forest_choir | A Perfectly Wasted Afternoon

I should have been moving the yard this afternoon. Stormy said he would do it tomorrow if I spent the afternoon with him. As he only gets to really see me on weekends, I said, "yes". We had a quick lunch and then drove to our usual picturesque northern Virginia haunts.

On one street, we saw structures sticking up over the treetops.
Stormy asked, "What are those?"
I exclaimed excitedly, "Masts!"
The street dead-ended at a beautiful little patch of marsh.
There were indeed a couple of sailboats anchored in the river.

Down other sidetracks, we found dirt roads and beautiful little wild roses. We also startled a young deer.

We stopped by the garden center again and I bought a little Banana Shrub (Michelia skinneriana). Hopefully it won't be small for long. I've read about these Southern shrubs and their little banana-scented flowers.
Looking forward to having this little beauty around for a long time.
Also, my rare species coneflowers (Echinacea pallida) are finally blooming.