LONG time no blog. My bad. It’s not that life is dull, it’s the opposite — too much to keep up with! So I’m picking and choosing today as to what I want to share, and in reviewing my photo files, I realized that we had a really fun outing with the grandparents that I posted to Facebook, but which never made it to Nettie’s World.
Back on the 15th of February we drove out to the Desert Botanical Garden to meet the Grands and have a wonder-tour of the beauteous flora. Our meeting time was high noon, and when we arrived, I was boggled by both the number of parking lots, and how full all of them were, and how far we had to travel to find one that still had open spaces. Seeing the potential masses that awaited us inside the gates did not bode well for my equilibrium, but I put it out of my mind because – CAMERA! PRETTY FLOWERS! FAMILY FUN!
Soon enough our number was complete and we made the trek across the lots, joining the throngs heading in the same direction. By the time we reached the gate, I knew two things: 1) I was going to wish I had a hat, and 2) I was going to wish I had water. It was remarkably warm for mid February… not hot like Arizona summer hot, but hot like the winter sunshine beating down on your head and making your Scandinavian skin sizzle is hot. Still, I maintained hope that there would be occasional shade to be had within the sanctuary.
When we went through the entrance and approached the gates, I was amazed at the nearly-life-like glass sculpture greeting visitors to the garden. As usual, I had given no thought to doing any advance reconnaissance of this venue (if I had done so, we would have come prepared with hats, parasols, and water bottles for all), and so I had no idea we were entering not only a beautiful botanical garden and nature walk, but also an exhibition of the remarkable work of studio glass artist Dale Chihuly (on display here till May 18, 2014). What a delightful and fascinating surprise!
We did not spend enough time to explore more than a fraction of the garden, since the heat took a toll on several of us, and the overstimulation of navigating amongst thousands of heading into nap time took a toll on the youngest of us. But what we did see begged for a more extensive and relaxed viewing.
Here are my pics of the day, and I am only sorry about one thing — apparently, with a view to protecting the plant life, most of the beds were draped in a kind of netting, which made macro photography impossible. Nonetheless, there were ample vistas and tableaux worthy of capture! 🙂
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