The most peaceful moments of my day are usually the 15~20 minutes I spend driving to pick up my daughter at school while the all~too~short broadcast of Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac plays on the radio and fills my car with audible beauty. On this broadcast he highlights great writers of the world and concludes each segment with a poem. The mid~section of this drive for me occurs in the Seattle Arboretum, an absolute treasure of trees in our city. No matter the season, I am always in awe as I drive beneath the enormous tree canopy in this 230 acre wilderness located along the east side of our city and running north to the edge of Lake Washington.

The word arboretum comes from the Latin words arbor ~ tree and etum ~ place. Fredrick Law Olmsted began designing arboretums for the purpose of creating scientific plant collections. He designed one for New York’s Central Park, but it was never built. About 50 years before planning, designing and developing the Seattle Arboretum he created The Arnold Arboretum for Harvard University in Brookline, Massachusetts. Our arboretum was created with the same organizational by~laws as The Arnold.

This year the fall leaves in the PNW have been extraordinary. The winds and rains stayed away long enough for the leaves to have a chance to show off their full range of color, a rare occurrence here.

A ba~jillion times better than driving through this forested in-city land is a chance walk through it, especially in the fall. The colors are stunning, the earthy scent of crushed leaves are bottle worthy and the crisp sound of crushing leaves brings up all of the best memories and anticipations of fall.

There are many paths through the acres of grounds, crowded major routes and then many more minor routes one can follow to get lost in the thoughtfully and thickly planted forests. On the day I took these shots, walking with Arabella and Ezemé, the Arboretum was very crowded, everyone was out to see the bold colors before forecasted storms rolled in. So we chose to take “The Road Not Taken”.

Ezemé and Arabella on the Arboretum Bridge

This poem is the first poem that I recall studying and dissecting in grade school {after the study of haiku}. But when I read it tonight, at The Poetry Foundation it presented a completely different meaning than it did when my age was closer to the single digit range. So, I thought I’d use his words tonight, as we walk through the leaves and trees in The Arboretum because I don’t think I could come up with phrases so perfect to pair with this years beautiful display. Yes, I’ll leave the rest of the copy today to Mr. Robert Frost.

The Road Not Taken
~by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Comments

Haddock says

November 7, 2013 at 2:43 pm

Nothing like walking down those canopy of colourful trees.
Lovely pictures.
Wonders of nature.

I Dream Of says

November 7, 2013 at 2:53 pm

Beautiful, Emily. I love that poem. Aren't we lucky to have such a treasure in are back yard? We wandered through the Japanese Garden the other day and the colors were just overwhelming. What a beautiful fall it's been.

Thanks for your sweet comment yesterday, and yes, of course, please feel free to link back to me. Merci for asking! Have a wonderful Thursday! XO

French Girl in Seattle says

November 7, 2013 at 10:45 pm

Bonjour Emily. Fantastic [seasonal] walk in the Arboretum. You are lucky you get to drive that road every day. A question for you: Didn't Olmsted also work on Volunteer Park in Capitol Hill? It totally reminds me of Central Park in some sections… A bientôt. Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)

Splendid Market says

November 8, 2013 at 1:07 am

Bon Soir Veronique ~ Oui, the Olmsteads did design Volunteer Park as well. What treasures for our city. I know what you mean, I feel the similarities to Central Park as well. So good to hear from you. A bientôt.

Splendid Market says

November 8, 2013 at 1:08 am

Jeanne, we are so fortunate. I need to stroll the Japanese Garden soon, it has been too long. xo

Karena Albert says

November 8, 2013 at 5:20 am

A most beautiful poem! Our trees have also been gorgeous beyond this year!

xoxo,
Karena
In with the Old: Jennifer Boles

This year the fall leaves in the PNW have been extraordinary. The winds and rains stayed away long enough for the leaves to have a chance to show off their full range of color, a rare occurrence here.

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