ANNUAL SCHREINER'S IRIS GARDEN IRIS OUTING

Iris time is our favorite time of year. We make an annual treck to Schreiner's Iris Gardens to see in person the iris before we place our order. This year we ordered 12 new iris. Here are some of those choices.

GoldkistDeep Dark Secret
Melted Butter Count Dracula
Toucan Tango

THE NATIONAL CATHEDRAL IN WASHINGTON D.C.

My favorite view of the cathedral is from the Bishop's Garden. When we were there last time at the end of summer, we viewed it with a frame of roses and various perenials. This time, in mid-April, it's peonies.Here it is with a frame of crab apple blossoms.
And of course my favorite blooming tree in Virginia this time of year, the redbud, also makes a gorgeous frame for these last two pictures.

FRIDAY THE 13TH OF APRIL: THOMAS JEFFERSON'S BIRTHDAY!

We happened to pick this special day to visit Monticello! We didn't know till we got there that it was his birthday!This is a view of the front entrance, with no people! A rare oportunity, unless you happen to be in the front of the house tour line as we were.
More beautiful tulips in the back of the house. Again, no people! How'd we do that? I'll tell you: patience! Sometimes you have to wait forever for someone to get out of your shot, and just as you're getting ready to shoot, someone else appears!

DISCOVERY IN THE NATIONAL ARBORETUM

We were going back to the car after a walk through the National Arboretum to get out of the cold as it was beginning to rain. Jessi saw a lilac that she thought would make a good frame for one more shot of those beautiful old pillars from the old capital. The lilac frame turned out to be a good idea, but what we found just beyond was breathtaking!What we found behind that one white lilac was a whole field of lilacs! They had been totally hidden from the road. We felt like we'd found Shangrila! We got so engrossed in walking through all that fragrant beauty and taking pictures, that we totally forgot about the cold spitting rain!
For a few minutes we just let ourselves get lost in this very special place.

A FEAST FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S EYE

Jessi and I were in 7th heaven with all the flowers everywhere.
Of course there were tulips everywhere!

The Bougainvillea in the US Botanic Garden Conservatory.

The dogwood blossoms in Colonial Williamsburg.

Tulips framing the view from Montecello.

And yet more tulips in Thomas Jefferson's backyard!