Too Early

Our friends who have made the east coast trip and our LBFs who have lived farther north on the east coast all gave us the same advise: "March 1st is too early to leave!"  We do appreciate any and all advice from our friends, wanting to benefit from their experience and wisdom.  But, in this case, we are happy we ignored the advice to begin the trip later, to be able to spend more time along the way.

One of the few specific dates we have in our plans is to be in Washington, DC, in time to visit the Capitol while the cherry blossoms are in bloom.  Our general itinerary is to move up the east coast following spring, across Canada and the Great Lakes during the summer, and down the middle US river system during fall.

A week before we left, February 22nd, I took the photo at left.  It is the blossoms of a cherry tree that the St. Augustine maintenance staff (Mario Resario & Tim Mouse) and I found at a nursery.  I had never seen a cherry tree in Florida or read about growing them in the southernmost state.  But, we gave it a try and it has signaled spring by the Administration Building ever since.  In bloom a week before departure, we felt it was telling us that spring has arrived and it was time to leave.


It is still technically winter and the cold fronts come across the coast with high winds and cold temperatures, but these do not hinder our enjoyment of the places we visit.  And, spring has shown her face everywhere we have stopped.  We just have to keep our pace slow enough to not get north too quickly.

The plant that has been the showiest at every stop is the Loropetalum, a shrub that I tend to call "Burgundy," due to the dark red leaves that emerge in the spring.  You don't realize how many of these are planted in landscapes until you see them bloom.  Most of these bushes are formally trimmed in Florida, which greatly reduces the number of blooms.  Many we have seen at places in Georgia and South Carolina have been allowed to grow naturally and are filled with blooms.  The blooms at right were a small part of a bush in Charleston.  Below are azaleas and dogwood at a church and cemetery in Charleston.

And, Glen's favorite, Jill enjoying a spot in a waterfront park in downtown Beaufort, South Carolina.

We are on the early edge of Spring, but Spring is here.