There’s really nothing like going home.  Little things bring back fond memories: could be a special smile from your brother, a hug from your parents, or simply seeing your old home.  I thoroughly enjoyed a lovely visit back home this spring.  I have my original home where I grew up, and where my parents still live.  But I also have my adopted second home where I lived for ten years after getting married.   I was able to visit both homes this trip, which was just wonderful!

The people in my life are simply amazing.  I had so much fun being with my family.  It is logistically difficult for all of us to get together, so the fact that we were all together was awesome.   Given that we were celebrating my parents’ 50^th Wedding anniversary made the time together that much more special.

The six grandkids were so good.  As always, my brother was their favorite Uncle, deservedly so as he is incredibly silly with them!  Everyone had a good time.  And then, too quickly, it was time to leave…

But I left the family to move on to seeing my friends.  Most of these friends I met through play groups when my kids were small, or through our church’s women’s group.  And all these years later we are still as close as ever.  Well, except for the fact that I live across the ocean!  There is something incredibly special about friends who really care about you, and who’ve been with you through the ups and downs of life.  I’m blessed to have met and befriended so many wonderful, unique, and talented women.    And most of them have beautiful gardens, too! 🙂

There’s no wonder that I have a love of flowers.  My parents always had flowers in the yard, lots of annuals, but even more of pachysandra!  I can remember my mom planting the morning glories and marigolds along the pool fence every year.  She would save the seeds from the marigolds, too.   Mom has a very natural looking garden, where things even grow in nooks and crannies along paths.   She is still adding to the garden every year, which is fun to watch!

Our front yard has something rather unusual: a flower Ferris wheel!  More than 50 years ago, my grandfather (on my mom’s side of the family) made this flower Ferris wheel for my grandmother for Mother’s Day.  It is made from large old wagon wheels, and piping, with wooden flower boxes.   Years later, my grandmother gave it to my mother, and it has been in their front yard ever since.  The boxes have been replaced, and it has been painted, but everything else is exactly how my grandfather made it.  I love seeing it freshly painted and filled with flowers when I come home!

My mother’s flower Ferris Wheel.

I clicked away during all of my visits with friends and family.  I tried to capture as much as I could with my camera.  I love looking at the pictures of friends.  I’m bummed that I didn’t get pictures of everyone!

I did get quite a few pictures of flowers and gardens!  There are so many different varieties of Hostas!  I need to create some shade in my garden to plant these beauties.

What I enjoy is seeing gardens which are created and tended to by someone who really cares about bringing beauty to all of us.  That is what it is all about, right?  Creating something beautiful, and sharing it.    Just like our friendships.

Here’s to all of the beautiful flowers in your life!  Both the human kind and the botanical kind!

Dana