Hi, everyone! In April and early May, Grandma and I make a lot of trips to Highland Park! After we enjoy the cherry tree glen in full bloom, we want to see the magnolia grove the same way.
Then we want to catch the lilacs in full bloom, then the buckeyes and peonies, then the azaleas and rhododendrons! When we went to Highland Park eight days ago, workers were cleaning the reservoir! Some of the water they were emptying ran right down a path in the park! Grandma thought that the magnolias might be in full bloom, but we were too early! The cream color magnolia is usually the last to bloom, but its flowers were closest to being fully open!
Most of the tulips were in full bloom. The lilac buds were showing color, but very few had opened!
Then we had two nights in a row where temperatures went below freezing! There was frost on the grass when I woke up! Grandma took me back to Highland Park to see how my magnolia friends were doing. The frost came at a very bad time for the magnolia blossoms! All the blossoms and most of the flower buds were damaged.
Up at the top of the hill, the tulip blossoms were fine! My kwanzan cherry tree friends on Reservoir Avenue were just starting to bloom, and they seemed fine, too! At the bottom of the hill, more of the lilac buds were open and okay. The blossoms in the cherry tree glen were already past, so the frost didn’t affect them at all. I made sure to thank the gardeners by picking up trash!
Last Saturday was Imagine RIT! That’s the annual celebration of student projects at Rochester Institute of Technology. Grandma and I go with Uncle Steven’s family. I put on my That Damn Goat video game pin from last year and got out my Imagine RIT tote! Guess what? The goat video game is ready to be released for sale! James and Thomas were in the first group to play against each other. James won two out of three games! He said playing the earlier version last year helped! He got a goat stuffy as his first prize and let Thomas pick a goat tote as his second prize.
After they played That Damn Goat in the MAGIC building theater, we all went upstairs to see the other student game projects. First, Uncle Steven and James and Thomas played All-Wheel Brawl, a delivery game with armed trucks. Uncle Steven won because James and Thomas spent all their time shooting at his truck instead of making deliveries! James and Thomas both played a virtual reality game where they had to hit balls sent their way. Thomas really liked Cat Chaos tablet game and got an early high score. James did the same with Disaster, Inc. James went on to play another game while Thomas and I took a break!
Thomas wanted to see a project in the health care building, so we went there next! The health care 3D printing projects were giving away RIT minions! I have a new friend! Aunt Kara wanted to visit the chemistry projects, because they were freezing ice cream with liquid nitrogen. Everyone had yummy ice cream with lots of toppings!
James and Thomas did puzzles next! Thomas got second high score for the entire day on the shape puzzle challenge! Grandma and I folded silly protein shapes with pipe cleaners while we waited.
Grandma wanted to see the SHED, a fairly new building. That’s where students are encouraged to learn by doing and making. Thomas liked the whole room full of 3D printers at work. I liked the model of the Babbage Difference Engine that really moved like the original! Before we left, Thomas used computer controls to land a model of the lunar lander right next to the flag!
We’ve had warmer weather since those two frosty nights, and most of the trees have green leaves. It was rainy over the weekend, but this morning was dry. Grandma took me back to Highland Park to see whether the magnolias had been able to recover from their frostbite. It didn’t look like they had, but other plants were blooming! The first peony blossoms are peeking out of their buds. I saw the first rhododendron blossoms for this year, and the dogwood trees were in bloom. On Reservoir Avenue, my kwanzan cherry tree friends were very pretty!
All the tulips are in bloom! More and more of the lilacs are starting to bloom, too! My favorite lilacs, the Sensation variety, are just starting to open!
On our way back to the car, we walked up the azalea and rhododendron gully. Someone was taking photos of this pieris japonica and didn’t know what it was. I was glad we could tell them! I’m always happy to see that nobody eats the rhododendron flower buds at Highland Park! Grandma and I will be back to enjoy them and the lilacs!
It started raining again after we came home from the park! I’m glad we got there early!
Love,
Lion-san
Sorry the magnolias there got frost nipped. This has been a gloriously beautiful spring and magnolias have been thriving. Many kinds of trees are blossoming as are tulips, daffodils, etc. We went one morning to a farm where thousands of tulips were in full bloom and picked two dozen. They are now gracing our dining room table. I LOVE spring and this has been an especially good one.