Our Afternoon at Garfield Conservatory

[windinthemaples]

On Saturday morning, we loaded up our car with art supplies, a camera, and some toys and drove over to the Garfield Conservatory. It is this incredible historic (1906) complex--something like 4 acres of growing plants under glass. The Palm House has 65 foot ceilings and some of the palm trees growing in it seem to be touching the glass. We shed layers of clothing, took deep appreciative breaths of the warm, humid air, and felt healed by an afternoon there. The Fern Room is designed to look like something prehistoric. Water tumbles into a large pool, the path snakes through, past, under ferns and fronds and along rock walls completely obscured by a curtain of moss and other green, growing things. It did seem like something out of a sci-fi movie. :) There was just so much to do and see, so many secret little places to sit, so many plants whispering to each other, so much sunshine and warmth to bathe in. :) The crazy thing is this place is free! Always free!

We sat down to a lunch from the gift shop (spinach + candied walnuts + dried cranberries=win! bread+veggies+hummus=win!) and then made some Yule sun ornaments for our tree.




Graeme toddles through their show house to look at all the holiday plant displays.


Graeme and I sit on a bench by the koi pond and watch the fish.


Graeme and I dig for dinosaur bones in the Children's Garden.


It's a jungle in here! :D


Graeme checks out the mosaic fountain.


My happy Yule ornament. :D

Comments

[mermaiden.livejournal.com]

The picture of Graeme peering over into the fountain? Yeah. I'm so dead from the sweetness of it that I can't even breathe. :D :D :D OH MY GOSH. THIS MUCH CUTE SHOULD BE OUTLAWED!!!

So, so, soooooooooo happy! :) Makes me want to pay a visit to our Botanical Gardens...which are sadly not so free. ;D

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

Not free? That's a travesty.

It certainly helped me battle the winter-blues I've been feeling. :)

[mermaiden.livejournal.com]

I know! Like you, we use it to cope during the darkest winter months...it's not that badly expensive, but free is like...the greatest thing ever~

I'm so, so glad you had such a wonderful, warm day, Rachel~! <333

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm waiting for the post-o-happy to go along with those photos of yours. Whatcha doing? Working? ;)

:D

[mermaiden.livejournal.com]

*laughing* Yes...it's the day before the big holiday party, and we're all going crazy over here. :) That, and Jenn PROMISED she'd make a post today, and I want to leave all the photos for her so she can be an arteest with them, and then I'll create something with what's left. I miss her posts so much, and I've been trying to get her to do one...so here's having fingers crossed! :D

[aerialmelodies.livejournal.com]

I'm shocked yours is free too! Ours is $12 a visit, or $30 for an annual pass. I used to have one (and it gets you into other gardens for free as well across the US) but alas, it expired. That's so great it's free for you! :)

[neva-butterfly.livejournal.com]

Beautiful! It must have been so nice, that green leafy respite in the middle of winter.

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

It was wonderful for my mental health, for sure! It is situated in a bad part of town a couple miles from us and I hadn't known anything about it until after Graeme was born. D took me there as a surprise for our anniversary to help battle my postpartum depression. It is great to be able to take your coat off and stroll around somewhere warm *besides* a retail store. :D

[greyeyedpixie.livejournal.com]

Looks like a wonderful time! :)

[aerialmelodies.livejournal.com]

Love love love the photos. Graeme is way too cute for his own good. I think he knows it and enjoys killing us all with cute. :)

That fountain is gorgeous! He's too adorable peeking over the edge~

[folkchick3.livejournal.com]

Oh! Thank you for shairing these beautful pictures! I visited that place the one time I was in Chicago, and I never forgot it... it's like a little bit of paradise right in the middle of the asphalt and the concrete.
Amazing....
I'm glad you had such a wonderful time!