May flowers

Today, I left town and traveled to an island, where I walked amongst all manner of lush flowers and tropical vegetation. Did I hop a short flight to the Caribbean? I wish... instead, I settled for the Staten Island Botanical Garden.

They say April showers bring May flowers. So far, I think we've had more rain in May than we got in April, but the part about the May flowers is pretty much right on. Many of the flowering plants we saw today appeared to be getting a late start, but more than enough had gone into full bloom to give us a beautiful show. Don't ask me to identify the flowers pictured below, but we saw everything from lilies and azaleas to poppies and peonies, and all manner of more exotic flora.

Within the Botanical Garden, we visited the Chinese Scholar's Garden, a serene environment surrounded by bamboo-gone-wild. Babbling brooks rambled through private pavilions, inviting both reflection and relaxation. While we were there, a crew was setting up for a wedding, a ceremony that will surely be memorable in a setting like that.

Poor ol' Staten Island, the forgotten borough, gets a bad rap. As crazy and hectic as the other four boroughs can be, Staten Island seems to be much more laid back—an "island" in an urban sea. [More photos here]