I’ve never visited the capital of the state I live in at all. After over 10 years here you’d think that would have happened but so far I’ve skirted it instead going to the coastal, mountain, and northern (mega-urbanized) regions of Virginia in the past. Last weekend I was thrilled to travel to Richmond for a couple days to visit a friend and eat far too much. The city was wonderful with so much history, beauty and activity. I managed to go picture crazy too and here are a few of them.
All That Glitters Is Not Ringgold
Ringgold, VA is a crossroads without much that needs mention except a restored old depot with a caboose. Oh, and a trail.
The trail is along the route of the old Danville/Richmond railroad line and is where there tracks used to be in the distant past. Now there is nothing but butterflies, dragonflies, and old bikers making use of it. The latter was me today as I decided to pull out my two-wheeled transport and see this for myself. I took some pics along the way I hope you enjoy.
Laborless Day
Labor day is a holiday many people have off work so it always confuses me. I’ll never solve that conundrum but I do know it’s often thought of as the end of summer so I went out to catch some of the last flora, fauna, and weird animal stuff while I still could in the pleasant sunny weather. These photos were taken at the Bicentennial and Bog Gardens in Greensboro, NC.
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Blog Garden
Greensboro, NC has a nature preserve called the Bog Garden right in the heart of the city. Both paved and wood planked walkways let you shamble about an area that has a marshy part and a small lake. It’s a lovely little place that lets you see area flowers, plants, and some wildlife. I’ve gone there a few times and here are some pictures from my last visit.
A Trip To The National Arboretum
Despite the fact that nothing ever grows for me but weeds I do like some green things. Odd and unusual plants that aren’t part of my everyday experience really get my interest. In California I’ve been to the Los Angeles Country Arboretum and the Huntington Library Botanical Gardens and both have an awe inspiring variety of plant life to see. Because of the climate they have an incredible array of flowers, trees, succulents, grasses, etc. from all around the world. Going from a Japanese garden to giant cacti in a short walk is really fun. Oh, and the LA County Arboretum has peafowl running around loose.
It’s really hard to top those places and because of that I was a bit let down by the National Arboretum in Washington D.C. It’s still a wonderful place but it’s populated by plant species far more familiar to someone who lives in the Eastern United States. Nonetheless it is pleasant and park like with people picnicking and laying about enjoying the green space.
We went there on “azalea weekend” which is when they come into bloom. It was impressive to see color blanket areas during the walk around the azalea gardens. I didn’t know how great the variety of sizes and hues were for those flowers till that point.
I was very pleasantly surprised to see that the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum was there as well. Bonsai trees are fascinating and their miniature intricacies kept me enthralled. These perfectly proportioned dwarf trees are amazing pieces of living art. Penjing is the Chinese art of miniature landscape. It involves trees like Bonsai but often creates the impression of a small natural area. It can also emphasize parts of the tree like the trunk or branches through manipulations.
I hope you enjoy the gallery of photos below which show some bits of the trip. Click the thumbnails for a bigger image and description.