Blooms of Azalea Park

WHEN: March 18, 2013

WHERE: Azalea Park, Summerville, South Carolina

Longing for summer?  Me too.

While we may have to wait another month or two for that, spring is already here.  And knowing that there is a small window when flowers are in full bloom, I set out a couple weeks ago to photograph the azaleas in town.  Last year, we lost all of them when a series of intense rainstorms knocked off all the petals only a couple days after the azaleas began to bloom.  Fearing the same again this year and with more rain in the forecast, I took my camera to work and afterwards drove up to Azalea Park in Summerville to take some pictures.  The bushes still were not in full bloom but were still beautiful and a welcome sight for the sore eyes of winter.  We did enjoy the blooms two years ago when we went to Magnolia Plantation with Stacie's parents.

I''ll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Azalea Park
It was still a little early in the season and the azaleas were not yet fully bloomed.  They were still beautiful and are always a welcome sight at the end of winter.

One of the park's information boards

Roommates

Not a bad stroll for March

 Walking through the park

One of the features on my new camera that I got last year is the panoramic options.  My old camera took panoramic (or stitched) photos as well.  My new camera, however, allows you to simply swivel your camera with your hand and it "records" the image.  This is the same as the capabilities on the iPhone 5.

180° view from the middle of the park

And this is video of the same 180° view

The turtles in the reflecting pond, keeping close tabs on me as I wandered around

A quaint bridge passing over the culvert that runs through the park

Still video from the bridge, overlooking the culvert and flowerbeds

Not sure what these are, other than they are pretty

And of course the Spanish moss, another staple of Southern natural charm

Can't forget about the towering (loblolly) pine trees that shade the azaleas.  These pines are a staple of southeastern landscapes and gardens (and even in music - Keith Urban...Zac Brown Band...Jason Isbell).

The old cottage homes common in Summerville go along well with the azaleas, pines, and live oaks.

We love this time of year in Charleston and the inescapable beauty of spring everywhere.  We hope to get to one of the nearby plantations one of these weekends so we can enjoy all the seasonal blooms before they disappear.  Summer will be here soon!