A Summer Place

So far this July, the days have been hot, hot, hot.
And, although the evenings haven't been much cooler,
they have at least offered some relief from the relentless heat.
Usually here in the Shire, early July isn't this hot.
So in the evenings, people come out of their houses 
to find their favorite summer places and enjoy the season.

While we were at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens recently,
we discovered two great places for enjoying the late of day.
Tucked away beyond the Garden's butterfly area

 is an arbor on the banks of Lake Whitehurst:

The water in the Lake is cool and green.
There are impatiens and vines and a bench for resting.
It's the kind of place that makes one want to linger a long while.


And there is also this place. 
It seems to me a perfectly composed landscape painting, 
with the arbor and bench painted a cool ultramarine blue, 
surrounded by painterly dabs of bright "cadmium orange" calendula
and alizarin crimson flowers;
the complementary blue and orange colors provide a sense of balance,
while the crimson lends depth:

But the best summer place for most of us is our own backyard.
Here at ours, an arbor frames a mossy path   
and invites one into the verdant, shady woods:

Our garden is evolving a little at a time in each season as it passes.
I call it "Still Point" after this quote from Joseph Campbell:
for those who have found the still point of eternity, 
around which all—including themselves—revolves, 
everything is acceptable as it is; 
indeed, can even be experienced as glorious and wonderful.
Sounds like good advice for just about everything
--including withering hot days in July.

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