The Arboretum! Such a great place to be! Wet, quiet like a temple, and full of the earthy aroma you can only get when surrounded by rich soil and hearty vegetation. It's relaxing and exhilarating all at the same time. Step inside and you are sent to a very small Eden. The air is thick and tasty and the floor is a puzzle of small puddles.
Entering the Arboretum is a sensual experience also. The large reflection pond sits between it and the Museum of Modern Photography. The shallow water not only reflects the buildings, sky and trees, but is home to turtles, koi and many varieties of lilies. The birds sing, the bell tower rings out "Westminster Chimes" every fifteen minutes, and the perfume of briny salt air mixed with the flowers in intoxicating. There is a smaller pond just at thebase of the building, also filled with exotic plants and fish, and a turtle or two!
As a child we would be curious and want to touch the creatures in the pond. The same held true on the day Thor and I visited; with many moms and dads cautioning their little ones to not touch and stay away from the edge so they didn't fall in. We got away with seeing the fish and turtles up close and sometimes even were able to touch them without harm of falling in. How? We were taught to lay on our little bellies and scoot up to the edge of the water. This way we couldn't accidentally do anything! We were at water level and could touch anything that swam by. After a few minutes we would hop up, walk a few feet, lay down again and try for a new fish. I wish I could have demonstrated this efficient technique, but some how dignity prevailed and I didn't scoot on the grass.
To the south of the reflection pond is a darling fountain that pretty much everyone just walks by and never really enjoys fully (in my opinion). Just about the happiest fountain I have ever seen. I LOVE this fountain! Look at that face! One on each side (North, South, East, West), the faces joyfully spew forth water all day long in hopes that someone will get a laugh from the show. I certainly did. It makes me giggle thinking about it. From this angle it almost reminds me of the "Seven Dwarfs", but actually the sculpting between the faces are purely ornamental and not any particular object. The pool is large and pretty, even on a cloudy overcast day like the one we spent there.
p.s. to you know who you are: Ms. Sullivan would thank you also!
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2 comments:
Oh I love the pictures! My favorite all time view of the Arboretum!
Thanks! : > (s'mee smiling very very big!)
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