Hi River Roaders, A week or so ago, I ran into Jan, Diana, and Pauline as they were laying out the outline of a mandala in the gravel area behind the memorial garden. Building a mandala is a spiritual practice, originating in eastern religions, that is based on a circular pattern and symbols. Our mandala … read more
Hi River Roaders, Until our first choir practice last week, I didn’t have a need to visit RRUUC in the evening. I was very pleased with the look of the new lights on our front path, enough so that I got up this morning before five AM to take some early morning photos. I think … read more
Hi River Roaders, The summer solstice this year occurs at 11:31 PM on Sunday, June 20. However, from nature’s perspective, it has been summer for the past several weeks. I almost always see a rabbit on our grounds. They average 3 to 4 litters per year, so I guess we can expect more. We have … read more
Hi River Roaders, This week’s blog is inspired from the Grounds Committee input for our 2020-2021 Annual Report. As a Committee, we made significant improvements to our grounds that I hope will make our return to RRUUC so much more enjoyable. Katherine, Kate, and Linda made improvements to the Peace Pole Garden, adding the stones, … read more
Hi River Roaders, It’s the first day of June, and summer is almost here. Let’s see what’s happening this week on our grounds. Our entrance sign with fleabane flowers. I will always associate our grounds with the shadbush (Amelanchier sp.) which once lined our Memorial Garden. They are known by many names, including serviceberry (in … read more
Hi River Roaders, I expect we are all aware by now that the magnificent Brood X cicadas have arrived. This week will focus on these creatures, with some fun facts provided by Deb Peck and some photos from the last week on our Grounds. The Latin name of this cicada is Magicicada septendecim. The fact that … read more
Hi River Roaders, We had beautiful weather this past week, and the birds and blooms were out in force. For many naturalists, myself included, mid-May is a favorite time of year. Every year we have several deer that spend a lot of time on our grounds. I guess this one will be easy to identify. … read more
Hi River Roaders, This week is probably the best time for listening to (and sometimes seeing) migrating birds. I heard at least a dozen different wood warblers and neo-tropical migrants on our grounds today. I was able to identify some by their song, including black throated blue warber, ovenbird, and Swainson’s thrush, but others I … read more
Hi River Roaders, Last week, I ran into Helen and Marney taking a walk in our native plant garden. When I joined RRUUC twenty years ago, Helen and Marney were both very active in the Congregation. Helen asked what we were calling the newly restored garden, and my response was “we really don’t have a … read more
Hi River Roaders, Spring is in full force! This week, the catbirds, house wrens, and chimney swifts (all birds that breed on our grounds) have returned. One way of connecting with nature is to join the RRUUC Grounds Crew. We have been gathering in a socially distancing way every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 10 … read more
