Life is Sweet - Smelling the Roses at Chicago Botanic Garden...

Its the weekend again!  Yey!  On the books for today - a trip to Chicago Botanic Garden. The weather had promised to co-operate and hold off til at least the late afternoon, so we were up bright and early to get our gym session in (I know, I know), before heading out to the gardens.  The gardens are pretty close to where I work, so the drive out was nice and easy, just 25 mins northwards up the highway (I wish it was like that during the work week!).  As we were still on our detox (the 2nd round this time - and partly to shift the chubb we put back on during our 3 days off!), we'd packed a super-healthy picnic, so it felt like a school outing! (well, not exactly, but you get my drift..)

The Grand Dame Grand Tram Grand Slam

Unbeknownst to us, today also happened to be World Planet Day (or something similarly right-on and worthy), so there were lots of mildly pointless yet charmingly earnest stalls and vendors sprinkled throughout the garden, wanting to demonstrate various key life skills like chopping wood or farming worms.  Or vice versa.  I dunno - I'm just guessing here.   I didn't actually go over and talk to anyone - the thought of faking an interest in bio-organic chainsaws wielded by locally-grown artisans seemed far too taxing that early in the morning.  That and the remarkable observation that -  despite having obviously gotten up earlier than we had to go set up a stall at the gardens and sit there all day with no-one showing the remotest interest in what they were hawking - they didn't seem to care or even notice!  Unlike those dodgy "craft fairs" that sprout up like festive carbuncles every holiday season where the vendors pounce on you in desperation the minute you come within striking distance, there was an almost Brit-like degree of sang-froid.  Keep Calm and Cultivate On, I guess.

Covered in bee

Disappointed in the lack of retail opportunities at the "fair", we consoled ourselves with purchasing tickets for a ride in the Grand Tram.  Now this was more like it.  No "little tram" for us - oh no, it was the full monty 2.3 mile extravaganza Grand Tram Shuffle round the full perimeter of the gardens.  The tram (OK - it was basically a big electric golf cart with 3 long carriages attached to it - Mumsie and I bagged the back seat of the very last carriage!) was driven by this awesome black lady who didn't take any shit from no-one and who had no hesitation slamming the brakes on, and telling the Korean tourist who'd just gotten up to take a picture while the tram was in motion (gasp) to sit the hell back down!  It was awesome.  I felt like I was on a ride with my Mum.   Oh. Wait. That's right - I WAS!   I have to say, though, that our little lady driver had Mumsie beaten with all the various homilies and Southern expressions that she sprinkled throughout her commentary.   Fortunately for Mumsie, I can't remember any of them (nothing new there, then) so Mumsie is Still Number One Homily Queen.

It was a great trundle round - I don't remember what all the various bits of the park were called that we drove through or past, but it was a really good way to get a great overview of the whole thing (without the effort of having to walk round it ourselves) and to get oriented.  If you are interested, here's the link to the tour that we did and our route: http://www.chicagobotanic.org/tram.  Here are some pics from the tour - its a Vision in Green.

Japanese-style garden island 

Reminded me of those Cornish trees, bent by the wind!

Looks like hail, but these were actually seeds
covering the ground - like the ones you get from
dandelions

Hikers in the prairie style garden section

After our Tram Slam Dunk, our next adventure on our botanical magical mystery tour was the Butterfly house.  Only open during the non-glacial parts of the year (good plan, butterflies, to die off before the winter - you aint missing much), it promised lots of flappy happy, so in we went!  Now, there's not really much you can say about butterflies (they're like the insect equivalent of fireworks I guess - lots of "oohs" and "ahhs" but not much else) but these were very pretty, with one particular beastie the size of a side plate!  If that one decided to flap at ya, you'd know about it!  Mumsie managed to pick up a hitch-hiker for a little while - she said she could actually feel it land on her leg, it was that heavy!  But, other than that, we managed to get round the Butterfly house without incident or accidental splattage or instinctual swattage.  Here are some pics from our favorite Lepidoptera:

Either a very smart butterfly or one who's just tempting fate...

Stowaway!! 

Yes.  It really was THAT big.  A pukka big Bug-ger.

Sleepy butterfly, just woken up..

The final activity on our frenzy of fun was a visit to the Railway Garden!  Thomas - this one was for you and Eren!   This garden was built around famous landmarks and cities - all, of course, powered and supplied by the wonder of the locomotive engine!  As with the Fair, again it was time to cue nerds as the whole operation seemed controlled by the..um.. controllers, a bunch of retirees with full on sock-sandal combo, armed with impressive looking remote controls for the trains.  As we gazed in awe upon these , we saw one spring into action to respond to an emergency situation with the Amtrak train, which had apparently stopped for no reason (no change there then).  With some skillful wiggling and jiggling (and pressing of buttons on his remote control box too), crisis was averted and Fake New York's commuters were *ahem* back on track.

San Francisco!!  My ex-home town with Coit
tower at back, and Lombard Street zig-zagging
down the front!!

Look at the picture closely - the people outside the lodge should
be looking a little more alarmed than they are!*

Although I dunno what is up with the fashion of the guy on the far left.
Designer duds and a draped scarf?  I think he must have escaped
from the Manhattan exhibit...

Its right above you!!

It took me a loooooooong time to drag Mumsie away from
 this part of the garden...

Yes.  Yes, it does.

So, with that final homily of the day, our little sojourn at the garden drew to a very pleasing close.  We had our little picnic of hard-boiled eggs, homemade blueberry muffins and fresh fruit in the little picnic areas (as you do) before heading back to the car and wending our way home.  A most lovely day was had by all.

Next up, Eddie!!!