Simply Balisha

Simply Balisha

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Special Day part II

 A few more pictures from my day out yesterday. I took these pictures of the outside of the glass house. The bench above was situated among the flowers. Very little shade here...there is a walking/bike riding path just behind. The white pergola was beautiful, but by the time we reached it...there were no benches to sit on.They are scattered all around, but one here under the shade would have been nice.The bronze sculpture of a little girl reading a book with her doggie by her side was so cute. She wouldn't share her bench, however.
 The Eclipse Lagoon was so beautiful. A fountain in the middle and a swan and some ducks swimming....cooled us off. The pathways are made of flat flagstone. Very few railings outside.....so I had to watch my footing going up and down quite often. John can do two steps at a time....those days are gone forever for me.
 This is taken from inside looking out. The lagoon goes on forever. I forgot to say that they have a floating dock where you can come to the garden by boat. Rockford has some sightseeing boats in the Rock River....that would be a fun thing to do sometime.
You know, this morning I feel like I just got back from a vacation? So anxious to share the pictures and write it all down for my memories. It's amazing how many attractions we have right here in N. Illinois. Some say that our state is just average.....but I say we have beauty right here in our own backyard. As we drove through Rockford yesterday, we saw volunteers planting along the busy roads. Gardens were being planted in the heart of the old part of town. New businesses were popping up. Little boutiques and shops were everywhere. When we were deciding where to eat...I had a gift card from Red Lobster in my purse. John said, "Why don't we go to a smaller restaurant...and support the local community?" A good idea I thought. As I age, I sometimes forget the little business person. I was once a crafter who sold my things in little shops and at craft shows. I appreciated people who bought from people like me and didn't spend their money in big shops. It's something that I'll keep in mind as I shop now.
Balisha

9 comments:

  1. These sure are pretty pictures. You two had a marvelous visit.
    Many years ago, I did craft shows and sold mostly my counted cross stitch crafts.

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    1. I have done a lot of craft shows. The last one was on a 90+ day...out in the sun. I thought I would pass out. I had a cooler and kept a towel wet and put it around my neck. I got home and thought....this is silly. I stopped doing the outdoor shows right then and there. Later on, I stopped altogether. I still sold in shops. I stopped that 11 yrs.ago.

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  2. Lovely photos! Every state has some beautiful areas. Sometimes people don't appreciate that when they only see the view from the interstate.

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    1. I agree. When we used to go on vacation...we took the back roads. Now, the cars and trucks are buzzing by at 70MPH....How can you enjoy sightseeing while going that fast?I realize that people have such a short time for vacation, but slow down and enjoy the relaxation. That's what vacation is all about. Wow, did I get off the subject...this is a pet peeve of mine. Life is too fast today.

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  3. How could anyone say Illinois is just average? There is a John Phillip Sousa museum in the music building at the University. There is Lincoln's home and his grave to visit. There are beautiful farms and field after field of corn. Discounting Chicago--which I don't really like, except for Lake Shore drive, Illinois is a mighty fine State, in my opinion! and this area you visited--beautiful. I love how part of the Lagoon comes into the glass house.

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  4. I love Illinois. We love to take drives in our area and see the farm fields all growing. Our rivers are beautiful. Beautiful state parks. So many forest preserves in our area. People are always thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. Sometimes I think that politics gets in the way....people are pretty upset about our people in Springfield.

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  5. You did have a little vacation. Pretty scenes.

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  6. Your recent posts provided pleasant memories. My husband's aunt and uncle lived in Rockford (his cousins still do) and we visited often, enjoying the very places you visited.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  7. I loved to hear you talk about how proud you are of your state. The pictures are beautiful. It sounds like your summer is off to a fantastic start. :) No trips for us. PH isn't up to par lately...and he has never been much into travel..
    That's okay..but it sure was nice going on your journey around your state with you. :)
    Love,
    Mona

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