice and people photos would be fine too, but what she really wanted to see were photos of flowers from my trip to Tanzania. So here ya go, Carol—a ...

July 13, 2007 Masai mother and child The friendliness of the people we met in Tanzania transcended language barriers and cultural differences. Admittedly, we were sheltered from meeting people on the street, due to the fact that we were part of a large tour group, and most of our interactions ...

July 13, 2007 My favorite African animal Just now, at midnight, I walked down my dark driveway to drop a bag into the garbage can. The tree shadows and my imagination made it seem a little creepy out there. It reminded me that while visiting the national parks of Tanzania, ...

March 31, 2007 The lure of a good bluebonnet season enticed me into the Hill Country today. Around 2 pm, I headed west from Austin toward Fredericksburg, then up to Llano before returning home. Brown, nondescript roadsides along Hwy. 290 on the way to Fredericksburg had me worrying that I’d ...

December 31, 2006 Ridge view at Big Bend. Photo by Dave and Shelley. Over Christmas, my friends Shelley and Dave and their daughter drove 10 hours to Big Bend National Park, located in remote southwest Texas and tucked into a wide curve of the Rio Grande. Four hundred and seventy-four ...

December 31, 2006 Ridge view at Big Bend. Photo by Dave and Shelley. Over Christmas, my friends Shelley and Dave and their daughter drove 10 hours to Big Bend National Park, located in remote southwest Texas and tucked into a wide curve of the Rio Grande. Four hundred and seventy-four ...

November 25, 2006 Camellia in bloom at Bayou Bend After not one but two Thanksgiving feasts—Thursday with my husband’s family, Friday with mine—it was time to give thanks for nature’s beauty and feast our eyes instead of our bellies. So before we left Houston today we took a stroll at ...

November 13, 2006 My weather wish was granted over the weekend: cool temperatures, blue skies, decidedly fall-ish weather. It was perfect for a Saturday trip to Independence, Texas, and a pilgrimage to the Antique Rose Emporium. Along with Barton Springs Nursery and Natural Gardener, it’s one of my favorite nurseries ...

July 10, 2006 Zen-like serenity at Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park I love to travel, but I’m always ready to come home after a week away. Before I lug my suitcase into the house, I’m drawn into my garden to see what I missed and what needs trimming or ...