It was good to take a break from the party prep and house prep and cooking prep and meander around the garden this morning. We had to do it under the shelter of umbrellas most of the time, but after getting rained out last week, we weren’t about to go another week without our stroll. The colors are still bright, but the garden is taking on the lush green of late summer – lots of large leafed plants, tropical looking flowers, and the vegetable test gardens are all coming along nicely. We’ve had no shortage of rain this summer, and the garden has flourished nicely in this extra nourishment. E added her own color with her spinning umbrella that rarely seemed to be actually covering her head.