Sharing a Poem

I'm going back in time to repost blogs from my past.  

This one appeared two years ago today.

A Name and a Rose

A name and a rose on the piano

It all comes down to this

It gives you pause to contemplate

On how much you can miss

In the days and moments between the time

You’re born and wind up here

And in the life remembered by

This plaque and flower bier

A name and a rose on the piano

Brings back memories

Of talk, laughter, meals and stories

Shared salubriously

So, remember and celebrate each life gone by

Not lugubriously  

But savor the moments together

In this life upon the sea

And don’t forget too soon 

We will all be on the list

A name and a rose on the piano

It all comes down to this

The author of this poem (not me) wishes to remain anonymous.

Here at Vantage House when someone dies their name is printed, framed and placed with a flower  on the piano.  Note there are two frames - when this photo was taken the second frame had just been added and the flowers appeared the next day.

Smithsonian Victorian Gardens.

Another trip offered by the retirement community where I live.  This time the destination was Washington, DC, The Smithsonian Institution, and specifically the Victorian garden which resides behind the Smithsonian Castle.

As we exited the Castle through these doors,

 here was the first view.

What a blue sky day, low humidity for Washington, too.

Off to the right and left are large trees with air plants hanging from the branches.

The garden is so symmetrical.

The garden is flanked by two museums which are primarily underground.

In fact the Victorian Garden is on top of the museum spaces for these two museums.

Though the museum with the circle motif is on the left, the gardens on the right have the circle motif.

Another view of the castle.

The docent took us in to a hidden garden where tropical plants are displayed.

If I'm ever here for lunch I'll have to bring it to this out of the way spot.

We then visited the gardens on the left which had a square theme.

See the Washington monument above the trees.  Just this week it has reopened.

Here's another garden we visited on our own on the other side of the Exhibition Hall

One last shot of the castle where our white bus waits to take us back home.

A Walk I Like to Take

I like to walk around Wilde Lake here in downtown Columbia, MD.

Looking back at my starting point: Vantage House,

I head down the sidewalk to

Little Patuxent Parkway where I wait for the walk light.

Along the sidewalk on the other side,

I turn left and connect with the pathway around the lake.

My first view of the lake is the dam.

I take a right and head up a slight hill

where I can see the dam up close.

Then there's the lake.

Continuing on the path takes me to a dock of sorts.

Across the street is one of the original houses predating Columbia.

The house has been added on to over the years and

has become rather large.

Farther down the path I can see an original barn

with its very red roof.

The lake is surrounded by a mix of condominium apartments, townhomes, and single family houses.

At the top end of the lake I cross a bridge over the stream that fills the lake

and turn left.

On this side the path brings me to a street so

I have to walk on the sidewalk for a bit.

Eventually the path appears again on my left and I return to walk along the lake.

The path makes many turns going around several coves.

One last look at the lake before heading 

downhill with the dam on my left.

The last stretch back to the sidewalk.

Glancing to my right I can see Vantage House, my home, above the tree line in the distance.

I return there after enjoying a great walk around the lake.