Meadowlark: There Are Weddings; and There Are Weddings

Saturday, 18 September

Roaming around Meadowlark today, I kept crossing paths with a wedding party that was using the beautiful park setting as the background for photographs of their special day.  I stayed out of their way and gave them their space.  Admittedly, I couldn’t resist clicking the shutter a few times from a distance.  I included one of those photos in the slideshow here.

Here’s another image … captured by happenstance when I rounded a corner on the paved trail that I was following.  The bride and groom were mostly out of sight, posing for the wedding photographer.  I really like the image I captured … it’s a little different; and very intimate and special (if I do say so myself).

An intimate portrait.

So, what about the “and then there are weddings” part of this post.  Here’s that part of my story.

Eventually, my meandering walk around the park took me to the Children’s Garden where a few kids were playing, their parents fondly watching their antics.  I took a few shots of the whimsical art nearby and was about to leave when a woman approached me.  “You seem to like taking close up photos; you might want to get a shot of the grasshoppers on the frame of the deer topiary,” she said.  Before I could thank her for the tip, the young boy who was holding her hand chimed in with his own comment: “They’re having a wedding!”  Out of the mouths of babes!

Mating Pair

Love was definitely in the air at Meadowlark today and I was privileged to witness glimpses of it.

Meadowlark in Color and B&W

Saturday, 18 September

What a beautiful fall day! And if you’re stuck at home (like I am), what better place to spend the day than at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia.

I first discovered these gardens in June 2009 when I was looking for a convenient place to go to while Mui was visiting family in Turkey.  I later shared this “gem” with Mui and my mother; that was in the spring of this year.  (To see pictures from those earlier visits, click here and here.)

On my own again for a few weeks — a family emergency took Mui to Turkey earlier this month — I turned to Meadowlark to add some variety to my weekend routine.

Unlike on previous occasions, the grounds were quieter today — no birds chirping in the trees; no great blue heron fishing in the pond; no toads croaking love songs at the top of their lungs.  That’s not to say that the place wasn’t hopping.  There was a wedding party wandering around with a photographer, looking for the best backgrounds; several couples posing for pictures in scenic spots along the paved trail; families feeding the koi and catfish (and the Canada geese and turtles) from the gazebo on Lake Caroline.

Instead of just posting some of my photos this time, I thought I’d post a slideshow transitioning from black & white to color (a little too much time on my hands today).

Click the picture below to start the slideshow; you can adjust the speed by clicking the appropriate setting above the thumbnails below.

A Beautiful Fall Day at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Next Up … Meadowlark: There Are Weddings; and There Are Weddings