Cultivated Reading

For the past month or so, I’ve spent my Sunday afternoons reading in the park. Not just any park. It’s the grounds of an art institute, populated with artworks and gardens by the river.

Seeing the flower photos offered by fellow bloggers Greg, Jeepguy, and Joe inspired me to seek out a garden, a place where I could have calm after a busy Sunday morning. Now, instead of time alone in a chilled restaurant with loud piped-in music, I sit on a bench in dappled sunlight by the river.

Let me show you around.

Sidewalks and crushed shell trails meander through the grounds and under the trees. One of the biggest installations on the property is a structure that is made of woven vines.


Wander into the shade behind the huts to find “Twisted House.” I like the whimsy of this piece.


At this point I continue past a deck to benches on a secluded stone patio by the river. I sit here to read and listen to the water. Several kinds of bees buzz into flowers in pots and flowerbeds. (Last week a large grasshopper landed smack in the middle of the page I was reading. He didn’t stay for long.)


After reading for an hour or two, it’s time to go. I take the long way back to the car, meandering past more art pieces. This is a chair. Sort of.


Bubbles made of vine in all shapes and sizes perch in a dozen trees.


The “Imploding Sphere” sculpture looks better from a distance.


Small sculptures are planted in the gardens with the flowers.


In the parking lot, a pergola is lined with flowers and decked with globes. These globes contain deep-timbred chimes, each one singing a single warm tone in the breeze.


It is a lovely, peaceful way to bridge between a busy day at work and duties that await at home. Thank you, gentlemen, for showing me a new way to recharge.