Some voters are finding it more and more difficult to get out and vote.

Hopefully, despite all odds, you can get out and make a difference!

I passed this house on the way into work and had to take a picture.

NOW, GO VOTE!!!

WestSide Arts set up a station in Dexter Training Ground Park last Thursday as part of WestSide Thursdays where kids could learn to play chess. Another volunteer was giving children soccer lessons. They also had chalk for kids to draw on the walkways, bubbles, face painting and other games. The park this year has been vibrant and alive with people all summer, and it’s so great to see!

Though most of the springtime flowering trees are now gone by, their blooms have been replaced by lush new green leaves, and now nearly everywhere you look there are pockets of color, making Providence even more beautiful than it was just last month. From the East Side to the West, gardeners like myself are out in full force planting their annuals, and perennials like the gorgeous irises in the photo above can be seen on nearly every street around the city.

One of my very favorite websites is a local gardening site called the Providential Gardener. It’s a community of urban (and suburban) gardeners and farmers and includes all kinds of gardening-related tips and information for local growers. It also contains a forum called What Grows On in Rhode Island that is an extensive listing of all gardening/farming/outdoor-related events in the state. It’s incredible, and I suggest checking it out if you love the great outdoors and things that grow even half as much as I do!

Happy summer gardening to all of you out there, and thanks for making our city more beautiful!