In Bloom

Up and out early again yesterday morning for a run out through the Commons, along the trails at Coleman Farm and then down the road through Pennelville to the ocean at Simpson's Point. It was a cool morning, the sun was bright and the sky was blue. I counted 160 ladyslippers out in the Commons (yes, seriously, and I know there were more because I didn't count the huge groupings I saw but couldn't count while running), and the Pennelville fields were filled with goldfinch, red-winged blackbirds, swallows and the sounds of the Bobolinks as they flitted here and there. I didn't feel creaky or sore from Saturday's run at all, which I take to be a good sign as this morning's run put me at 51 miles for the week. Yes, my legs may have been a little tired, but I never tire of the views on this run. Gorgeous.

Bunchberries in the Commons

Saw 160+ ladyslippers (yes, seriously!) on this run, including this pretty white one!

Coleman Farm view

Honeysuckle

Pennelville vista

Flag iris

Simpson's Point view

 I came home to find that Sam and Ryan had just gotten up (at 8:30!!), so we made pancakes and bacon before doing a bit of gardening and getting ready for our afternoon adventure.

Pancake maker :)

We headed up to Boothbay to check out the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Sam had been there a few years ago with my mom, dad and Morgan, but despite having lived in Maine for years, Ryan and I had never been there. 

Despite the fact that admission seemed a bit steep ($39 for the three of us) and that the trails weren't super well-signed for walkers (seemed as if a lot of people took the shuttle/trolley out to the points of interest instead), we had a great time! They have truly done an amazing job with this piece of land. I loved that there was a mix of wonderfully manicured gardens and more natural landscape along the wooded trails, where interesting pieces of sculpture were mixed in with the landscape. We took lunch and ate it under the arbor in the main "garden" by the visitor's center, then spent quite a while exploring the neat children's garden/section. 

Beautiful sculpture

Sammy :)

Exploring on the rocks

Sculpture and bleeding hearts

Tadpole!

Pitcher plants

Rope ladder fun

Tree house

Cool wooden bird carvings

After wandering around the main section of the garden, we took the Maine Woods Trail out to the Rhododendron Garden. The rhodies were in full bloom, the wooded hillside filled with blooms of all colors. Sam had a great time taking close-up photos along the way. She did a pretty good job! 

We returned to the Visitor's Center by way of the Shoreline Trail, the Huckleberry Cove Trail and the obviously little used Brook trail, which was much more of a narrow, hiking trail than the other wider trails through the complex. There were neat sculptures scattered about along the way and many things in bloom. It really was beautiful with a lot to look at and keep our attention. All in all, about two hours of hiking and wandering and stopping and photo taking for a total of 2 miles, plus time spent at the beginning and end playing in the children's garden. A full afternoon and we had a blast!

Ladyslippers

Blue bead lily

Cinnamon Fern (photo by Sam)

Helleborus - so pretty!

Rhodies (Photo by Sam)

Some type of violet? (Photo by Sam)

In amongst the rhodies

Ajuga "Chocolate Chip" (Photo by Sam)

Rhodie blooming (Photo by Sam)

Neat sculpture (Photo by Sam)

Sculpture

Cool waterfall

Loved this rhodie! So pretty! (Photo by Sam)

Entering the Rhododendron Garden

Photo by Sam

Big rock scultpure

The photographer in action ;)

Photo by Sam

Fish in the forest

Fish face (Photo by Sam)

Us and the fish (Photo by Sam)

Glass orb

Yellow ladyslippers! So excited!

Sam and the slippers

Rock design

Maze fun