Strolling in gardens was the perfect way to spend the day with just one more night left of the Jazz Fest. It was rejuvenating and helped me break through my exhaustion barrier.

As I do with most tours, I began with the last. It helps me avoid the crowds. There were seven spaces to explore in this year's Backyard Habitat Tour, sprawling from Rochester through Brighton, Pittsford, East Rochester, and out to Penfield. Arriving at each, I was given a fact sheet of garden highlights and a map, although toward the end of the day they had run out and needed to be returned for the next visitor to use.

I love gardens. I love walking in them. I love sitting in them. I especially love sipping tea and reading in them. And there were plenty of gardens on the tour in which I could easily have slipped into a chair to sip and read.

About half of them had actual outdoor dining rooms. While my friend spouted out the names of plants, I responded with uninformed oohs and ahs, for my love of gardens does not reach as deep as wanting to get to really know them. Like appreciating the profile of a nice-looking man, only for him to turn towards me and ruin my illusion, such is my fickle love for verdure. And to put my friend in the fickle camp with me, she was glad others didn't mow parts of their lawns either, and that they had even come up with an acceptable excuse. It's called a meadow.

Although the rain kept me from getting to the last two, I did get my fill, and even some stories. One involved a long-ago bathroom darkroom in which photos for City Newspaper were developed late into the night. Oddly, other than birds, I only saw one form of wildlife; a chipmunk scampering along a mossy stump.

Next up: Arts & Treasures