Maymont

Elizabeth and I picked up breakfast along Carey Street in Richmond and then I took her to Maymont Park to kill the hours before her bus up to Baltimore.

Maymont is like a giant urban park in the middle of the city of Richmond. I believe it was once the estate of some wealthy family that donated it to the city. It is a wonderful place to wander and have a picnic. When I was a child and we lived in Richmond my mom would take me here all the time. Most of my very early memories revolve around the petting zoo where there is a cheerful collection of chickens, turkeys, cows, pony's, pigs, goats, and peacocks. Ha, go figure. I've always been attracted to animals and to nature.

It has been a long while since I have been here and it is nostalgic to return, though it seems so much smaller and encompassed now. As a little boy it seemed boundless and mysterious full of nooks and crannies to play and explore. Now I'm all grown up, but i notice other little boys exploring all the places I used to go. It makes me smile.

Since we didn't have too much time I took Elizabeth to the Japanese gardens, my favorite part of Maymont. Here, little trails meander through zen rock gardens, thoughtfully places Japanese maple trees, and dense tunnels of bamboo. Stepping stones emerge out of reflective pools full of coy fish and the mood set it one of cultivated peace. A perfect place to relax and pass a few hours in the grass.

I snapped this shot in the rose gardens. Many people have weddings here under the stone aisles and archways lined in thousands of chubby cheeked roses smiling over the city. I hugged Elizabeth goodbye finally at the bus station and expect to here from her in Buenos Aires where she scored a free month long study abroad trip through her university. Like me she has been jumping from one adventure to the next. Its a wonder to think that one of them just collided.