The Red Elm in Summertime

It was a foggy misty morning in central Pennsylvania. I thought about stopping by Millbrook Marsh for a few minutes. But then I got the idea that I needed to see the Arboretum's famous red elm against the fog. And so off I trotted for a visit.

I did not go alone, however. Four little pink Dancing Girls jumped into my pocket. They had heard that a few weeks ago, some Dancing Girls had been given a boating trip on a prior adventure (see a picture from the prior adventure in the "extra photos" area of my May 26 blip). And they wanted their own chance to get out and sail.

So I visited the elm, and got lots of pictures of it against the foggy meadow. And it was lovely. And the meadow grass behind the elm was very wet and almost waist-high on me. I got my skirt damp, but it dried pretty quickly. And I was glad I wore my Crocs, for my legs and feet were soaking wet.

And then we headed for the children's garden. The Crocs came off, and into the water I went for the Dancing Girls' regatta photo shoot. (See "extra photos" area.) We started out with two girls on one flat boat and two girls on one cork boat, but the cork boat rolled and tossed the girls into the drink! And suddenly it was a water rescue!

Nobody was harmed, but we decided that perhaps the flat boats were the safest means of transport. And the atmosphere grew quite festive! As one of the boats sailed past me, I think I may have heard a tiny voice asking, "Is it too early in the day to order a mojito?"

And so we had our grand summertime adventures there in the morning sun: the red elm, and the Dancing Girls, and the boats, and me. And it was lots and lots of fun (despite the fact that I almost slipped and fell in the mud as I got out of the water feature, but hey, those are the dangers of living a life as wild and carefree as mine; and at the last minute, I righted myself and did not fall, so all is well).

The song to accompany this day's photos is a happy little tune I remember my dad playing on the stereo when I was little: Andy Williams and Roger Miller, with In the Summertime.

For the lovers of the red elm, it is featured in two prior blips:
Red Elm Under a Blue and White Winter Sky
The Tree of Life