Tender Mercies of the Purse Cam Kind

Last fall I would run errands while the little kids were at their art class.  Every week I would look across the Kohls parking lot towards the Witherspoon Rose Gardens, wondering if they would mind if I went and took a few pictures.  I never did though; there were always too many errands and I usually didn’t have a camera with me.

Yesterday, however, there was only a short errand, and thanks to the purse cam I almost always have a camera with me.

I decided to check it out.  And all I can say is Wow.  And Cool.  And I Will Most Definitely Be Going Back.
I parked near this lovely structure.  My aunt would call it a pergola, and indeed it might be a pergola.  Whatever it’s called, it was covered with climbing roses.



They were even climbing into the tree up above the shelter/pergola/thing.  For some reason I just love these tiny yellow roses.



The rest of the garden was just as serene and lovely.  There were several different arbors, and in the middle was a little pool.  And all around, rows and rows of roses.  Did you know that roses bloom in the spring?  I did not, but now I do.  Apparently roses really like the cool nights and warm days of spring, and something about the weather in the spring enhances the multi-colored roses.  And wow, do they have some amazing multi-colored roses!

 

Needless to say, I had a terrific time.  After about an hour the low battery light on my camera started flashing.  I nursed it along for as long as I could, but eventually it shut off and wouldn’t start again.  I consoled myself with thoughts that I could come back again when more of the roses had bloomed, and headed to the fabric store.

I was sitting in the parking lot in front of the fabric store (which is near Kroger) talking on the phone to my sister when the strangest thing happened.

A car pulled into a spot near me, and a monk got out.  Really.  A MONK.  Not “Monk” in the tv show.  A man with a long brown robe on, with a hood hanging down the back and a rope belt and a fringey haircut.


My first thought was to grab the purse cam.  How often do you see a monk in Durham?  So I gave it a try.  But no, the “recharge your battery” message was all I got.

I sat and talked to my sister for a while longer.  When I saw the monk walking back to his car I told her how sad I was.  I really wanted a picture of that monk!  Without really hoping, I picked up the purse cam and turned it on again.

And it came on!

I was so excited.  I quickly snapped a couple of shots, hoping all the while that he wouldn’t turn and see the crazy lady in the convertible taking pictures of him.  He might have been embarrassed, and I certainly would have been!

So here you have it.  The picture I didn’t think I was going to get.  Isn't it a fun tender mercy that the camera turnd on?  Now you, too, can see the monk in the parking lot.  And if you know him, please don’t tell him that he’s on my blog!