What is so rare as a day in June? I wish I could capture it all. With photos, one can express delight in terms of light and shadow, but how to convey the way the air feels and the breeze? Or the effect of wraparound birdsong, the smell of white pine and hemlock, warm pavement, and the spicy fragrance of verbena and lilac. So different from even a month ago.
A really fun thing that happens around here in June is the Arlington Porchfest, in which a changing array of local bands perform on residents’ front steps. Above you see the versatile Will McMillan wearing one of his many musical hats. This particular hat is as leader of a pickup ukulele band that meets every week at the library. Wonderful old-time songs. People of all ages singing along under the shade of the trees.
You can see I’m also loving the peonies of June, the poppies, the rhododendrons, and the last of the azaleas. By the way, what is that fuzzy blue star in our yard? We have it such a short time, and it always makes me smile.
The Pink Lady Slippers, one step away from endangered, collect in small groupings in the conservation woodlands. I’m always thrilled to see them as I know they require very special growing conditions and are becoming increasingly rare.
The wonderful mural of wings is in an area sometimes called Upper South Providence, near Classical High School. The colorful art really cheers things up in that neighborhood.
And speaking of art, Concord Art has an excellent retrospective on the oeuvre of Susan Maxfield, who died last month. She worked in an impressive array of media. I especially loved her peonies and teasels, but the only photo I took was of the chair with the amusing title, “Benjamin Moore Sample Paint Colors Peony Chair, 2017.”
And I shot the museum’s stairwell with its the peony arrangement at the bottom.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
It’s hard to believe that your azaleas, rhododendrons, dianthus are blooming now…why it’s peach time for us here. Following blogs from y’all up north makes me aware of how different we are on seasons. I love those peonies, something that doesn’t grow well here as it is too dry for their liking. The last photo is fantastic!
Nice to know we’ll be getting some good peaches from Georgia in the market soon. (And thanks for liking my artsy stairway shot.)
It’s so fun to see the photo of Will and the uke players. I didn’t know you knew him in “real life”! Your flower theme is lovely in this post–our peonies aren’t blooming quite yet but I will, finally, get one poppy bloom, I think–I’ve been trying for years! I like your artsy stairwell shot, too.
I first became a fan of Will’s singing when he was in Jeff Flaster’s delightful original musical “Tortoise” some years ago. He performs around the Greater Boston area, teaches children’s music classes, and as I have just found out, encourages other ukulele players at the local library.
What fun! And in Maine, our flowers are just beginning to bloom after a cold, rainy spring. But suddenly the tide has turned, and June has become delicious. Not too hot but warm enough for short-sleeved shirts. The one drawback—isn’t there always one?—are the dratted mosquitoes, encouraged by that cool, rainy weather.
Yes, mosquitoes are forcing me to hold off on a favorite woodland walk along the Concord River.
They are fierce this year.
In Sweden it is blooming just now. Your photo shots could have been taken here. The same flowers are found in the gardens. I also love your pic from the artsy stairwell.
I like to think of Sweden at this time if year because I visited in June.