Picnic in the Park

Today was such a beautiful day...  brilliantly sunny, not too hot, not too muggy.  I had already arranged to meet with some friends for a picnic, too, which turned out to be perfect.  What fun!

My wonderful picnic basket--a lovely wedding gift from equally lovely friends.

The place that we went picnicking was a beautiful park, which wasn't even too far away.  We sat and ate and talked and laughed for almost an hour and a half, and then we decided to take a walk around the park.  Oh, the photo opportunities!  And what understanding friends, that let me go around taking pictures of everything!

I loved this vine, the way it wrapped around the column.  It made me feel like I had been transported to an enchanted garden.

A lily pond at the bottom of a gravel path.

Close-up of the lily pond...  can you find the frog?

Here's the frog!  He's all the way at the left of the above pictures.

To our delight, there was even a nature center, complete with gift shop!  I didn't have any money to spend, but I found three things that made me happy...

These disgruntled cardinals make me smile!  They also came printed on blank cards...  Ah, the possibilities! 

Basically, these are like mood stones.  You touch the heat-sensitive bottom, and the colors change and swirl where your finger is.  Hours of endless fun...  I want one!

Another disgruntled bird, although this one is plush.

The visitor center also hosted a butterfly garden...  most of the butterflies had already started on their annual migration, but there were a few left behind.

This butterfly was posing for the camera.

Last, but not least, the visitor center had an observation deck.  Just look at the view.

It was pretty breath-taking.

Picture taken through the observation deck's telescope.  I was so, so happy that this picture turned out! 

All in all, it was a lovely time.  I really look forward to going back again--hopefully with more time to spend.  There are plenty of trails to walk, and I can't wait to see what it looks like in the autumn.


What a lovely day.