We went down to Branch Brook Park in Newark on Friday afternoon. The weather was “supposed” to be mostly sunny, but of course, but the time we got there it was more like mostly cloudy. It always seems to be this way when we go! So, photo opportunities are somewhat challenging. Over the next few days I will be bringing you my favorites.

These stately trees are right next to the parking lot and always gather a fan club around and underneath them. I think you can see why.

A blog friend, Reya, who lives in Washington D. C. which is famous for their cherry blossoms refers to their charisma as “Cherrapy.” I love this phrase! And perhaps the reason why so many people just stand underneath them and drink in the beautiful blossoms as therapy.

Just look at the size of this tree compared with the person underneath it!

Since mine aren’t blooming yet and I don’t have plain yellow ones, I walked over to the neighbor’s to capture theirs. With all the foggy starts to the mornings here this week I need all the yellow I can get since it’s not coming from the sun!

In the early morning.
This morning it was kind of dark and foggy outside yet the forsythia seemed lit up from within.

Up close and personal with a 75-300mm zoom lens.

Taken lying on my back with a wide angle lens.

Also taken on my back with a wide angle lens but this time from underneath the bush.

I woke up the other morning around 5:00 a.m. and could not get back to sleep. This is not an unusual experience for me. I usually hate just lying there waiting to drift off into a little more slumber before I need to get up. But on this morning I found it rather pleasant. The neighbor’s rooster was crowing every now and then; the peepers were still singing; and an owl was hooting in the woods. We don’t normally hear owls so it was extra special to hear it.

And what about those crazy peepers? We don’t normally hear them until late April/early May but for the past week we’ve been hearing them and they are getting more numerous by the day. Yes, Spring certainly is eager to get going this year.

While out in Mia we could see the pinkish-red fuzzy blur of the popped maples everywhere we went. In our woods there is an ever-so-slight tinge of green from the undergrowth starting to leaf out.

The forsythia bushes have clusters of plump buds just waiting to burst open in an explosion of yellow happiness.

I took advantage of the warm weather yesterday to rake part of the big flower bed where the forsythia is planted, and also to clean out all the leaf clutter from the day lily bed in the rock bed by the pool.

Here is a before, during, and after photo of my hard work on the day lilies.

The rest of the large bed and all the ferns in the rock bed still need attention, but at least it’s a start. I might just get out there this afternoon and do a little more. They really need the extra attention this year as last year I had injured muscles and was unable to do much yard work so the beds were left pretty wild.

The warm weather has also brought out the cherry blossoms in Branch Brook Park a few weeks early. Here they are last year. I hope to talk Rick into taking a long lunch on Friday and going there for a few hours to get some photos since it’s supposed to be a pretty nice day. I love the cherry blossoms!

Our little Mia has something to smile about: the spring-like weather we’ve had over the weekend. She got to stretch her legs on both Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday we drove down to Rockaway to do some shopping at the mall there and to eat at Red Robin for lunch. The drive there on Green Pond Road is fun in a small little convertible.

Sunday found us drawn like a magnet to the Warwick Valley Winery. Again, for lunch.

On the way to the winery is my favorite old barn. We have several different back ways of getting there and we usually go one way and come back another. Lots of twisty little roads just perfect for Mia!

Pizza with proscuitto, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and arugula.

We poured a little wine to go with it.

Now mind you, it’s not the best wine in the world, but decent. This light red is kind of on the fizzy side which gives you a nice little buzz. It wasn’t quite eating-outside-warm yet so we opted for inside.

We were going to work in the yard picking up limbs and sticks that the trees have tossed down but we ended up way lazier than that. Oh well.

How about another little glass of wine (white this time) while sitting in the sunshine in the back yard? Any takers? (Can you see Rick reflected in the glass?)