A Day Purty Enough to Illustrate

It's been incredibly beautiful out the last two days, and very unlike August--cool with a light breeze that gives the air the light, clear feeling of the beach or mountains. And a lovely two-toned blue above as we've seen little of this summer, dotted with fleecy clouds. As I walked around the lake today, the wildflowers at their peak, I saw a green, iridescent hummingbird darting back and forth among the cardinal flowers and the butterfly weeds in full bloom . It stopped and faced me, hovering in front of me for a few magical seconds, before zooming off to keep an important appointment, leaving me surrounded by tiger and black swallowtail and monarch butterflies. Then a couple of egrets were determined to make the view across the lake look like a Japanese painting by flying together over it. I also spotted a frog with a vivid green snout, along with the usual assortment of ducks, turtles, and squirrels.

Then I went down to Alexandria, VA this afternoon to wander around an Irish Festival, which was a pretty lame one on the scale of Celtic festivals I've been to, but it was a beautiful day to be out and walking about the waterfront and up and down King Street. I need lots more days with this kind of weather. 'Twas a happy outing.