My excuse for not having more text today: a friend visited and stayed, talking, much longer than we imagined. We're glad to have him and to be talking with him, it's just it took up a lot of time that I'd mentally reserved as ``plenty of time for blog-writing''. So instead, please enjoy --- guess what --- pictures of Gilroy Gardens from almost half a year ago.

Last look back at the park's main body. The bridge here is one the train goes over. There was no benefit to our applying for a season pass, but Gilroy Gardens is still sending bunnyhugger invitations to their holiday lights show, which must be amazing.

Hey, looks like Spider-Man got to enjoy a day at the park! That's nice.

Peeking over the end of that bridge to see a nice patio and a waterfront view.

Down there's the kiddie carousel, all nestled up in its sleeping tent.

And then here --- near the exit --- I realized where the Circus Trees we hadn't registered before were! I believe that's Sideways Rope Rectangle in the background and Picture Frame up front.

Zoomed-in view of Sideways Rope Rectangle.

Extreme close-up on Picture Frame showing you can too see right through it.

This one is Squat Curvy Scallops; you can see it on the sign there, asking if you love its curly curvy shape.

This one is Spring Vine, which doesn't seem like a wild tree the way some of the others do, but that's because it had had 'vines' spiralling around the trunks to look like a grape vine. And that's why the sign is that slightly cryptic message about what it doesn't have.

Double Hearts, sometimes known as Reverse Hearts, is another Circus Tree; it's apparently not clear what kind of tree it is. According to Gilroy Gardens's site there had been another Double Hearts started in 1953, grown from a weeping willow, which had side-by-side hearts. I assume that's one of the Circus Trees that didn't survive to the Gilroy Gardens era.

Here's a fresh look at Sideways Rope Rectangle, not zoomed in this time, just photographed from up close.

And here's a look up Sideways Rope Rectangle to show what it does past the point that the showy part was cultivated.
Trivia: During reentry Apollo 8's Command Module ``bounced'', as planned, from an altitude of 180,000 feet back up to 210,000 feet, before resuming its descent. Source: Apollo By The Numbers: A Statistical Reference, Richard W Orloff. NASA SP-4029.
Currently Reading: Michigan History, January/February 2024. Editor Sarah Hamilton.