Hour at the Arboretum

As I was trekking through the middle of a field, with no idea where I was going Monday morning, I began to think that the last place I wanted to be at that moment was the Arboretum. It was a far walk and it was cold outside, gosh darn it! But by time I made it to the Overlook Pavilion, I was already beginning to change my mind. The view from the pavilion was vast and serene. Big white sheets billowed down from the top of the structure which overlooked the entire valley. Flowers were blooming all around. Instantly, I was in a happier state of mind.
We soon began to walk around and tour the place a bit. The first thing I saw was the map of Penn State carved into the ground. I thought it was pretty interesting, but I was more interested in seeing the fields of flowers that were surrounding us. I walked out of the pavilion and soon saw a huge field of sunflowers. I love sunflowers, because of their boldness. They are bright and happy. And they are huge. They don't fit the stereotype of a delicate flower. Not only are they tall, but their blooms are ginormous as well. To me, they are one dramatic flower and I like that. After appreciating the sunflowers, I walked underneath a trellis covered in vines, with gourds hanging down from the top. There was a little bench underneath, and I thought that it looked like a good place to sit, relax and reflect on things sometime. It seemed peaceful. In fact, the whole arboretum seemed peaceful and calm. I liked that about it.
I also loved the diversity of the arboretum. Not only were there different varieties of flowers and trees, but I found some peppers and strawberries too. There was a beautiful water feature, with lily pads of all shapes and sizes floating in it. There was also a rose garden, which I would have loved to see, but unfortunately it was being renovated at the time. Despite that, there were still many other bright and blooming flowers for me to enjoy.
My favorite thing about the arboretum was not any particular plant or exhibit itself. My favorite thing was the fact that I noticed I could name many of the flowers. I realized that this was because of my mother. My mother loves flowers, and she always has many planted in our yard. She has taught me the names of many of them throughout the years. So, as I walked around the area, I thought about her and her gardens back home. I thought about the time she let me try to tend to my own garden as a kid, and it failed miserably because I was not motivated enough to keep up with the weeding. I thought about how she picked out red and white flowers for her pots, so that for my graduation party, the flowers would match my school colors. And I thought about the daffodils she cherished because my father's mother gave her the bulbs, and they were always the prettiest blooms, year after year. It was really nice to have the arboretum evoke all of those happy memories for me. I often forget to think about my family back home, because I get swept away in the college life.
I enjoyed my time at the arboretum because it was peaceful and beautiful. I like that it reminded me of my family back home. I believe my mother would really like it there, and I hope to go back and take her with me sometime. I also want to go back when the rose garden is open again and walk through it. It is definitely a place I would like to revisit.