Garden Party

I took some time to have fun just for me today. It turned out to be quite a lot of fun once I found the address on how to get to the location. A month ago, I bought a $5 ticket to a garden party. Wasn't sure what that was all about, but I knew it included lunch. If food is involved, and I don't have to cook it, I'm all over it! Turns out, the lady hosting the garden party is a master gardener and lives on a small lake. Her yard is filled with gardens she has created.

We (about 20 in all) arrived at the appointed hour. Most people just sat on her deck and chatted. There were 5 of us who roamed through her yard and marveled at all the plants and beautiful gardens. I was really impressed with how she added little pots, ceramic figures and water baths for interest. She also added height to her gardens using trellis's or climbing vines.

 

The lunch was served buffet style and we sat outside - most folks stayed on the deck, but the same fabulous 5 sat on the back lawn surrounded by the gardens.

I bought a new hat to wear for the party - sorry I didn't get a picture of that;) All in all, it turned out to be a lot of fun for only $5 (plus the cost of the hat)!

St. Cloud Visit

I arrived home yesterday afternoon after spending 3 days in St. Cloud for a business conference. Was able to listen to some really good speakers about the energy business. We also had two motivational/humorist speakers. They were awesome and kept me awake and laughing! The final day turned political as we had a visit from senate hopeful Al Franken. He had a warm (but reserved) welcome from our group.

However, it wasn't all work! I had time to visit the Gruber's Quilt Shop... it's an awesome place with an unending supply of fabric and ideas. My favorite pasttime was spending about 1 1/2 hours walking through the Clemens and Munsinger Flower Gardens. The water fountains are very refreshing. It was a perfect time to be there because most everything was in full bloom. The gardens were beautiful and the stroll along the river made a perfect backdrop. Each time I attend, I'm impressed with the additions of more gardens. Just when I think they couldn't possibly add more, another one is planted. This is a perfect spot for a family to visit and take a picnic. If you get the time, enjoy!!