Joy Ride 03/27/00

Today was grey and gloomy.  Saturday was all bright sunshine and

pleasant.  Yesterday was the pick of the lot - a mixture of grey skies and sunshine.

The grey clouds intensified the sunlight and the sunlight threw the

spring flowers into dramatic contrast to slate skies -  a wonderful day for a drive.  I put on what now passes for my Sunday-go-to-Meeting clothes and we were off for a mid-afternoon spin. First to Bryn Athyn to see the forsythia and daffs and a very special magnolia tree. 

Elsa told me forsythia was having a banner year and I knew that our own LARGE bramble of it out back looks glorious, but I was not prepared.  It really is spectacular this year.   

On the way to gas up the car, we drove past Nina Cooper Dewee's house on Byberry Road.  I was beside myself with the glory of her forsythia, with a beautiful star magnolia towering above and behind

it. 

Then we drove down the Pike past the hundreds of daffodils skirting

the Pike and the Cairnwood/Glencairn lawns.  Brian Gunther lead bulb-planting volunteers for several years getting them all planted and his/their hard work paid off.  If you have seen it, you know what I mean.  If you haven't and you possibly can, do. 

We looped around the cathedral, down Cairncrest drive and  up to Alnwick Road.  As we were about to turn left back up to the Pike, Elsa cautioned, "Be prepared to gasp."  I had no idea what she meant until she turned and then there it was - a gasp of delight.  More glorious daffodils planted by more Brian-lead volunteers spread out under Cairnwood’s trees. 

The next drive-by was past Gail & Scott's to see their "baby" star

magnolia, blooming away like crazy.  I want a star magnolia for our back yard!  Special thanks go out to Gail, because it was her mention of the tree in bloom that got me dressed and booted outside in the first place.  Blessings on you.

It was lovely to swing past through the college.  As we entered College

Drive, we nipped past three Sunday strollers - Jonathan Rose, Kristin

King, and Ros Taylor.  They looked like they were enjoying the day to the fullest.

 

Further up the road, Elsa slowed to a stop past two other Sunday

strollers. It is beyond me how she can recognize people from the rear, but she knew as soon as she saw them that it was Freya Synnestvedt King and my dear friend, Aileen King Synnestvedt.  It was so uplifting to have a short gab with the two of them.  I was soaring.

Speaking of soaring, as we approached the Churchville Nature Center

reservoir, several hawks with great majestic wingspreads were joy riding the warm day's thermals.  On the return trip, a hawk swooped about 10' above our car, then hovered intensely to our right, probably checking out something resembling its supper.

Everywhere we went, nature seemed to rush forward to greet us.  A great patch of forsythia along the stretch of road between Stump Road and Gravel Hill Road looked like the grand finale of a 4th of July celebrations - rockets of bright yellow shooting off and upward.  After seeing that, we started picking out "sky rocket" bushes. 

We drove through the beautiful 18th & 19th century houses and gardens of Newtown Boro.  The trees along State Road are almost ready to fully burst into white blossoms, so close to it that we could almost hear them popping. But not quite. 

A lovely velvety look has come to the once completely winter spare tree

branches.  A few Japanese Cherries have exploded into pink, while you can feel the rest impatient to join them. 

The willows are outlined in classic spring green - a searing chartreuse that looks spectacularly dramatic against slate skies.  We'd be driving along and all of a sudden Elsa would pull into some "development," usually because of some great towering willow she'd spotted above the house tops. 

We were out for 90 minutes, but it felt like the blink of an eye.

 

Who knows - maybe I'll get to church before too long.  The way I feel

right now, all things are possible.

May you enjoy every moment of this glorious spring, the first in many

years that a deep frost didn't nip the magnolia blossoms or bow down the daffs before they could combine with my beloved forsythia to offer us such fabulously beautiful sights.

(Australians - enjoy the beauties of your autumn!)

Love to all of my dear friends - The Gramster