Arnold Arboretum

So the boss tipped me off to an Arboretum run by Harvard and right near the T. He's the Kenyon grad, so he's familiar with central Ohio and confirmed that it was like Dawes. Naturally I was interested.

I headed out there today -- on the way taking a ride on the Orange line, the last one I'd not been on.

The Arnold Arboretum was just what I needed in greenspace. Right on walking in I could tell I was going to enjoy it. It *is* a lot like Dawes -- the primary difference being that Dawes is better signed, so it's hard to tell where you're going up here sometimes. Also, most of the "trails" are really roads (though they don't let cars in), so they're paved, which is a little hard on the feet. There were a couple dirt, grass, and gravel trails, though. A number of these weren't on the map, so I'm not sure if they were really trails or if there were places where a lot of people just walked and killed the grass.

My favorite spot so far was in the azalea collection. There's a small dirt path, and then off that there's an area that runs down to a creek. Everything was in bloom and it was absolutely amazing. I may go back with a towel and just sit down there for hours.

Photos don't do it justice.

I had to give in and go back a little early due to a bruised heel -- which also put paid to my plans for tomorrow, which were to scout one of the urban beaches -- but it was a nice morning. The afternoon was a little less nice, because after getting back and taking an unplanned nap (I sat down to read and the next thing I knew it was two hours later) I popped up with a fairly spectacular sun burn on both shoulders. No sign of sun anywhere else, and it certainly wasn't showing before I fell asleep, so it snuck up on me. I thought I'd hugged the shade pretty good out there, but evidently not.

Anyway, that makes tomorrow a get-things-done day, which is probably what it should have been to begin with.

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Preakness Stakes

Did anybody else see this? Well, or listen to the webcast, like me, since I don't have a TV? Just Wow. We've got this tough smallish colt, a trainer who hadn't won either race before, and a prodigy freshman jockey. If that's not a story made for a movie, I don't know what is. Will that bring the blessing of the Triple Crown gods? I don't know, but I sure hope so.

Wish I had somebody out here who knew NYC, because I'd totally get on the bus and go to the Belmont.

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Strawberries

Yes, you can grow food in a studio apartment. Just don't expect it to be enough to live on.

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Bucket List

So I should probably keep track of what I'd like to see out here:

• The Aquarium
• The Franklin Park Zoo
• A local beach
• Cape Cod
• North Shore beaches
• Salem