Oh the Hydrangeas

I'm looking out my patio window, studying my flowers as they sway in the breeze and think of the trips where flowers stand out in my memory. In particular one type of flower: Hydrangeas. On a trip to North Caroline to see my step-sister get married, we took a trip to the Atlantic, my mom and I. I knew if I was going to be that close to the Atlantic (4 hour drive) I wasn't going to miss it. So three days before the wedding, mom and I flew to North Carolina and drove to the coast to spend the day on a small island, Bald Head Island. She was excited to see a lighthouse, Old Baldy, and I was excited to see the Atlantic. I had people tell me, "it looks just like the Pacific" but for me, I had to see it for myself. Let me tell you, it doesn't look the same. The water may be similar but the coast is very different. Anyhow, back to my point. I remember the hydrangeas. Beautiful flowers and at the base of Old Baldy. Mom spent much of her time pointing her camera upward to the lighthouse, I spent mine staring at the flowers. The beautiful purple and blue of the different plants all snuggled into the soft green grass under the massive dripping branches of a weeping willow. It was at that moment I couldn't help but feeling deeply how different it felt to be in the south. Growing up in Arizona, my experience with hydrangeas was from a florist, and weeping willows were in movies or in pictures. Not something I ever saw in person. If I was standing in a lush green lawn, it was someone who was watering a lot and not really environmentally conscious. Not on Bald Head Island though. Not at the feet of Old Baldy, history and charm intermingled in this place. This was a place where moisture was abundant, humidity to make hair curl and frizz and make a person feel moist long after drying off from a shower. It was wonderful, at this moment, the humidity didn't matter. All that was there was this experience. The rich green, the bright spots of color amid the green and the towering lighthouse standing watch over it all.