And for Christmas it’s of course all about the lights. And for that one weird arts and sounds and movement thing it was…well, it was still mostly about the lights about also about sound and shifting planes of vision and layered effect. When we’ve gone it’s generally been cold, with this Christmas being spectacularly so – enough so that I ended up learning about voice-activating my camera because it was too cold to keep taking my hands out of my gloves and my fingers got too cold to use the screen anywho.
But yesterday was perfect. Grey skies gave way to patches of sun. Swift tumults of rain and shafts of brilliance. Off-season enough and off-weekend enough that the crowds were held at bay. By no means abandoned, there were few moments when other people weren’t in sight, but sometimes they were at least out of mind – off in the distance. There was no crowding, no need to be interacted with past the ticket kiosk except for helping someone with a lost phone or chatting orchids with Frank Volunteer.
It was our first spring visit to Longwood Gardens and seeing this beautiful expanse vibrantly and ferociously ALIVE was downright inspirational. Add to that the complexities of the weather – one moment regretting wearing shorts and another moment wishing for shade – but every moment I was cold I soon got to warm myself in the sun and every moment I was hot I soon got to cool myself in the rain. I Love extremes and yesterday threw them to me again and again and again. I Love to walk in the rain and then slowly dry so while Kristen and her mom huddled beneath umbrellas I gloried in gentle and not-so-gentle precipitation, letting my hair down so it could soak it in and then slowly be blown around.
I was dangerously close to dancing like no-one was watching… except there were few moments when no-one was watching!
After Longwood Gardens we battled our way back through traffic towards the cliffs of rain that we’d narrowly missed in Baltimore. We got back home in time to see the storms slouching off to the west, mud covering the streets and unfortunately the cat… he came racing for the door as we pulled up dragging his tail behind him, which was literally matted with wet mud and random twigs. We held him down and groomed and brushed and dried the beast before going back out for gelato … it was a good day.
Today it’s finally time to install the air conditioners and true to form while carrying heavy things, if there’s glass on the floor it’s time to find it. So… I pulled that shard of old air plant planter out of my foot and tracked blood around the house looking for band aids. More gardens today and then it’s time for the weekend shows to begin. The cat, unconscious beneath my feet, totally has a better idea.
