Sunday, April 27: In response to Marianne’s challenge to take One Trip EVERY Month, today we drive nearly an hour west to the State Arboretum of Virginia. I’m tickled to find such a marvelous escape so close to my house. And I’m even more surprised that in the 26 years I’ve lived in northern Virginia, I’ve never even heard of this place.
In the tradition of Jo’s Monday Walk, we walk all around the beautiful grounds, where we find spring bursting forth in all its exuberant glory.
The State Arboretum of Virginia (also known as the Orland E. White Arboretum) occupies the central 172 acres of Blandy Experimental Farm. Started in the 1930s, it now contains over 5,000 woody trees and shrubs from around the world.
Blandy Experimental Farm covers more than 700 gently rolling acres of meadows, woodlands, shrub thickets, and plantings. Blandy is owned by the University of Virginia and is open free to the public from dawn to dusk every day. It’s a great place for walking, with miles of trails through a beautiful landscape.
After leaving, we take a one minute drive through Paris, Virginia, a speck of a town where some old friends of mine spent their honeymoon so they could tell people they had their honeymoon in Paris.
nomad, interrupted 
What an absolutely gorgeous place to visit, especially in the spring. Gosh, I love seeing the redbuds in bloom. Makes me feel a tinge of homesickness. Hmmm. That surprises me. Tells you what a lovely post this was! Hope you are doing well, Cathy!
Hugs from Ecuador,
Kathy
Thanks Kathy. It was really beautiful, and there are miles of walking trails. I’ll have to go back again sometime. I’m surprising the redbuds are making you homesick. It’s so strange, I get homesick for Oman and Korea too, and I only lived there for short times.
I’m doing okay, thanks, just some rough patches when I get really down from this job search. Feeling like people are ready to put me out to pasture and I’m thinking, I’M NOT THAT OLD!!!! 🙂
arboretums are cool, and visiting at blossom time is perfect for this one!
Yes, it was really perfect, Christine. It won’t be long before it’s too hot and humid to do anything outdoors!! 🙂
Hiya Cathy! What a fabulous space. Fancy you not having been there! 🙂 I absolutely love the dogwood and the redbuds. I always used to wonder what dogwood looked like when I read about it.
We’re in the hotel, having just been fed golabki (stuffed cabbage leaves with rice and mice) in a mushroom sauce, so we can make it through to the wedding feast 🙂 I brought my laptop because the hotel has Wi-Fi but I’m nearly too excited to sit still! The wedding is at 3pm so I’m off to shower and get my dancing shoes on. Will link your lovely walk on my next one. It’s a beauty 🙂
MICE Jo? They eat mice in Poland? [Grin] hope the wedding went well, I’m sure it did, and you danced the night away 🙂
That’s what I though, Jude! MICE in cabbage rolls. I wasn’t sure if Jo made a typo or was just trying to see if we were paying attention (or pulling our legs!) I wonder what kind of effect those mice had on Jo’s evening. 🙂
Had her scurrying around I guess 😀
So funny!
Where did the mice sneak in from, Jude? I hadn’t even been near the vodka when I wrote this! 🙂
Ah, well the vodka would be an excuse 🙂
You’re right, Jude. But then Jo is so cute, she doesn’t even need an excuse. 🙂
Haha, Jo. We wondered about that! 🙂
I know, Jo. I think before I started on all my travels, I was kind of blind to the places right in my own backyard. Now I’m always desperate for adventure, and since I can’t go abroad right now, I need to find places to explore close to home. The dogwood and redbuds are really pretty, but now they’re starting to lose their blossoms. So sad when all the trees lose their color. It seems they never stay long enough.
I hope you’re having fun in your hotel. That golabki would sound delicious except for the “mice!!” Yikes! The mushroom sauce does sound good though. I hope you had a grand time at the wedding. I’m sure we’ll see lots of pictures upon your return home. 🙂
So very beautiful, Cathy. I love the ‘alien beings’ pic, and the hollow tree, too. To sit next to that pond, must be so peaceful. 🙂
Thanks so much, Sylvia. It was really beautiful, a breezy, cool and lovely day all around. 🙂
That was a lovely walk on a beautiful spring day. Thank you for inviting me!
Thanks for coming along, Carol. It’s so nice while this weather is cool and dry and the blooms are all out! 🙂
Keep doing what you’re doing!!! Love your pictures!!!
Thanks so much, Ron! Am feeling a little discouraged right now with my job search so am sometimes too disheartened to go out and take pictures. But when I do, at least it does help me feel a tad bit better. Thanks for your encouragement. 🙂
Oh it’s gorgeous and what a lovely time of year to find it. You’ll have to go back in autumn as well.
Yes, I definitely will, Gilly. I’d love to stop by enough to see everything in bloom all year round, now that I’ve discovered it. 🙂
I really enjoyed these photos – it looks like a beautiful, peaceful place.
Thanks so much. It was really a lovely place for a walk. 🙂
It looks like you had the perfect day to visit, and aren’t the Spring flowers gorgeous.
Yes, Carol, it was really a perfect day to visit. I love getting outside now that the weather is nice (and not too hot!)
What a beautiful place and so peaceful looking in all its spring blooms. Takes me back to North Carolina days living among the dogwoods.Haven’t seen may apples or woods plants in a long time.
Where in North Carolina did you used to live, Lynne? I’m sure you have many beautiful plants where you’re living now though. 🙂
Catching up! Another fab walk – you have some glorious gardens in your area. I love springtime when everything starts to come alive again.
Me too, Jude. I need to do some catching up myself, as I’m sure you’re well aware. I am so tired of spending all my time searching for jobs. Such a thankless task.
Been there, done that. When I left my teaching job I thought we were moving, but then we didn’t and so I started applying for teaching jobs though my heart wasn’t in teaching. Had several awful interviews until I realised that I was the token older person and female to boot, and after an interview where I was told I’d have to wait an hour before the actual interview (after the god-awful lesson I had to teach) I decided enough was enough and walked out. Most schools didn’t bother to even reply to me though. It’s pretty soul destroying and I really feel for you.
Thanks so much for your words of support, Jude. I’ve accepted a course this summer back at the community college (I took off spring semester in hopes of finding another job, but I’ve had no luck), and I have an interview today, but it’s only for a part-time job. I can’t fund my travels with that! I’m considering looking abroad again because at least if I’m going to teach, I can have the benefit of living in a new country and traveling! We’ll see what happens. 🙂
What a wonderful walk among all the flowers and the trees. Thank you for taking us along!
Thanks so much, Gunilla. Thanks for coming along! 🙂
I enjoyed the walk through the delight of spring awakening all the blossom. It will be beautiful in autumn too.
Thanks so much! I’m really glad you enjoyed coming along on my walk. I can’t wait to explore it again in the fall. 🙂
I’m sure it will be another great photo op. 🙂
I’m sure it will! Virginia is always beautiful in the fall. 🙂