Wonderland

I never tire of walking at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens because there is often something new to witness. Or something old to see in a fresh way. Like the camellias. I’d never noticed the smaller, more delicate versions before: a frosted corsage and a pink flounced petticoat.

I’m used to seeing the giant rhubarb leaves rise above my head like thorny umbrellas, but today the small leaves were just beginning to emerge from their downy bulb-nest. And the velvety ecru-backed leaf of a large rhododendron showcased a smaller deciduous leaf with vestiges of green still visible.

Although I’d strolled past the outdoor restroom numerous times, I’d never noticed how much the window looked like a Helen Frankenthaler painting I once saw at the Art Institute of Chicago.

On the loop back I crossed a lazy stream. Foam collected on the surface resembling the trunk of a birch. A multicolored leaf canoe bobbed on the water. It held its own tiny pond, yet didn’t sink. A world within a world within a world.

Now deep within this alternate reality, I noted a bush of metal roses rising from the soil. I knew it belonged to the Queen of Hearts because the White Rabbit was looking at his pocket watch nearby. I had truly arrived in Wonderland.

All photos © Sondra Sula.