Wonderful Visit from Greensboro Friends

Early this week we enjoyed a short visit from Karen and her 11 year old daughter Clare, who I'm afraid I bore with stories about remembering the day she was born. She is a great little girl. We share a fascination with origami. She folded this eagle, which I had long ago given up on, in about 10 minutes.

Karen is a wonderful gardener and brought me daffodil and canna bulbs, purple cone-flower and black-eyed susan plants. This will inspire me to quit waiting on the homeowner's association and go ahead and make a bed down the side of the condo.

This was a perfect opportunity to go to Magnolia Plantation on a not-too-hot day with someone who would really enjoy the gardens. Karen had a new camera and she took tons of pictures which was good because mine was balky all day.

The azaleas and camillas were well past their peak, but there were enough left to be amazed at all the varieties scattered throughout. This garden has so many nooks and crannies -- it is maintained in a very natural style but there are nice surprises around every bend in the path. We loved coming upon a spectacular bamboo archway -- lots of iris and lilies gave the area a very Asian feel.

The Aquarium was on Clare's list of things to do, so we went there Wednesday AM before they had to head back to Greensboro.

It did me good to have quality time with Karen who has been a good friend for over 20 years. It's nice to live in a place where friends can come to visit and feel they've had a real treat.