The babies are here!...and so is a new blogging friend!

When I posted recently about the nesting Canadian Geese in this post, several of you asked for me to please update you when the babies arrived. Well, this weekend we spied this lovely goose family enjoying a family outing on Chickasaw Gardens lake. Definitely an "awwww" moment for DH and me, and I hope for you, too.

I also want to introduce you to a blogging friend of mine, Pat, who is an excellent photographer, and an even sweeter and most genuine friend. I have known her through her personal/homemaking blog, Back Porch Musings, for over a year, and now she has a new photo blog. She took that gorgeous lily photo above. You can find her photo blog, Snapshots from the Back Porch, here. Every visit to Pat's blog is a delight, and I am always inspired by her beautiful photos, and I think that you will enjoy them, also. When I have a few more minutes, I will be adding her link to my sidebar. Please stop by and enjoy her beautiful photography, and welcome her to the photo blogging community.

Formal Garden Room, Dixon Gardens (100th Post)

Yesterday, my father took me to Dixon Gallery and Gardens in celebration of my birthday (you can also read more about Dixon here).. You know how some days are just "perfect", and you know that you will remember that day as special forever? Yesterday was one of those days. It was a mild day, perfectly clear and sunny, and probably the prettiest Spring day in Memphis this year. My father and I walked the entire perimeter of the 17 acres of garden area, and it was breathtaking, and fun to just spend an afternoon with my father.

Of course, I took too many photos (don't we all?), and have chosen my favorites to share with you over the next several days. I hope that you will come to love this special place as I do. It is truly wonderful any time of year, either for its blooms, lush grounds, or well-designed architectural beauty. But, during the first through third weeks in April, it will take your breath away. You may enjoy seeing the larger version of this photo...just click on the photo and then click on "all sizes" and choose the larger size.

This is one of the formal garden rooms, fashioned after French and Italian formal gardens, on the east side of the museum building. This area is planted in clipped boxwood, pink azaleas, an ivy border, and white dogwoods. It is this lush in color in person, and it was lovely sitting on that bench and just taking it in.

Today is my 100th post, and it is hard to believe how quickly that time has passed. Participating in this community is a highlight of each day, and I hope to have many more "anniversaries".

Bridge, Japanese Garden of Tranquility

This past weekend, we visited the Memphis Botanic Garden, which is beautiful any time of year. This bridge is located in one of our favorite areas of the Botanic Garden, the Japanese Garden of Tranquility.

The Japanese Garden was originally designed by Dr. P.T. Tono of Tokyo in 1965. This garden was redesigned in 1989 by the late Dr. Koichi Kawana, who designed more than a dozen Japanese gardens for botanic gardens around the country. He worked closely with local landscape architect J. Ritchie Smith on this project. Dr. Kawana pioneered the use of native plants in traditional Japanese garden design. You can read more about Dr. Kawana and his work and see a photo of him here. You can also read more about Memphis Botanic Garden's history here.

Do you have a botanic garden to visit nearby?

Wysteria

The wysteria peaked this past weekend, and has been just beautiful! This was one of my mother's favorite spring blooms (she loved anything purple), and we always had fun looking for it to bloom each year.

If you've never smelled wysteria before, it is just heavenly. The aroma reminds me a lot of lilacs, which don't grow too well in our area. Wysteria only blooms for a bit over a week, but it is always such a delight.

My Favorite Spot in Memphis...

Well, this post is a little self-indulgent, but I hope that you will think it's a beautiful place, too. You see, today is my birthday, and since I've earned another number (for which I am very thankful!), I thought it would be fun to share with you my absolute favorite spot in Memphis.

This is "Europa and the Bull", which can be found at the rear of the South Lawn at Dixon Gallery and Gardens. I will be showing more beautiful detail in the coming days....it's stunning! Here is some information about it, found here on the Dixon website:

Europa and the Bull, located as a focal point in the south vista from the Gallery, is an 18th century marble group from Grimston Park, Tadcaster, York. It was bought in 1962 when the entire contents of the castle and gardens were auctioned. Greek mythology tells the story of how Zeus, transforming himself into a white bull, carries off the maiden Europa, daughter of the Phoenician king, Agenor (or Phoenix in some versions). He swims with her to Crete where she becomes the mother of Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon.

I googled Grimston Park, and look here to see what I found for sale....Grimston Park, the original home of this magnificent marble sculpture! It's a very lovely residence, but a bit pricey...even for my birthday...

edited to add...Jim asked if I had shared which number birthday this is? :) Of course not! ;) But, I will say that the sculpture was acquired at approximately the same time as my birth, which is actually neat considering how I adore it.

Sunny Yellow Tulips...

At the Botanic Garden, I couldn't look at these without smiling! I hope that they bring a smile to your face, too!

Happy Spring!

Hedgemoor Classic

This lovely classic home is in the Hedgemoor neighborhood of east Memphis, near Walnut Grove and Goodlett and across from the Galloway Golf Course. This is one of our favorite neighborhoods for both the architecture and the beautiful gardens.

This beautiful residence is also the childhood home of fellow blogger Auto Ethnographer...I hope that you enjoyed seeing these photos as much as I did visiting the neighborhood and taking them.


Thanks so much to all of you for the good wishes on the NCAA Championship game....it was a close one, and a heartbreaker! I hope that my voice returns before work tomorrow...