Gayton & Richmond, Virginia

Gayton

Cambridge church

Sophie Harver with her father Craig leaving Cambridge church after Sunday services.

Richmond

Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

Dianne's good friend Jane Hockaday, left, asked us to join her for the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. The afternoon began with lunch in the cafe followed by a stroll through the grounds.

This denizen of one of the ponds on the grounds is the largest Eastern Painted Turtle I have ever seen. His carapace is larger than a turkey platter.

Tulips backlit in a window of Bloemendaal House. The house was at the center of a working farm until the botanical gardens took it over in 1968. Lewis Ginter built the house, but never lived in it. His niece, Grace Arents willed the property to the city of Richmond for a botanical garden with one caveat. Arents was a teacher who did much for the city, including starting a lending library. She died in 1926, but the caveat allowed a fellow teacher to live in the house the remainder of her life. The woman lived to be 102.

Jim Wendell of Virginia Beach, Va., demonstrates a High Wheel bicycle in front of Bloemendaal House. A fad in the the late 19th century, their popularity lasted only 12 years. The bikes cost the equivalent of $1,000 in 21st century dollars. When the less expensive modern safety bike was introduced, the High Wheels were eclipsed. Owners formed High Wheel clubs interested in a smooth ride and encouraged the beginning of modern pavement on city streets.

A toddler hitches a ride into the gardens on the top of her father's cooler.