Last Saturday eight members of our NPA neighborhood group traveled to Bremerton for our private tour of a spectacular garden that its creator describes as an "Oasis in the City".
Dr. John Albers is a Professor of Medicine and a research director in the fields of metabolism, endocrinology and nutrition at the University of Washington. He and his wife, also a Professor of Medicine at the UW, bought this property about 15 years ago, as a retirement home. They haven't retired yet, but John Albers has created this oasis as meticulously as he would a research project. Knowing all those medical terms must help him to be able to remember and pronounce those botanical names as they roll effortlessly off his tongue.
We met John and started our tour in the driveway outside their lovely home.
Not knowing quite what to expect, I see now that this description from the garden brochure is an apt one.
Upon entering the oasis in the city, you leave the world beyond and see the panorama of botanical delights. After passing through the gate, colorful, cascading ground covers lead you to a valley edged with evergreens, maples, rhododendrons and species from around the world.
And so that's what we'll do. Let's take a tour.
Moving higher up the east slope, patterns of colors transform the hillside in time with the seasons. Looking closer at the foreground scenes, you will notice details that will make you smile. Glimpses of resting spots higher on the hill beckon you on, until you reach the top.
persimmons
Turn around and you will see how far you have come. Let your eyes follow the slope down to Phinney Bay, then up to the sky, See the distant mountains of the Olympics. Breathe.
And then we are back to the starting point, wishing we could do it all over again.
I will want to return in the spring. It will be a completely different experience.
www.albersvistagardens.org
