Hi, everyone!
There are some things that happen every spring! The trout lilies bloom at Sodus and the primrose blooms in the herb garden.
The water level goes up in the bay, too. Some years it gets higher than others, but it always rises until June.
We can expect freezing temperatures at night and snow in the second half of April, too! We had two nights with temperatures in the 20s F. and snow that didn’t stick because the ground was warm. My daffodil friends didn’t recover this time!
The first sunny day after the snow, I asked Grandma to take me and my pride to Highland Park. Once the trees start blooming, there’s something new to see there every week! I hoped the cold nights hadn’t hurt any of my flowering friends there. We started at the reservoir and walked down to the Apple Valley first. I was hoping the trees there would all be blossoming. The blossoms didn’t seem as full as some years. I think they didn’t like the frost!
From the Apple Valley, we walked toward the magnolia glen. I introduced my pride to my favorite tree in the park, the paperbark maple, on the way. When magnolia flower buds have freezing weather, they turn brown at the tip. Most of my magnolia friends weren’t in full bloom yet, but we could see some damage.
We followed the path up the hill to Reservoir Avenue, where some of the cherry trees were blooming. The kwanzan cherry blossom buds weren’t open yet. We saw a big pile of pruned branches on our way to the tulip bed. Most of my tulip friends were fully open and they all looked fine.
It was too early for most of the lilacs to be blooming, but I wanted to look for groundhogs in the burrows on the hill. On our way there, we saw a children’s tour of the park. They got into line by walking through the hollow tree! There were some very early lilac buds opening. I showed my pride one of the groundhog burrows, and we saw a groundhog sunning outside another burrow!
We walked along the hillside path through the lilacs to go see the pansy bed. It was a long walk and Katie’s lion got tired! I introduced my pride to my favorite Sensation lilac friend near the pansy bed. The gardeners were just planting the bed! They showed us the design. We wanted to help, but we didn’t know which pansies were the right color to plant next!
Since we were all the way down at the bottom of the hill at the pansy bed, we had to climb back up to get back to the car. After we got home, we visited the daffodils in our own back yard. The ones with apricot-colored cups were blooming!
The last Saturday in April is always Imagine RIT, the showcase of student projects. Grandma and I go with Uncle Steven’s family. It rained all day, so we were happy to be inside buildings! We always start at MAGIC, where the students are learning to create video games. Thomas beat James at an arcade game with a flying cow! Then we went upstairs to the game studio. James and Thomas tried out some student games and I made some new friends!
Thomas spent some time figuring out where to go next. We stopped at the character / image creation studio and James created a small fish. I made friends with the undersea characters there!
There’s a brand new Performing Arts Center at RIT, and Aunt Kara got us tickets for a backstage immersion tour. That’s where we went next. We started in a rehearsal studio, then went to the costume shop and the scenery shop. Uncle Steven told us that most backstage shops are full of leftover props and costumes from shows, but this one was empty because it was new! We each had to pick a costume, and then we went on stage! I didn’t realize at first that we were all going to be in a show with a real audience! I first decided to be a sleeping lion, but then I sat up! A singer performed a song, and then the tour was over!
After our tour, we went to the engineering building, then to computer science and cybersecurity. The engineering students showed us a machine that sorted electronic parts. In computer science, James and Thomas tried mazes with special directions. In cybersecurity, they played a game where they were supposed to break into a space station.
After lunch, we went to some familiar places. There were lots of people at the SHED! I said hello to the Boston Dynamics robot. Then I made friends with a new robot who can dance!
Our last stop was Gordon Field House. I saw a concrete canoe and made a dinosaur friend. Then we visited the Theme Park. This year, the theme was pirates, and there was a scavenger hunt. Thomas found the secret code word and got a prize! I made friends with the tiger mascot and the pirate parrot.
I always stop to watch the roller coaster and the belt sander race. The belt sander race are set up right next to the human hamster wheel. Of course, Thomas and James did that right before we left!
We never know when to expect them, but we do have some sunny warm spring days, too! Last Monday was one of them. Grandma took me and my pride back to Highland Park so we could see the magnolias and kwanzan cherry trees in full bloom.
The pansy bed was almost completely planted. At the other end of the park, the tulips were still in full bloom. In a little while, the lilacs will all be blooming, then the azaleas and rhododendrons will bloom. I want my pride to see them all!
Love,
Lion-san