Gratitude Monday: Flowers that bloom in the fall, tra-la

Today I am grateful for the civic generosity of a wealthy woman who gave her family estate to the city of Palo Alto, and for the community that maintains it and opens it to everyone. Last week I needed a boost, and the Elizabeth Gamble Garden gave it to me.

It’s basically a park, on the former Gamble estate, with a variety of gardens. When I went, there were vegetables (tended by the Roots & Shoots crowd—third-graders from a local school and other volunteers), sunflowers and some roses out. But most of all (for me) there were dahlias, it being September.

Here’s what I mean:

And:

And:

I noticed last year, at the Golden Gate Park Dahlia Dell, that there are like a gazillion types of dahlias, and even in this relatively small area I saw many varieties. There’s something about that—and their colors and shapes and the way they soak up light and radiate splendor—that really brightens my outlook.

So I’m really grateful that this park is close by, and that a friend suggested it to me.

Oh, all right, then; one more: