New Yorkers love flowers

I think upstate New Yorkers really love their flowers! Maybe because they have such short summers they go all out to spruce up front porches, flower boxes, and perennial beds. Whatever it is, they create some very beautiful spaces. They also get outdoors--everyone is walking, pushing strollers, driving with the top down, sitting on benches, painting houses, working in gardens, loading up canoes and kayaks, generally soaking up the sun.

I've been walking through the neighborhoods in Oneonta and Saratoga Springs admiring all the hanging baskets, wicker furniture, and old stately homes with giant windows, wide open porches, high turrets, and ornate detail. We don't have anything like this in West Virginia!