Friday, March 21, 2008

Atlanta's Other Green

If you’ve ever flown into Atlanta during the day, on a day that smog isn’t suffocating, you know that we are a city of trees. Other than the long, long, long strip of high-rises along Peachtree from Downtown, Midtown, Lenox, the granite of Stone Mountain, the more recent high-rises on the Perimeter: the rest is trees.

There are trees and there are trees. We’ve just started the season of flowering trees. It will continue into April and cover every surface in town with yellow-green pollen. Interestingly, what we see is from pine. The rest we don’t see we just feel and breath.

I’ve had the windows open for weeks; but, I’ll have to close them soon or wake up choking. I washed the car for the last time last week for another six or so weeks. It’s a waste of time, water and money until late April.

But, we are entering one of the prettiest times to live in Atlanta. All of the fruit trees are about to bloom. Azaleas and all of their friends are on their way.

If you live in Atlanta, take a drive along Lullwater or the other residential streets near Emory University in ten days to two weeks. Budding heaven.

Then there is the most beautiful place on earth the first week of April. Augusta National Golf Club during the week of the Masters Tournament. The club has people that time the flowers when they can. If the weather is too cold, they use super dryers to warm the bushes to encourage the blooms. You don’t have to love or even like golf to love the views on CBS’s broadcasts.

Here’s a sample of the wonders that God and the greens keepers have wrought:

After realizing my pictures of the course are on the other computer and then going on line and seeing that my pictures are better, you have to wait. I'll update the post with a picture or two soon.

1 comment:

fermicat said...

My Grandmother used to drive me around her neighborhood in East Point during the height of azalea season. Fond memories. Almost every home had an impressive display.

My own azaleas are budding out. One is a different species and flowers first, as in "now". The others will follow in a few weeks. The drive into work is very pleasant during this time of year.