The Crown Jewel of DSBG

Upon stepping through the front doors of the glass-encased oasis, you don't quite know whether you are hot or cold. I suppose that it would be most accurate to say that I was on the brink of both, hot and cold, teetering somewhere in between. After the sweltering heat we encountered outdoors, I half expected to be greeted by a refreshingly cool blast of air as we walked into The Orchid Conservancy, but alas, we were not.



What we were greeted by, though, was a landscape of lush foliage, and around every corner we were met with the most engaging plant life. One of the most stunning displays in the entire exhibit were the Tillandsia Archways. We spent quite sometime time admiring those amazing little air plants throughout that corridor. So many varieties that I hadn't seen before.



Although, the real shop-stopper was just around the bend! Directly after the last archway, you run into a 16 foot stone wall with a cascade that is full of epiphytes. Unfortunately, the orchids in this display weren't accessible, which was a little sad because some of them had the best smells! I remember a few from our visit to the Fuqua Conservancy in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.



As we slowly weaved our way through this horticultural display, we witnessed more than 14,000 plants and flowers. I went ahead and passed through twice just in case I missed something the first time--which normally happens. Now, I don't know how we missed it on the first walk through, but there was a little room off the back that was cranking out some bone chilling a/c! It was GLORIOUS!



Reluctantly, we left the chill-zone to finish out our 2nd-time-around-tour. Even though we were eager to find refuge in the next cool spot, we still took our sweet time making our way around the 8,000 sq ft ecosystem. If you ask me, there really is no other way to appreciate this artistic representation of nature!

Well, this is it for the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens 'Series' :)
If you missed the last post, you can view it here.

p.s. I finally set up my facebook page.

Imagination Fabrication

You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.
~Mark Twain~

It's been a long time since I shared a before and after shot.
I liked the SOC shot, but I didn't think it was anything special.
However, when I came across the photo later,
I decided to mess with it in photoshop.
Here is the original shot, below.
Click to enlarge.

Re-watching the movie "The Prestige" could have very well put
this thought in my head, but when I looked at these two shots
side-by-side, I thought, "Sometimes, you have to make
your own magic!"

Anyone have anything exciting brewing right now?
Please share :)

Atlanta Botanical Gardens

I will skip all of the other fluff, and get to my most favorite part.
The glass encased Fuqua Orchid Center, filled with fragrant,
blooming orchids from around the globe,
was hands down my favorite section.

I sniffed and shot my way around the room as slowly as I could.
And while Cody eagerly pointed out the most unique smells for me to enjoy,
I scrutinized the most interesting looking blossoms -
a couple of which you've already seen in previous posts.

Not all of the blooms had an enticing aroma,
as a matter of fact, some of them stunk to high heaven.
I even recall someone using the term "rotting corpse" to describe one!


(this wasn't the stinky flower)

No matter how putrid they may or may not have been they were gorgeous.
After going through the photos I decided to put together a semi-slide show.
Click on the individual photos to run through the slides - it doesn't cycle itself.
*The first three photos are from other areas of the gardens.





I wish I had the time and energy to give you more details about the gardens - forgive me,
but if I didn't get this done now, I would have put it off even longer!
Besides, I've still got a bunch of other birthday trip stuff to show you.
And this is on top of what Cody and I got in to this weekend.
At this rate, I'm likely to never get caught up.
But I'm not stressing :o)

Posted in Today's Flowers

Less is More

Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone.
The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.
~Lin Yutang~


Slowly but surely, I attempt to cross off completed tasks.
My to-do list doesn't scare me, and I won't let it.
I'm getting things done at my own pace.
The rainy weather doesn't help much.

It was such a chore to make a list and go to the grocery store this evening.
I'm glad that its done though.
Maybe unpacking will also be in our future!
Tell me we aren't the only ones who wait,
or procrastinate rather, when it comes to unpacking.

I'm just trying not to stress out about all that needs to be done around here.
I know that it will be alright if it takes a little more time.

I have yet to get a proper chance to go through my photos from the trip,
but here is another one from our first day while in Atlanta.

Getting back on track.....

No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one.
~Elbert Hubbard~

We really did have a fantastic time on our quick trip.
As a matter of fact, I am still in the process of recovering.
I'm not yet prepared to go over it bit by bit, but believe me, I have lots to share!

The above photo was taken during an excursion on our first day in town.
We spent the first part of my birthday vacation in the bustling city of Atlanta.
My next post will tell you more about our first day, so please check back in tomorrow.

Also......
While I work on getting my groove back, please know that I will be by to visit you very soon.
I feel so disconnected right now, and can't wait to catch up with you all.

*Posted in Today's Flowers