spring in the lou, part II

Boy, do I have a surprise for you...

So today I realized that I have worked every day for the last 10 days straight.  Things have been a little intense around here.  So instead of going to the practice room today after rehearsal (per my recent usual routine), I finished up at Lutheran, grabbed some lunch and headed for the garden... the Missouri Botanical Garden, that is.  It is, hands down, one of my favorite parts of St. Louis.  It's one of the reasons I love this city.  And holy cow, the sights that awaited me there.  I spent an hour an a half and unfortunately my camera battery died early.  Luckily I had the charger with me, so of course every 15-20 mins or so I was off to find another electrical outlet to rejuice enough to get me through another couple of shots.  But it was an adventure and a completely therapeutic one at that.

Anyway, I won't keep you any longer.  You should just know that apparently I have a thing for tulips... big time.  I practically had a tulip-gasm when I walked into the bulb garden.  It made me feel like a schoolgirl all over again.

I loved this display of white double tulips and dark purple ones.  So, so gorgeous.  The white feels a little overexposed in this lighting, but in person the effect was quite dramatic.

I know, I know... it's a little overkill.  The bulb garden, that is... but hopefully you believe me when I say that words just wouldn't do it justice.  Eventually I pulled myself away and headed over to the Japanese garden... (I also realize now that the tree I failed to properly identify yesterday is a Japanese cherry tree.  Pfft, flowering pear.  Good call, Katie...)

I believe the tree in the foreground is a Japanese cherry tree and the one in the background is a dogwood.  But I mean, when it's that beautiful, who really cares?  I've also been known to make misnomers among certain flowering trees in my day...

Same trees, different angle.  You can also see the azaleas in full bloom down in the right corner.

... oh yeah, and there were also lilacs, azaleas, phlox, peonies, and a few irises blooming.  "Incredible" barely scratches the surface.  Best drugs ever for this tired pianist is more like it.

Again, mind... blown...