Well, hello again. I hope you are having a fruitful and enjoyable spring. If you are anything like me (and my garden) you are about to wash away from all the rain! But, as they say: “April showers bring May flowers,” and…well…I suppose all these May storms will just bring that many more blossoms in June! Or, at least we can hope, right? I have been rather lucky, actually, in that I missed much of the dreary weather, having been out of town for half of the past month. Since we last saw each other, I have been traveling quite a bit, mostly for work, and I thought I would share some of my experiences of life on the road (and Outside the Box!).

I started my travels with a trip to Little Rock to give a presentation to the wonderful women of the Little Rock Garden Club. While I failed to take any pictures, I had a great time sharing with them what it means to me to Live Outside the Box, and they were so gracious to welcome me at their monthly meeting.

Next, it was on to Dallas and another group of lovely ladies: The Dallas Garden Club. I was lucky enough to attend their annual flower show with some friends. It was held in the gorgeous home and garden of one of the club’s members, and I managed to sneak a few photographs in between mimosas!

It was such a treat seeing all the special creations and visiting with all the garden-loving gals in the club.

While in Dallas, I found a fun store, Big Mango Trading Company, which imports all sorts of unique items that are great for decorating your home and garden. One of my favorites was this water garden, carved from a single piece of stone.

I also fell in love with this planter, made with real barnacles, and just had to bring it home with me. I love how it looks on the dining room table, filled with graceful orchids.

From Texas, my journey took me for the first time to Santa Fe, NM. While the gardening ‘scene’ is quite different from the lushness of Arkansas, it is beautiful nonetheless, and spring is definitely a beautiful time to be there.

From my hotel room balcony, the sweet scent of wisteria climbing over a neighboring wall greeted me each morning.

And from the vantage point of a rooftop cafe on the downtown square I could take in the beautiful mountains surrounding the town, as well as the steeple of the famed Loretto Chapel.

Nearby, an interesting fountain caught my eye as it filled the cafe with its soothing sounds.

Before leaving town after a memorable weekend, I rode out to the Santa Fe Botanical Garden to take a look. This serene sculpture greeted me at the entrance and had only just been installed that day.

The garden is very new and still very much in development. Nevertheless, there were plenty of interesting things to see. This pavilion near the entrance makes use of branches harvested from the garden to create a unique and affordable shade structure.

Just inside, a meadow garden leads to a collection of sculptures carved from huge pieces of stone.

Further down the trail, dry creek beds draw the eye to other points of interest, including an abandoned highway bridge re-purposed for use in the garden.

Along the art trail, I encountered this creature made from branches gathered from the garden. A desert scarecrow, perhaps?

Along the way, I stopped for a rest in the shade to enjoy the view from the inviting pavilions scattered throughout the garden.

All in all, Santa Fe was an absolutely thrilling experience. But, as usual, I couldn’t wait to be back at home in Arkansas where my garden greeted me with extra vigor…a result of all the life-giving rains. And, so it is with life Outside the Box!

Stay tuned next month to see what else the season has in store!

Exterior designer Daniel Keeley is an Arkansas native and founder/principal of DK Design. His work has won numerous awards and accolades and is featured regularly in various publications. For more information visit dkdesignoutdoor.com.