Destination: Summer's End

WELCOME TO POETRY FRIDAY

As host of this week's Roundup, I invite you to look backward to reflect on the mid-September days when the winds of change finally arrived. Overwhelmed by daytime heat and shortened nights, weather patterns slowed down into a rhythmic pattern during the last days of summer. Nature, dressed in sun-bleached colors, gifted earth with crisp coolness, followed by sunkissed skies. Butterflies danced among flowers and worker bees diligently collected nectar for winter storage. 

Life at the end of summer fell into place bringing a day of sunshine and mild weather for our community trip to the historic Hillwood Gardens in Washington, D.C. Hillwood mansion and gardens capture the vision of heiress, entrepreneur, socialite, philanthropist, and collector, Marjorie Merriweather Post, who rebuilt the estate during the 1950s era. The mansion showcases Marjorie Post's collection of 18th-19th-century French art and art treasures from Imperial Russia. There are thirteen acres of gardens full of summer flowers standing erect and posing for their guests while gardeners tend their care. Our tour through the specialty gardens was impressive. My favorite was the Japanese Garden area which was filled with tiers of cascading waters and lush vegetation that provides a Zen-like atmosphere. In the different gardens, there was a sense of harmony and peace in the air.  

"To say it was a beautiful day would not begin to explain it. It was that day when the end of summer intersects perfectly with the start of fall." -Ann Patchett

summer ends

whispers goodbye

to longer days of active moments,

oppressive heat, drought, or heavy rains

moving on

transforming gently

into fall

©CVarsalona, 2023, trinet 

 

Have you savored the radiance and energy of summertime mixed with relaxation and renewal? Have you documented special summer days in photography or writing? 

INVITATION

If interested, add your artistic expression to my Destination-Summer's End Padlet where I plan to showcase a variety of adult and children's poems in a gallery format. Add your end-of-summer creation to the padlet here. 

Then, continue reading and following the directions to add your blog link so others can visit your blog post. 

salted sands, sunny shores

sacred sites for inner peace

summer slips away

©CVarsalona, 2023

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"Nature is the purest portal to inner peace."

-Angie Weilan Crosby

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Photo by CVarsalona, 2023

Hillwood Gardens