Last Sunday my friend, June, called to ask if I would like to go with her for an impromptu visit to the Botanical Gardens in Fort Worth. In less than an hour we were on our way and after a quick lunch of shrimp and crab legs at the Flying Fish we spent several hours of the beautiful day roaming around the gardens.
If you have not visited the Fort Worth Botanical Garden it is well worth the trip.
Not only are they beautiful throughout the year it’s a great place for the entire family with many different areas of interest. It’s a wonderful place for kids to learn as they have fun!
June’s husband, Bill, came along and dropped us off in the parking lot of the antique mall where he was planning on spending his time. June and I walked through the back gate along the Four Season’s Garden which is lined with huge Live Oaks to the Trial Garden.
The Trial Garden is very interesting as it contains all kinds of native and perennial plantings where you can see what grows well in this area.
From there we continued our walk through the Perennial Gardens to the Rose Garden. Although it is a little early for the roses there were some in bloom and it is a stunning scene any time of year.
The Wisterias are blooming along the pergola and it is very pretty with the contrast of the beautiful rock columns along the way.
Across the street is the Texas Native Forest Boardwalk. This area is especially fun for kids as there are displays of a log hotel featuring the different animals that live in logs.
Many children and adults were having fun using the scopes and whisper tubes along the boardwalk.
The Fragrance Garden is behind the restaurant and is another fun place to walk along the paths to experience the fragrant aroma of many plants.
The trip is not complete without a visit to the Japanese Garden. This is the only area that you must pay to see but it is a minimal fee.
Then it was on to the Fuller Garden which has many plantings and species of trees.
We ended up back at the Conservatory which features many tropical plantings and a lovely spot to cool off and sit inside.
If you are ever in the area…stop by for a visit…you will come back time after time. A beautiful place to spend the day!
It kinda makes you want to come home stike a match…plow up the yard and start all over!
Later…my friends…
Leah
A couple of years ago I decided I needed a new camera. My Nikon Coolpix point and shoot just wasn’t fast enough to capture the antics of my two new little granddaughters. After spending a considerable amount of time on research I decided on a Nikon D90. Now…I knew better than to approach JR about a new camera…so I had to come up with a plan.
I grew up on a ranch in central Texas where I lived for 19 years. While we were kids my two brothers and I spent most of our time outside. My dad didn’t have any help on the ranch so he depended on the three of us and taught us all to ride a horse very early in life. We spent many hours in the saddle helping work cows and goats. As many kids who are raised on a ranch I was no different…I loved horses and riding and I loved living on the ranch.
But I had a softer side … I also loved dolls. Santa brought me this beautiful life-sized baby doll when I was just 7 years old. For many years I kept her…she has lived a lonely life in the back of my closet.
I decided to do a little research on the Internet to see what I could find out about her. I had never seen another doll like her…the only thing I knew she was made by the Ideal Toy Company. I found a doll collector website that had a good collection of vintage Ideal dolls…but… not a sign of my doll! After sending an email with photos of my doll attached I heard back from the collector that my doll was a very rare Bonnie Playpal. She was only made with her twin brother, Johnnie, for one year in 1959. When I looked up sales for this doll on eBay…I was shocked…and decided that it was time to find her a new home.
First we had to go shopping….Bonnie needed some new clothes for the sale. I borrowed one of my daughters blankets that she left at my house for my little granddaughter…wrapped Bonnie up and we went to Target. People looked at me a little strangely. I passed two young mothers in the store and noticed they turned around to look and whispered among themselves.
I could only imagine the conversation…”what is that weird old lady doing with that doll all wrapped up in a baby blanket?”
They stayed their distance….
Bonnie and I went to the baby department and we tried on several outfits before deciding on one. We got a lovely little dress and went on to find new shoes and socks! Finally we were finished and headed to checkout. Bonnie was wrapped up in her blanket while I carried her in my arms and pushed my cart towards the front of the store.
Who do you think I met coming down the main aisle at the front of the store….my daughter with my little granddaughter. What are the odds? In a town of over 70,000….and there they were. My daughter had a funny little smile….my little granddaughter was smiling too.
“Mom….what are you doing?”
After showing her what I was up to and having a good laugh….she says to my little granddaughter….
“Your Mimi….is crazy….!”
Bonnie and I came home…I gave her a bath…combed her hair…and dressed her in her new clothes….made her photos ….and posted her on eBay. She sold for hundreds of dollars…and I was very pleased. Who would have known….I had no idea she was worth that amount! I was quite emotional packing her up for her journey to a new home. But the real problem was explaining to JR what was wrong with me. Upon my explanation he just rolled his eyes and declared I should be taken for mental evaluation!
And JR is not the only crazy one in this house…I have my moments!
But…I’m happy to report that while Bonnie is at her new home in New York with her sister Patti Playpal in a huge doll collection… I am the proud owner of a Nikon D90. Happily taking photos of not just two little granddaughters…but four!
There is the first grandchild…she’s dramatic…funny…imaginative…and way beyond her three years….
Then there’s these two….the oldest at 2 is pure fun…she smiles most of the time…and has fun where ever she goes…and loves to call me on the phone! Her little sister is following in her footsteps…!
Except we sometimes think she looks kinda like the little old Six Flags man…
And this one…she is happy and precocious…funny and loud…
Sometimes…I even manage to get my own kids in the picture…
Whether they are posed or not…this one’s just a candid shot …playing with a little niece crawling all over him on the floor…
Then there are the ones that you try to pose…with lots of help from their moms…and a great-grandmom…and even with all the assistance you can’t get a good shot…
The camera was worth it…and Baby Bonnie is living a much happier life!
Having fun with my camera…
Leah
