Saturday, September 02, 2006

Nitobe Gardens...Somewhere Quiet to Go

My summer has been loud. How about yours?

The neighbours have been going wild with a chainsaw in their yard, the digging machines rumble as they build a new ring-road around my workplace, and the sound of children yelling merrily at the daycare is background noise in my daily life as ever.

So what do I do on vacation? I visit my friends in the city--home of traffic jams and blaring sirens....and yet I revisited there a place that always brings calmness into my heart and serenity to my ears.

I went to the Nitobe Gardens on the UBC campus and walked there a while with my friend. The excursion was almost an afterthought that we fit into a whirlwind of a day.

It is an oasis of quiet in the city. And on a hot late summer afternoon it was as refreshing as a tall glass of lemonade.

It is filled with shade and dappled sunshine under trees shivering delicately in the breeze. Fat koi fish swim lazily in a pale green lagoon edged by stone lanterns and ferns. The moss grows thick on shady pathways and I slipped off my sandals to feel its coolness under my feet.

I think Tai and I need to come back here in the fall when the foliage turns red and yellow and the mists swirl over the water.

I was glad we stopped here. I think I needed it.






14 comments:

Tai said...

A tiny bit of dappled shade away from the glaring light of everyday.

Lovely!
Beautiful place, beautiful post, beautiful friend.

:)

Zambo said...

Hey Spider Girl!

That looks like quite a lovely place!

Also, Kimber's party and the scavenger hunt sound like a blast. (I was just watching season one of "Viva La Bam" the other day, and they had a similar type of scavenger hunt, but the items/tasks were a bit insane and each team had a beat up car to decorate and to use for the hunt...One task was to get a piggyback ride from a police officer...other tasks were more gross and silly)...

Anyway, I hope you're having a great weekend!

Take care out there!

Your Pal,

Zambo.

Anonymous said...

Hi Spider

It's been a bleak, dreary, cold and rainy day here, all in all quite depressing, but your lovely pictures sure lifted my spirits. Thank you for posting them just when they were needed...

Take Care
Dagoth

NYC TAXI SHOTS said...

.

Anonymous said...

hHi when I started reading my eyes were sore now they are better Thanks for sharing

C... said...

That is very lovely.

FreeCyprus said...

Oh if only you knew how LOUD my summer has been.
:-)

Great pics, I shall return

-- FreeCyprus
Hellenic Reporter

Anonymous said...

I can't imagine how good it would look in the fall. ^_^

Gary said...

That is a wonderful garden. I wish it were here in Houston.

By the Way, I just bought a Buddhist Lantern today. It supposedly takes in sun during the day and lights up a night. I may keep it even if it doesn't work, because it looks very nice.

I hope you are having a great weekend.

squire said...

Hi Spider Girl,
Very lovely garden. Thanks for stoping by and posting the kind words.

LunaChick said...

Absolutely beautiful landscape. I could sit there for hours and just clear the webs from my brain.

I moved my blog,SpiderGirl.
Youu can find me here :)

blackcrag said...

I am looking for a bit of quiet in the bustle that is this city. Too many sirens, too much traffic noise, too many roommates.I haven't had much luck so far, but I keep hoping.

In the mean time, I think I need to work more visits to the Island for my p & q sanity beaks.

BostonPobble said...

I love your description. Makes me feel like I got the break myself. Thanks.

Tim Rice said...

Oh! This is beautiful and soothing. Too bad it's so far away from me.