Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Brooklyn Botanical Garden







Thanks to play group, my meeting being canceled, Justin having the day off, and a desire to take advantage of that time--we went to Brooklyn this morning. The Botanical Garden is free if you enter on Tuesdays between 10 and noon. (I wouldn't have known that on my own accord, thank goodness for playgroup.) Growing up in Minnesota I never really had a need for botanical gardens, but I've discovered one of my needs. If my future does not hold a home with big windows and lots of trees, I think it will include a membership to botanical gardens, especially if it is anything like these.





This is Reuben's new face. Sorry it is "soft focus," but I had to share it. He does great things with his eyes, and do it so slyly. It makes me think he is on the verge of telling us how strange we are, but then he goes straight for the mud and I remember he isn't even two yet, and he doesn't know we are strange.





Reuben's favorite part was the Japanese Pond, complete with huge coy fish he was entertained by watching the fish swim. I think he was talking to them, as he would yammer on and on and address the "whish" after beautiful sentences of fish talk.



There is something about "nature" even if it is man induced that calms me. Something about the trees doing there job of cleaning the air, and growing, and providing shade that makes me think that the plan is perfect. Something about the water reflecting and rippling that makes me think that it will all work. I don't get that from buildings, and streets, and crowds, and litter, and noise.


Sure, it was cold, and there were puddles left over from the morning rain, but it was well worth it. The colors were great, and the chance to feel like I wasn't in the city was well worth any cold noses we had to sacrifice. (We got some great photos of the other children, but because they aren't my children I won't be posting them, or telling you who that cutie is.)




The day included lots of running. Lots and lots of running. Reuben's step to distance ratio is a little off, but I think that is so I can catch up with him when he sees a puddle or some mud. When he gets the ratio figured out we are going to be in trouble.

On the way home we stopped at McDonald's. Justin wanted to feel like today was a mini vacation, so we had to do something vacation-esk. McDonald's in New York is better than all of the other McDonald's I have ever been to... combined. And, it was interesting to note that we were the only white people there. I didn't notice until we were leaving, but I noticed. Strange the things I notice. I wonder why I noticed it? I think it is because it has just never happened to me before.

In other news, we took a break from Monk, and got Meet the Robinson's from Netflix. Its great. Justin thinks he worked on it in an alternate universe.

2 comments:

The Jones :) said...

Phatty...looks like fun!! I like your sweater in these pictures!!
Love you
Becki :)

Tammy Lorna said...

I took the twins to see Meet the Robinsons a few months back when it was in the cinemas. I never go to sleep during movies, but I was just exhausted at the time, and it was dark, and I fell asleep! I caught the beginning of the movie, and I caught the very end. Sad! The parts I saw were really good though, and twins assure me it was great :)

I'm glad you had fun at the botanical gardens - once again, great photos :) Nice to see some of you Brecken - you're looking good :)
I also liked the one of justin looking up and reuben looking down pulling a face with his tongue out :)

I was suprised you have to pay to go into the gardens though! We have city botanical gardens here too, and they're free. Half the city wander through them in the midddle of the day during their lunch breaks :) Okay, so by 'half the city who wander thorugh them in the middle of the day', I mean students from the universities downtown. Students who think their lives are busy and don't realize that it actually gets worse when you leave school and lunch time turns into half an apple at your desk while you catch up on the emails that have piled up while you've been away from your desk all morning (you'd eat the other half too, but you forget about it when something comes up and you have to leave your desk again....) Later that afternoon, when you throw your half eaten now-brown apple in the bin, you hear the thud of it hitting all the apples from the previous days of the week, and you sigh dramatically.

So yeah, I hear the botanical gardens are really wonderful and peaceful! ... Maybe I'll try and catch the ferry across the river tomorrow and go for a walk - that would be nice, especially since it's free!

But I digress! (I put that one in there for you justin!)

Glad to see you're making the effort to really 'see' NY while you're there :)

xo Tammy