Happy Birthday to Me!

Here it is, another birthday already! Hint to my (Elizabeth's) age: I turned 13 the day we landed on the moon.  YIKES!  It was a wonderful afternoon in the garden: we visited with Bob and Jan Scott from Bend (and Tuscon, depending on the season), who we met last year at the garden. Jan plays koto and Bob loves music...they sat under the tree for our whole two-hour set.  A lot of people sat and sprawled on the grass to soak up the wonderuful sun; it was mid-70's so the weather was very comfortable. We also talked to some visitors from California.  The most noticeable difference from last week was the number of dragonflies; they were everywhere, flitting across the pond and through the air. Other than the lilypads,  most of the blooms are gone, leaving the garden in shades of green. 

NOTE: NEXT WEEK WE WILL BE GONE. NO MUSIC AT THE GARDEN.

A froggy enjoys the concert from his refreshing spot amist the lilypads.....

The paulownia tree offers a roof of large green leaves now.

The creek near the entrance...

Running water is very refreshing today.....

A touch of purple among the many ferns that line the pathways.

A dragonfly lands on the pathway rope....

Bob and Jan enjoy the music in the shade of the cherry tree.

Looking up, the blue sky and the maple leaves...

Overhead,  planes like to remind us of modern life, deadlines, and NOISY technology.

 (ah, well.....)

Our first evening show.....

The weather was so lovely this evening - after a warm day, a cool breeze welcomed us at the garden. We talked to a couple from Gig Harbor and saw our friend Deborah who had come to hear us.  The fish were more active than in the daytime....and a Great Blue Heron was present for the whole two hours, patiently, patiently looking for an evening meal.  We didn't see him catch anything, as he flew on silent wings and stared at the water in different parts of the pond. It was refreshing to play on the platform without the quick shade overhead; the garden had a different feel than the daytime, with the twilight adding a noticeable end-of-the-day, serene atmosphere.

A Great Blue Heron waits so patiently for dinner, motionlessly studying the water.

The bird flew silently above the pond to try a different spot...

And stood some more in the water.....

And stood on a rock....

A loyal fan, Deborah, meditates as she listens under the cherry trees. 

John plays "Call of the Cranes".

Carp were jumping and splashing, looking for bugs in the evening....

The lilypads all closed up in the evening light.

On the way home, the nearly full moon was beautiful.

TANABATA - Star Festival Celebration at the Garden

The Tanabata festival (the seventh day of the seventh month) is a romantic festival, with wishes tied to tree branches and love poems written and read...all in the hopes that the star lovers will have clear skies and be able to meet in the sky tonight.  Visitors wrote poems and wishes and painted sumie-pictures of bamboo, and Duo En played with poet Michael Welch's presentation of his translations of love tanka. It was a wonderful day, with the sun breaking through periodically from between the clouds....which might break up just in time tomorrow evening so that the two sky lovers can meet.

This is one of the last days the garden entryway will look like this, because it is going to be rebuilt this summer.... 

Tanabata poems hang from branches near the front of the garden....
Wishes blow in the breeze...

Visitors of all ages wrote tanabta poems....

Thomas Hargrave, from Seattle Parks and Recreation, talks with haiku poet Michael Welch. 

Midori Kono Thiel shows guests the fine art of Japanese sumie painting techniqes.

The teahouse garden is starting to take on an autumn tinge....

A lilypad bud floats among leaves in the pond.

Reflectons of trees in the lilypad-full pond.

A turtle enjoys the summery tanabata afternoon.