The steamy hot weather finally broke to a comfortable 70 degrees just in time for the South Mystery Group to meet at Roger Williams Park in Providence, RI for our June outing. We gathered in the parking lot of the Botanical Garden Center and walked around and through the four beautiful greenhouses housing the largest collection of tropical trees and flowers in New England. We viewed many different species of palm trees, including banana trees, as well as different species of orchids in bloom, a coy fish pond, and a small waterfall. We learned that students from the University of Rhode Island are the caretakers of this beautiful botanical collection. Then we moved outside to view the fully blooming rose garden built around a gazebo-like structure. We quizzed each other about our choice of favorite rose color. Red and peach seem to win out.
We then walked to a picnic area and lunched on our delicious, brought-from- home foods. After lunch—on to our favorite walk, which we chose from five different selections of various lengths offered in the park (from 1/2 mile to 6 miles). Adding to the charm and beauty of the walking experience are the many small lakes with walking trails around them.
We ended the day with a fond farewell and agreed that we eagerly look forward to seeing each other in person again for next month’s Mystery Event!
Elaine M and Joe McG
