Thursday Hikers

The rain started early in the morning and the forecast was for heavy rain so our hike to the Rivulet Trail was cancelled. We switched gears and 6 of us went to the Smith College Chrysanthemum show. It was colorful and impeccable (and free!). One section of hybrid chrysanthemums produced by the Smith botany students was quite impressive, and we got to vote for our favorites. What an honor it will be for the winner! The greenhouses are extensive and tropically warm so we spent two hours wandering among orchids, ferns, stunning tropical trees, blooming plants and viney climbing things, cacti, begonias, etc. We also spent time at a marvelous exhibit of plant fossils with beautiful drawings of what each plant once looked like. That exhibit was a joint effort of Smith and Amherst Colleges and it was wonderful. Hunger led us to the Smith dining common. What luck! It was “Julia Childs Day” with menu items made from her own recipes. I had Coc au Vin! It was very delicious and staved off the raw and wet day outside. Julia Childs was a graduate of Smith College.
Bonus: Today is Claudia’s second birthday. Happy Birthday to You Dear Claudia! What color chrysanthemum do you like best? Love to all of you from Happy Grandmother Penny