Walking in Baltimore, Mid-May

Gorgeous pink and peach roses, in a dry garden...

I decided to bike from my neck of the woods to visit a friend who lives a couple miles north. After enjoying the ride for a few blocks, I opted to hop out of the saddle and stroll, taking in much more of this glorious day.

Dogwood shrubs,
and no wire!

On my first photographic pause, I bent down to pick up some trash in the parking lot of the Northwood shopping center, a redeveloped retail space meant to serve the community. My personal feelings do no align with those of community members and neighbors, who absolutely love it. Conversely, I'm curious why the retail options are limited to a beauty supply store and a sneaker store, and every other business is food??! And fast food at that. The shopping options are strictly consumption in this mostly Black community, and food is an easily marked-up retail business. But I digress. Anyway, I paused to pick up some crushed food containers and drop them in the trash when I noticed a familiar shrub growing flourishing is its bed...I think these are Dogwoods...and I just got one for my back garden and was wondering how/whether to plant it in the ground (or a pot).

These guys look fantastic here, growing in relatively in full sun!

An area university seems to have planted milk thistle in their landscaping...
Monarch butterflies will be happy this season

It’s awesome to see the Juneberry trees (service berries) ripening in the sun, and hear birds today…It’s glorious…I even sat in the grass to pretend to be in a verdant field…note the brickwork in the distance. 

There's a house just beyond my left elbow...ha!

This spring started off terrifyingly hot for a few days , and then shockingly cold. But it’s possible that the temps have settled into their usual moderate climb to near 100° temps by mid-summer. That’s probably a good way to jinx us, rather than enjoy a 70°day in May. I take it all back.

The Jones Falls River is a sad little body of water that meanders its way to and through Baltimore...
here it is in the Northwood region (I'm on a bridge, above)