Sal Spends a Delightful Day at Holden Arboretum

What a lovely day for a walk and picnic at Holden Arboretum!  Those who enjoy woodlands or gardens -- or both -- will not regret driving to Kirtland to spend a day in this delightful place.  I'm happy to say that I had the opportunity to go there today with a congenial party of some of the coolest people I know -- and of course I brought Sal along.

Right behind the Visitors Center is the lovely Butterfly Garden.  This gate seemed to say "Sal must pose here."

I just had to climb under the branches of this craggy crabapple.  It seemed a natural (no pun intended) spot for a Sal photo.

 I don't know who lives in this nesting box, but it makes a nice spot for Sal to sit and enjoy the blue sky above -- just as I imagine the residents of the box were probably doing today.

A lovely wooded trail and a lovely bunch of people.  I decided a group shot was in order, and everyone cooperated -- except Murphy -- who resisted all attempts to get him to look at the camera.  Even holding out a piece of doggy bacon didn't have the desired effect.

I love the light in this shot.

Sal and the rest of the group cross the boardwalk.  I was told that Murphy was looking toward the camera while I was taking this photo.  Too bad he can't be seen!  Luckily Sal is visible. 

Here's a "Where's Sal" shot.  This giant uprooted tree was just calling out for me to place Sal on some of the small roots that were sticking out of the bottom of its massive root ball.  Can you find the uke in this picture?

One of our party was playing Sal and singing.  Hilarity ensued!

We decided it would be a good idea to get a picture of Murphy and Sal "meditating" together at Meditation Point, but Murphy was having none of it.  This is the closest we got to having him sit still and look as if he was getting in touch with his inner dog.  Even this gentle restraint couldn't convince him to enter a trancelike state.

Beautiful bogs abound at Holden.  Glad it's not mosquito season!

We enjoyed a lovely picnic on the grounds (literally) of the arboretum.

This mini house is part of an exhibit that tells what not to do when selecting and planting trees for one's yard.  I couldn't resist having Sal be a giant for a change.

These animals -- and others, too -- are carved into the trunk and roots of a 150-year-old red oak tree that fell in 2007.  

Near the "Guardians of the Garden" stump -- shown in the previous photo -- our group relaxed with a bit more ukulele picking and conversation before starting back to the real world.

As we walked -- tired, but happy -- back to the Visitors Center, I couldn't resist taking this photo.  Sal is a bit of a rebel, you see!