I have spent the better part of my week in class for four hours a day speaking French. Learning from a native speaker who is aware of the challenges that English speakers of French encounter has been a godsend. Steve on the other hand, has spent his time investigating the gardens of nearby villages. Not one to let a language barrier stop his quest for peace and solitude in nature, he stopped in at the local office of tourism and picked up a brochure of the various gardens within a forty-five-minute radius.

Lake Junaluska’s Artists in Residence invite the public to visit “Art in the Gardens,” now through Wednesday, May 15.

The North Carolina Arboretum is heralding spring’s arrival with the return of “Bloom with a View,” May 4-19.