Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.



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Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
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Elizabeth
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Posted: April 20 2007 at 1:09pm | IP Logged Quote Elizabeth

Are in full bloom! It was absolutely glorious at Bull Run today--though rather muddy...

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Chari
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Posted: April 20 2007 at 1:23pm | IP Logged Quote Chari

I am SO jealous!

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Posted: April 20 2007 at 2:46pm | IP Logged Quote Maryan

And it was a perfect day to do it too, Elizabeth-- glad that you got to do it!!

Oddly enough, my storytime librarian caught the boys and I outside our house today and asked us if we had ever been. And I told her this was the first year that I had heard of them.

She also had gone today with her boots, and said it was GORGEOUS. She and her husband visited the bluebells while they were dating and have gone to see them every year since in their 30 years of marriage.



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Posted: April 20 2007 at 7:55pm | IP Logged Quote MarilynW

We went this evening with dh because we knew that we would not be able to make it this weekend. Wow - my first bluebell walk - absolutely beautiful. The kids loved it too. We were prepared for the mud with everyone in boots.

Question for Elizabeth or any other bluebell walk veterans - what are the white flowers growing amidst the bluebells?

My only caveat for expecting mothers - no bathroom in the vicinity!!!

Thanks for all the recommendations - we really enjoyed it.

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Maryan
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Posted: April 21 2007 at 1:49pm | IP Logged Quote Maryan

My family and I went this morning! It was gorgeous

MarilynW wrote:
what are the white flowers growing amidst the bluebells?

A photographer on the trail told us that the white flowers were Spring Beauties. Here's a wiki post about them: Spring Beauty

Thanks Elizabeth for the recommendation! The boys said it was their best bluebell hike ever!

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Posted: April 21 2007 at 1:55pm | IP Logged Quote MarilynW

Thanks Maryan - you saved me a lot of searching through wildflower books and websites!

I am glad you enjoyed it. My kids are trying to convince us to go back again - they also want to wade in the creek!

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Maryan
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Posted: April 21 2007 at 1:58pm | IP Logged Quote Maryan

Oh yeah... wading in the creek to catch tadpoles was definitely requested multiple times here too!!

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Elizabeth
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Posted: April 21 2007 at 5:20pm | IP Logged Quote Elizabeth

MarilynW wrote:


Question for Elizabeth or any other bluebell walk veterans - what are the white flowers growing amidst the bluebells?

My only caveat for expecting mothers - no bathroom in the vicinity!!!


The white flowers are called "Fairy Spuds." I need to go back to my notes to find the official name.

As to the bathroom, when Gracie recounted her day to her mom, she said her favorite part was "going tee-tee in the woods!"

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Elizabeth
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Posted: April 21 2007 at 5:21pm | IP Logged Quote Elizabeth

Oops. I posted before reading Maryan's post. Now, I do need to go back and find my notes. We've called them "Fairy Spuds" for years but I can't remember where we learned that.

ETA: Michael said that his picture of the white flowers is better than Wikipedia's ...I love those flowers...

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Elizabeth
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Posted: April 21 2007 at 5:30pm | IP Logged Quote Elizabeth

They are the same thing and they're edible too! Note the recipe. But we're not allowed to pick the flowers...

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Maryan
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Posted: April 21 2007 at 5:31pm | IP Logged Quote Maryan

Oh I like fairy spuds better! We called them "white stars" (our totally unoriginal made-up name) until the photographer guy told us spring beauty.

And the wiki article starts off..

"Claytonia virginica (Eastern spring beauty OR FAIRY SPUDS) is a flowering plant in the family Portulacaceae, native to eastern North America..."

And a picture of the plant at Bull Run. So it seems both are correct!

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Posted: April 21 2007 at 5:32pm | IP Logged Quote Maryan

What she said...

And..

Elizabeth wrote:
Michael said that his picture of the white flowers is better than Wikipedia's ...I love those flowers...


Most definitely! They are gorgeous pictures!


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Posted: April 21 2007 at 8:01pm | IP Logged Quote MaryM

Maryan wrote:
Elizabeth wrote:
Michael said that his picture of the white flowers is better than Wikipedia's ...I love those flowers...


Most definitely! They are gorgeous pictures!


He should submit his to Wikipedia. It is a much better picture.

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Elizabeth
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Posted: April 21 2007 at 8:18pm | IP Logged Quote Elizabeth

Unfortunately, what is on the blog is all we have of this year's bluebell pictures. Michael got a new computer this week. Those were the first pictures he downloaded to it. Then, somehow, he locked himself out of it. He deleted all his files to get back in. Lost a ten page paper due on Monday and 200+ bluebell pictures. Not a good week...

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Posted: April 21 2007 at 8:27pm | IP Logged Quote MaryM

Elizabeth wrote:
Lost a ten page paper due on Monday and 200+ bluebell pictures. Not a good week...


...oooh, so sorry to hear that. Praying for him to be able to recreate that paper especially.

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Carole N.
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Posted: April 21 2007 at 8:45pm | IP Logged Quote Carole N.

Rats! I hate it when the computer will not cooperate!
Praying for Michael ... and so sorry about your pictures.

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Posted: April 22 2007 at 8:52pm | IP Logged Quote Rachel May

I'm sure somewhere else you've answered this, Elizabeth, but is the picture on the cover of the book of your kids in the bluebells?

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Posted: April 22 2007 at 10:42pm | IP Logged Quote teachingmom

The bluebells still looked gorgeous today. We ran into Mary Chris and her family there too!    Some of you mentioned wading in the creek as part of the fun. It was hot here today and my girls wore their bathing suits under their clothes. It became a lot more than wading when we stopped by the water -- they were downright swimming!

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Posted: April 22 2007 at 10:53pm | IP Logged Quote Jen L.

I was browsing through The Letters of Caryll Houselander today and came across this...

Her friend had sent her flowers and this is what she wrote to her...

"...I must tell you first that the bluebells were untold joy, and I noticed that everyone who came leaned down and buried their faces in them, in a gesture that was eloquent with unconscious humility. I always put flowers that grow low on the ground, low in my room so that one looks down on them as one would were they growing, and seeing the instinct in everyone to bow down to them, I wondered whether country people have more humility than townspeople. The people in towns probably have forgotten or never seen most of the manisfestations of the splendour and mystery and the loveliness of God."

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Elizabeth
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Posted: April 23 2007 at 7:14am | IP Logged Quote Elizabeth

Rachel May wrote:
I'm sure somewhere else you've answered this, Elizabeth, but is the picture on the cover of the book of your kids in the bluebells?

Yep! That's Michael and Mary Beth and Nicholas 5 years ago. It was drawn by Stephen's godfather.

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