Fleetingly A Leaf Lowers

I must confess, shocking as this may come to some people, that I positively adore warm climates. Being sticky damp with humidity the instant you exit a building, having to carry an extra shirt to compensate for ridiculously cold air conditioning and endless piles of laundry aside, the tropics are an amazing place to spend time. But there is something satisfying about living in a place where there are real seasons. Personally I'd be happy if the warmer seasons were the ones that spanned the greater part of the year, but no one has ever said that life even has the faintest possibility of being fair.
The other day, whilst walking about the glorious parks of Marianske Lazne, I was impressed, as always, with the way God has organized His creation. In summer, the vibrant greens lend a cooling effect to the landscape. They appear an oasis in the midst of intense heat. (No I've never lived in a desert, nor do I plan to! Granted I never expected to live in Alaska, but that's another topic all together, and rumor has it that they do have a pleasant summer, I just missed that bit.) Anyhow, what really blows me away is how God then opted to have the move into colder months accompanied by a glowing fire of color in those same trees. "I've never been to Boston in the Fall," or any of those New England states that I hear are famous for their leafery, but here in ML the trees are ablaze in splendor that would put the most illustrious designers to shame.

The bust seen here is of Skalnik, the visionary gardener who drained the swamp land that was originally Marianske Lazne, and created the fantastical parks that now grace the town.



These next few pictures are views of a couple of my favorite houses in town. I've really been thinking of how better to advertise this place. It really is just so fabulous that I don't know why more people aren't rushing here to check out this spa town. Honestly, Karlovy Vary doesn't light a candle to Marianske Lazne. This place is out of control beautiful and just brimming with old world style. Unfortunately, most of the guests here are equally old world...


These next couple pictures don't have so much to do with the leaves, but I did take them over the past week when walking through the parks. I've always enjoyed the statue, and though I've walked past this very interesting tree many times, I'd never noticed it before. Really not sure how I missed it, but it goes to show that there is always something new to be seen in this world.

Yesterday Mark and I enjoyed an amazing walk through town. We had no real agenda and were able to just bask in the beauty surrounding us. We both really enjoy being out in nature, so it was a great time to just be together and have a little fun as well. The leaves were just too big a temptation to pass up, and so an impromptu photo shoot broke out. I won't plague you with all the details, or photos, but here's a little glimpse.


While hot chocolate and scarves have been cropping up in my life with increasing intensity, I'm thankful for the warming glow that God has blessed us with on the very branches of the trees...