Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Crossing Big Muddy on our bikes for the last time, it is a bright, hazy, temperate morning: perfect weather for the 37-mile ride into Augusta. After an uneventful pedal along the highway, we are back on the trail shaded by a tunnel of trees. A cool, stiff breeze is attempting to thwart our forward progress, […]
It’s cloudy and drizzly. We are not complaining. After three days on the road, our bikes have a fine patina of dust covering nearly every surface and they could use a good washing. We have 48 miles to ride to Hermann, a town founded in the mid 1800s by German immigrants looking to create a […]
There is an unfamiliar chill in the air as we cross the Missouri RIver for the first time on our bicycles. A slight haze emerges from the Big Muddy under a bright, cloudless sky. We have an early start of 8 am today as we want to beat the heat as much as possible for […]
A cool breeze and more moderate temperatures greet us as we leave our hotel. Before we start our 38-mile journey to Boonville, we visit the Katy Depot in Sedalia. It is a wonderful museum that recounts the history of how Sedalia became a railroad town. It also reviews the history of one of its most […]
There is no way getting around it: it is hot. After spending four hours being transported to the trailhead in Clinton, MO, we are ready to hit the road. And after a quick lunch we do just that. We face a stiff breeze as we start our 38 mile ride to Sedalia. The crushed stone […]
Time for another episode of Erik & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (on bikes). Yesterday we landed in St. Louis and caught a quick cab to St. Charles, the first capital of Missouri, located along the Missouri River. We are hoping the day’s 90 degree heat will not follow us for the next week. We are biking […]
A woodchuck is perched on the woodpile underneath the Fringetree surveying the possibilities. The hostas look yummy as does the excess of clover and plantains in my yard and the day lilies in my garden. This could be a long summer.
I love lupines but they don’t love me (or more accurately my soil). I was reminded of my troubles upon reading a recent post by @matt_mattus on his lupines (and success). I became enchanted by this flower during a bike trip on Prince Edward Island, which was carpeted with this plant in every conceivable color. […]
The native fringetree sitting in my back yard is one of my favorites. Between its lacy, ephemeral flowers and the intoxicating lilac/honeysuckle-like fragrances, it is hard to beat as a showcase specimen tree. It is finally coming into its own in size as I planted it over a dozen years ago as a thin, delicate […]
Christmas in May! Or that’s what you can think with amaryllis bulbs blooming in our yard. Every Christmas we buy a few to help decorate. But many folks don’t realize that this tropical bulb can bloom whenever you want (provided you take the right measures for rest periods). So we usually have a dozen or […]