Orchard in Bloom -- For Heidi!

I took these photos back on April 24 and never got around to posting them!

The orchard always reminds me of my dear friend Heidi & her husband because I found out they were leaving on our very first orchard walk in April last year. (There were about three, I think, we really wanted to follow the flowers closely, as it was her first and last opportunity!) ;-(

So in these photos I wanted not only to enjoy the flowers, but also document the orchard's development for my friend. You see, this orchard was basically abandoned for many years and last year was the first one in which it started to be cared for with pruning and other tree & orchard maintenance measures.

This year, there was even more pruning (as the huge piles of branches demonstrate) and it looks like the freshly pruned trees are healthier and (hopefully!) will produce more. This orchard has different varieties of apples, as well as peaches and nectarines -- but I didn't photograph those trees, only last year, I think they were past bloom when I walked there this time -- so it's only apple trees & blossoms.  Enjoy!!

When my youngest son, who was actually with me when I walked around the orchard, saw the photo above and the ones like it, he said "these look exactly like the orchard photos I saw in a book!" ;-) Can you tell he's very much a visually oriented learner?

I don't think it's possible for this branch and the ones below to support the weight of this many prospective apples!! 

Another one of those "crazily populated" branches! I'll try to come photograph the apples in the fall for Heidi & for the blog!

I miss you my friend, I hope you enjoy these photos and that you don't get too wistful for the flowers here. :-( I'm glad I can always think of you when I see the orchard and lovely flowers, though, it's wonderful to have friends to share one's love of nature, right?