First Tour of the New Season

by Lynnda + pics by aleks (a.k.a. 'the other guide')

Thursday was my first official tour of the 2011 season. This was my first tour of my second year of guiding. I've been rereading my training manual for the last month. We were given so much wonderful information that it is hard to decide how to limit a tour to one hour.

(click on pics to enlarge)

SJG • 5/5/11 - Cherry blossom at the orchard

And here comes the group - 14 women from West Seattle, and no other guide! Wait - here comes the other guide! Now I can more easily walk over the shedding stone. My group started at the glass windows in the T Room, incredible art that won't be seen unless we detour to the back of the building.

SJG • 5/5/11 • Through cherry blossoms: Gardeners  candling the pines on Turtle Island

The weather contributed much to the tour. It was chilly with leaden gray skies, but the azaleas in bloom seemed more vibrant. Raindrops on the various maple leaves that had begun to leaf out gave the colors more intensity. I especially like looking up into the Japanese Maple, Acer Palmatum Shigitatsu Sawa, at the SW corner of the Tea House. The reticulated veins were magnified by the rain drops hanging on the leaves' edges. There was a calmness that pervaded the Garden. Not one single turtle showed its head. Gardeners were on ladders in the pond, candling the pines on Turtle Island. Maybe they scared the turtles away.

SJG • 5/5/11 • Close up cherry blossom

My group seemed to enjoy their tour, and I encouraged them to come back again to take a tour with other guides. Each of us has our own information and way to present it, and there would be different plants in bloom, different weather, and a completely different visual effect on a sunny day.

P.S. From aleks: can somebody please tell me the full name of the cherry blossoms currently in bloom?  Those are the full, double or triple ones, darker pink than pale pink yoshino....
P.P.S. 5/10/11 - Oh, these are kwanzan cherries...