One of my favorite flowers of spring are the lilacs. Throughout Minnesota you see them everywhere — as small bushes, fences, and even tall hedges. They can be trimmed to remain small or they can be allowed to grow to the size of trees. They line the sides of many of our highways and roads, and when they’re in full bloom (as they are right now) they are beautiful. They range in color from white to pale purple to a deep, dark shade of purple – almost burgundy. And if you’re lucky to be riding your bike alongside a hedge of lilacs their scent will descend over you and fill you with the smell of the very best that spring has to offer.
spring
Spring-time cycling
This year we are planning to do the Bike Across Kansas (BAK), a seven-day, 475 mile ride from the western border with Colorado to the eastern border with Missouri. It’s a great adventure filled with the beauty of the Kansas plains, the hospitality of the small towns that we stay in, and the camaraderie of 800 fellow cyclists. We are now in serious training mode. We headed out on our bicycles yesterday morning with chilly temperatures in the 40’s and overcast skies, hoping to get a ride in before the promised rains that were on their way. As is common in spring-time in the upper midwest, the weather can change at any time (and usually does). The skies were gray and dark to the north, but occasionally the sun would peek out long enough to give us a bit of warmth. Unlike our fellow-cyclists living south of Minnesota who are now logging rides of 50 miles and more, we are just unthawing from our winter weather. Our ride yesterday gave us the chance to test multiples layers of clothing along with full-fingered riding gloves to keep warm. Eventually we will pare down to single layers and cycling shorts but that time is still ahead of us. Yesterday’s ride was filled with the scent of blooming lilacs and the spring-time colors of the ornamental trees. All this, including the rain holding off until the afternoon, made our ride a delight and a joy.
Spring pastels
My earlier spring photographs have been bright and full of color. But today’s photo is more of a pastel, with shades of blue and purple. I was at the spring flower show at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory today. And just as cloudy and gray as the skies were outside, the flower show was full of colors – blues, pinks, reds, and greens. It was a wonderful sight and yet the colors were almost too many and too much. My eye was drawn to this lovely crocus that was stretching skyward and set off by the blue hydrangea behind it. The subtlety of the colors was wonderful and the bit of orange that the crocus threw skyward was the perfect accent color. The blues reminded me of the bluest of skies that we can get after a spring rain as well as the lovely blue lakes that grace the landscape here in Minnesota. So I’m now adding pastels to my palette of colors of springtime.
Rain on the tulip window
The day started gray and blustery. The promise of a blue-sky spring day was not going to be a reality on this morning. After a few hours the wind picked up, the sky darkened, and the rain began making its own music as it hit the window panes. And it left its distinctive spring smell hanging in the air outside. As I walked into the room I saw the two tulips framed in the window. They are both past their prime, one more so than the other, and yet their curves and shapes were so nicely set off by the straight lines of the window. Their beauty was so very evident in all their simplicity.
Purple and gold of spring
The season of spring is the season of color. We come out of the white, silent world of winter and our senses are shocked by the abundance of colors. Our grasses are green, the new leaves are starting to emerge, and the flowering trees are now taking their turns. My eyes have been caught by the brilliant yellows and golds of the forsythia bushes that are now blooming. And when I drove past an entire hillside of them glowing in the sun I knew I had to return. But yesterday morning was cloudy and cold, with a gusty sharp wind that was keeping our temperatures in the 40’s. As I drove over to the yellow hillside I wasn’t too terribly excited because of the conditions. But what I found as I wandered around on the hill was a beautiful old redbud tree that has also responded to our early spring with buds of purple that were starting to emerge. Those of you from Minnesota will know that the University’s colors are maroon and gold, and so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this hillside of forsythia and this wonderful purple/maroon redbud was on the Saint Paul campus. Do you suppose this is a coincidence?
lindastaatsphoto.com 