Three Magnolias

     This week the weather door creaked open, and we experienced glimpses of early summer, with  several days in the 70's, all the way to 80 yesterday. Open windows in late February is not the norm. Friday was an exception. It barely made to 50 with cold, dank air. It never really rained, but a mist fell all day, and I never could seem to get warm. However, it made for some good photo ops on the early blooming magnolias at work. Deciduous magnolias are lovely trees, but not every year is a good one. Often they open early, only to have winter make a comeback, turning their delicate petals brown. I wish I had a garden large enough to allow space for tree that big that only blooms for a long week under the best of circumstances.

Magnolia x 'Todd Gresham'

Magnolia denudata

Magnolia × loebneri 'Leonard Messel'

     No matter the weather you may be experiencing, I do hope you will consider participating in my 2018 Winter Walk-Off. 

Water World

     The past few weeks around here have been strange, weather-wise. We have gotten stuck in a pattern that has included, sunless skies, strong winds, periods of heavy rain, and most significant for us, very high tides. The higher tides are due to a combination of last week's supermoon, strong winds, and to some extent Hurricane Joaquin. Here in Norfolk there are other issues as well. Most of our rivers drain north into the Chesapeake Bay, and the strong northeasterly winds keep the water backed up preventing a full tidal flush, so the high tides pile up on top of each other. Add to that Norfolk's topography is nearly flat, and most of the city sits only a few feet above sea level. Many parts of area are built on former wetlands, or even filled-in waterways, and if conditions are right, the sea is quick to reassert its original property rights. Perhaps the biggest issue, long-term, is that Norfolk is sinking, while sea level is rising. This sinkage is due to glacial subsidence, a souvenir from the last ice age. The extreme weight of glaciers that once covered much of the northeast caused land there to sink, while the land bulged upward in ice-free areas like southeastern Virginia. Think of this as a very slow, giant seesaw that is still seeking equilibrium. This puts Norfolk right behind New Orleans on the list of American cities most threatened by sea level rise, but you won't see that printed on any real estate flyers.

     Most of the following photos were taken around my neighborhood over the past few days, and the rest were taken at the oceanfront in nearby Virginia Beach.

     As bad is this flooding looks, most people here are use to it, which is good, because it is likely to become the new normal, and compared to what is happening in South Carolina, we should consider ourselves blessed.

A Dispatch from the Cold Front

     This weekend I took a road trip to Pennsylvania, primarily to see the Philadelphia Flower Show which opened on Saturday. While I was there I was able to stay with my brother who lives in rural Bucks Co., about an hour north of the city. It's always great to see my brother, but visiting him is doubly good because the area where he lives is quite beautiful. Until this weekend, I've always gone in July or August during the height of the green season. The landscape looked a little different this time. Up to two feet of accumulated snow lay on the ground, and maneuvering around the sizable potholes and piled up snow banks made driving interesting. Over the next 24 hours another 8-10" of snow is forecasted to fall on top of what's already there, so I said my goodbye earlier than planned to avoid having to stay longer than planned. Even though we are probably all sick of winter, I made few stops before heading home to take pictures of frozen Lake Nockamixon and the icefalls on Nockamixon Cliffs.

    I will soon post my pictures taken at the flower show, and I have another batch from Longwood Gardens' orchid show, which I was able to see on the way up. Both places were over the top, which is just what I needed to get me through to spring.

(Please don't forget to enter my Winter Walk-Off meme which runs until March 19th. I am looking forward to your contribution. BTW, I think I should mention that neither of the guys in the last photo are me or my brother, we have more sense, and less agility.)

Snow Day