A Perfectly Wasted Afternoon

[forest_choir]

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.