A Special Day

 I had a lovely day with my son at the Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens. I had never been there before, but always wanted to see it. They opened a couple of years ago after redoing the whole garden area. The glass house is amazing. It was kind of a warm day, but we went early enough that it was warm... but not hot inside yet. 

 They were having a show on recyclables....with art sculptures placed ever so often in amongst the plants. I'll show pictures of some of them at a later time. I think that Lorraine (Flower Lady) from Florida would have loved these sculptures.

 Here's John... stopping for a rest. He started out by saying that he has been keeping track of how many steps he takes in a day...and his goal is several thousand. I told him that his count would be way down today....I move at a snail's pace compared to him.

 The palms were so tall and beautiful. I remember when they were bringing in the palms from Florida...pictures in the newspaper didn't do them justice. They reach to the top of the glass house....and look so healthy and beautiful.

 Here I am...stopping by a stream with Koi swimming through. I have a picture of the Koi for another day. A sign says do not feed, but I think that people slip them a treat or two, for they followed us to the end of the water.

 I forget what this fruit is hanging from the tree. Isn't it huge? We saw papaya trees too...full of fruit. Everything was so lush and tropical looking. I felt like I was in the tropics...on a vacation. There were ferns, bromiliads, palms, crotons, and orchids galore....all planted with the hand of an artist.

Here is a picture of the glass house from out by the lagoon.  The outdoor gardens were breezier and we walked along the lagoon watching the ducks and swan swimming in the water. Flowers and plants were so well taken care of. No weeds... 

We left when I got tired, and drove downtown Rockford and did a little shopping in the old part of the town. Lots of activity going on...planting on the roadway, setting up for a fest this evening, little shops...we went in one with casual clothes, shoes, soaps, incense etc. John did the best thing that he could have....he didn't think about himself and showed his mom a wonderful day...ending with lunch at a restaurant called Octane. This upscale restaurant is in the heart of it all. New cuisine and a very busy lunch hour.He knows that this is the kind of place that I love to eat. I had a cup of soup and a low country salad....filled with baby greens, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, pieces of pear, with a tangy yet sweet salad dressing, a little loaf of warm French bread completed the plate. 

We came back to the house after that and said our good byes after he visited with Joe for a while. It was a very special day for me....Love you John