Easter 2010

Easter weekend, Christian and I took the kids to one of our family's favorite spots in the area. The Botanical Gardens in Athens, Georgia is an oasis of gardens and nature trails. Every time we visit, we discover something new.

We began the day in our preferred picnic area, a shady spot under the canopy of an enormous white oak. No one else was there, so we had our pick of a pair of tables directly under the tree. The air was warm, and the sweet-smelling promise of summer wafted on the breeze. If the day had ended after our meal al fresco, it would have been a success. But we had more fun planned.

We decided to explore the Orange Trail. This was the only nature trail we hadn't tried yet; usually we wander along sections of the White Trail. To our surprise, the Orange Trail took us along the Oconee River bank. The unusual amount of rainfall we had this winter led to area flooding a few weeks ago. Now, it's easy to see from the dried silt on the trees that the water level rose twelve to fifteen feet. We were amazed that the sandy path we walked along was underwater not long ago.

The Orange Trail eventually loops back around to the main part of the gardens, where the atrium is located. We stopped in on the pretense that everyone wanted to use the restrooms, but really we never can resist admiring the beauty of the enormous leaves and over-sized flowers of the rain forest plants housed inside.

Cooled and rested from the air-conditioning, we headed out again to finish the trail and arrive back at the car.

Back home, Christian baked a leg of lamb on a bed of new potatoes. We wiped the dusting of pollen from the patio table and enjoyed our first outdoor dinner of the year. The kids clinked glasses of Sprite Zero against our glasses of Bordeaux, and we toasted a wonderful day, fan-tabulous family, and we wished each other a very Happy Easter.

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