The Atlanta Botanical Gardens still had a lot of color blooming when I was there in early November. Atlanta hadn’t gotten a lot of cold weather yet and it was warm the morning I was there. We were hoping we would get to wear our jackets on this trip but that wasn’t the case.
Beauty in the gardens including the blooming lady statue behind the waterfall.
The trees also had a lot of color. I took a ton of pictures with my phone so more to come on this visit.
I am reposting this post from early 2018 since today is Martin Luther King Jr, day.
I was born in Birmingham Alabama in 1963. My mother was pregnant with me through some historic events that happened that year in this city. I would not learn what happened during that time until much later. My parents were not from the south. They ended up there because of my dad’s job in the middle 50’s. My mom grew up in New York and my dad grew up in Argentina, moving to American in his late teens. When I was young, my friends thought my parents were from another planet since they didn’t have southern accents. I didn’t know the small park in the pictures below existed. I grew in northern Birmingham going to a Catholic grade school and then a public high school. I don’t remember learning about any of the events that took place the year I was born. It wasn’t until I moved to Atlanta after college and became interested in history that I heard the stories about “Bombingham”.
My sister and I spent some time at Kelly Ingram Park during my visit over Easter weekend. Neither of us had ever been there before. The park is located across the street from the 16th Street Baptist Church where 4 young girls were killed when a bomb went off in the church on a Sunday Morning in 1963. The park now has many statues and sculptures related to the civil rights movements.
The famous “Foot Soldiers” statue depicts a scene of what happened in May of 1963.
More sculptures in the park.
The statue of Martin Luther King Jr.
The Four Spirits statue that depicts the 4 young girls that died in the church bombing in September 1963.
Roses next to the Four Spirits statue.
Across from the park, the 16th Street Baptist Church where Martin Luther King Jr. was a frequent speaker. There’s a lot of history in this building that you can read about here.
Color at Hollis Garden in Lakeland in early May.
I thought these lily pad were cool holding the water in their leaves. Lake Mirror in downtown Lakeland was full of them.
There’s a reason they are called “common” moorhens. They are everywhere and they have tons of babies starting in the spring.
I noticed this baby grackle screaming at his Mom for food. He was hopping around behind Mom but I think she was trying to get him to feed himself. He was old enough to be able to do that.
Across Lake Morton a new building was going up. The flags would have looked very magestic if they weren’t so worn out.
I don’t alway stop at Lake Mirror after a walk at Circle B Bar Reserve but this morning in early May I only did a short walk at Circle B and then went over to Lake Mirror. I was in the mood for some spring flowers that were in bloom at Hollis Gardens which sits right on the lake.
Lots of color in late February at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales.
I love this plant with the bright pink stalks and the shiny green leaves. It looks like pink celery but the leaves are different so I’m not sure what it is. It might be swiss chard.
If there was ever an on line scratch and sniff invented, it would be for this. The smell of an orange blossom is the best smell ever. When you drive into the gardens you wind your way through a large orange grove before getting to the parking lot. In February you have to roll your windows down to take in the smell. There were also orange trees scattered around the park and I just stood there for a while taking it in.
The azaleas were in full bloom and the park had sections that were covered in the bushes. This was the perfect time to be outside in central Florida.
Playing around with my macro lens in the house on a rainy morning in February.
We have hibiscus bushes growing on the side of our house but I rarely bring them inside. I need to do that more often. They only last a day though.
Up close with some new shells. Our glass stove top gives off a nice reflection.
Turning the lens on my own birds. Buddy on top (he’s 27 years old) and Harley in the bottom 2 (he’s 5). Harley used to be terrified of the camera so I would only take pictures of Buddy up close but now he sings for it.
I headed out to the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo in early August around 8am. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky in Tampa. As I got closer to the gardens I could see the dark clouds up ahead. I was thinking it would be a quick rain shower and then it would nice and cool to walk around after the rain. I sat in my car for over 30 minutes in the down pour. It finally slowed down to a drizzle. I got out of the car with my big golf umbrella and walked around the gardens taking pictures in the drizzle. At least it wasn’t hot.
http://myworldthrumycameralens.blogspot.com/2017/09/view-from-plane-and-watw.html?m=1
Things are always blooming in central Florida. Taken in early June.
Linking to Wednesday Around The World
Lots of pretty things at Bok Tower Gardens in April.
Sitting under a big tree, waiting for the birds to land.
A view of the carillon tower at Bok Tower in central Florida.
Trying to be creative with my Valentine roses. Which do you prefer? Far out or up close?
Spent a weekend afternoon playing with the macro lens.
