A taste of home.

Wildlife count at the garden today: one turtle, one garter snake, upwards of ten frogs and fifty tadpoles, two chipmunks, one red-tailed hawk followed by five jays, and what was probably a northern flicker. Plus innumerable sparrows and robins. The slight breezes were just enough wind to make the humidity bearable during a lunchtime walk, and I came back to work for a couple more hours much happier.

What I really liked was that all the trees were in full leaf. It didn't take much walking to get to a spot in the garden I couldn't see the rest of New York - walking paths, sure, trams and benches, yes, and buildings within the garden. But nothing from outside. No cars, no apartment towers, no office blocks, none of that stuff. Barely any planes overhead. And distance, too - rolling paths, and plenty of sky. Central Park can't claim that, not even in the Ramble. Out at the Botanical Garden, though, it's nice to be free of all that for a little while.