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| Candelin Wahl with a pink dogwood in the background |
I am so grateful for friends. My friend, Candelin Wahl, came to visit me and stayed for two days. Our friendship goes back a long way. We met when we were going to the same church. We were twelve months pregnant between the two of us at the time. Then my son, Tim, and her daughter, Drew, were born within three days of one another. As our babies grew into toddlers, we would get together, often once a week, to let our them play with one another. She went on to have another daughter, Jamie. As our children grew, we adopted one another’s children as our second family. I still proudly consider Drew and Jamie my surrogate daughters. You can click on their names to visit their blogs and discover why I am so proud of them.
Yesterday Candelin and I had a magical day, which started out with a bike ride through our little village. The smell and sight of all the blossoming trees and flowers was intoxicating. The temperature was perfect, spring was in full bloom… what was there not to love?
After our bike ride, we did our civic duty… we went next door to the library to sort books for the book sale that’s coming up. Candelin wrote a message to me on the sidewalk outside the library, where there is sidewalk chalk for people to leave their art behind. What a friend!
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| Friendship Forever! |
After lunch, we headed off to “Magic Wings,” a butterfly museum. When we walked in, all we could do was look around in awe at the magical fluttering of wings all around us. It was so incredible! For nearly two hours, we walked around and watched butterflies of all colors, shapes, and sizes. Candelin took more than 170 photos and several videos. Below is one of the more brightly-colored butterflies.
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| A male Cairns Birdwing |
The Blue Morphos were the most amazing of them all, I thought. Below are several feeding on bananas. “Blue?” you might ask. What is so fascinating about these is that when they close their wings, they blend in with their surroundings, but when they open their wings, the “inside” of their wings are an iridescent blue. Beautiful!
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| Several Blue Morphos. |
While we were in the conservatory, it clouded over and we heard rain on the roof. It got rather dark inside, much like dusk. We looked around, and many of the butterflies were hanging onto twigs and branches and folding their wings, like they were going to bed. We found out from someone who works there that that is exactly what was happening. Most of them go up into the high branches to perch, but there were plenty to see just above us. Don’t let your eye fool you… these are not brown leaves, they are butterflies going to bed.
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| Butterflies retiring for the night |
At closing time, Candelin and I returned home for a late afternoon nap, and then she treated David and me to dinner. Afterwards, the three of us had tea in our living room. Candelin regaled us with stories of her travels from the last three months, played us a few songs on her guitar, and shared a photo album with us. For more about her travels, you can visit her blog, named Sundialer.
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| A “Glasswing.” Candelin aptly renamed it “Gossamer Wings.” |
A magical day indeed. Someone once said that friends are given to us to make up for family that failed us. Don’t know that I’d go that far but they are precious. I cherish mine.
Portland, Oregon, Zoo too has a Butterfly House. It’s been years since I was there – I now live in Alaska – but I’ve never forgotten it. The warmth and humidity and the cloth walls and above all, the butterflies everywhere of all description – huge, tiny, bright, muted – are a more persistent memory than the larger animals.
Hi Saloma,
Butterflies. Such beautiful creatures and such a splendid variety. My favorite is the classic Monarch.
The photo of the pink dogwood is lovely. Some women desire diamonds, some Gucci bags, some designer frocks. My thing is trees. Whether they’re naked, scantily dressed, or in full evening wear, there will never be anything in nature more beautiful to me than a tree.
Our fair maiden Spring is standing her ground in IL this year. So often she has been pushed aside by that bully, Summer. But this year her spectacular fashion show WILL go on. The white bride covered in lace, the blushing beauties in their delicate pinks, the sunshiney yellows calling for attention. Absolutely breathtaking. And one must not forget the shimmering, blonde mane of the Weeping Willow as it dances in the wind. Yes, I do love trees.
Girlfriends are great! My friends bring depth into my life. When I don’t see them I start to go into withdrawl, literally. My creative side begins to wither, my petals droop. Sisters are awesome, too.
I always enjoy your pictures. Thanks for sharing them and your thoughts. Hugs!
What a perfect recap, Saloma! I, too, will always remember our perfect day. And my spring travels up the East coast remind me how much I have missed dogwoods in my 35+ years in Vermont. As we said during one of our scenic drives around your Pioneer Valley, dogwoods are as magical as butterflies: delicate white and pink blossoms, held out by slender, artful branches as if in invitation to gaze — each a real-life Japanese silkscreen painting. All that being said, you’re right that my heart soared as I drove north on I91 into the beauty of the Vermont mountains, and home to my sweet George.
What a perfect recap, Saloma! I, too, will always remember our perfect day. And my spring travels up the East coast remind me how much I have missed dogwoods in my 35+ years in Vermont. As we said during one of our scenic drives around your Pioneer Valley, dogwoods are as magical as butterflies: delicate white and pink blossoms, held out by slender, artful branches as if in invitation to gaze — each a real-life Japanese silkscreen painting. All that being said, you’re right that my heart soared as I drove north on I91 into the beauty of the Vermont mountains, and home to my sweet George.
I too love trees; it boggles my mind to realize that they are a plant like any other. My favorite tree has to be the Ponderosa Pine. I suspect they are a west-of-the-Rocky Mountains tree and grow only in the higher elevations. They are a tall elegant tree, with branches that start up high so that walking amongst them has the effect of a cathedral and are a rich reddish brown with a precisely patterned bark; up close they smell like vanilla.
What a beautiful recollection of time spent with a best friend!
“Takes one to know one” – A friend that is, and you surely are one, Saloma.
LOVE the butterflies. There are 2 different butterfly gardens that we visit up on Vancouver Island – in Victoria & the small town of Coombs. That’s one of the best ways I know to dive right into Spring, especially on those years when it drags its feet in coming…