Sister and her camera

On Monday my three sisters, mom and I went to the fabulous Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Mi..
Oh I could pitch a tent and set up a cot and stay, they have bathrooms. It could work.

Stunning isn't it?

But the arboretum is just one facet of this place.

Everywhere you look there are inspiring ideas.

Like hanging baskets at various levels and planting iris within the hosta and fern beds.

My sister brought her camera and last evening she sent me some photos

after checking them out I told her some of them were going on

Sideline Grandma.

By the way she's the grandma of one really

 adorable 1 year old granddaughter and a grandson to be born in August.  

She looked like this a lot on Monday.

Throughout the day she would step aside and zone out on a shot  

 while the rest of us chatted and walked and chatted some more

and paid little attention to what she was up to.

 As the youngest of the four sisters she's had to wear our hand-me-downs and

listen to us all her life, no wonder she was in her own creative world.

As we strolled through the floral designs and fabulous sculpture garden I remarked

that we've never been a terribly artistic family.

Boy was I wrong.

Have a look..

Orchids from the tropical arboretum.

The Kousa Dogwood trees were gorgeous on May 21.

Along the artwork trail.

Chives.

From "The Farm", the replica homestead of Mrs. Meijers childhood family farm,

this charming photo.

Besides the gardens being a study in floral landscape design there's a two mile walking trail through a sculpture garden featuring the most amazing and notable exhibit of all, "the horse", this guy,

who is in fact extremely tall.

Extremely.

We didn't touch him, that's forbidden.

We've turned into an obedient bunch.

When mom's around.

Mom had to take the dreaded wheel chair which

she doesn't ever want to do and she didn't like the idea of us having to push her 

and kept saying she should walk.

At 95 a person should be free to ride.

Mom lives in my youngest sister's home now,

as siblings we are thankful for a safe and loving place for her.

These rock formations were trucked from northern New York state

for this man made waterfall.

Oh so pretty.  

Lastly here's the forlorn desert horse and he needs some lovin'.

This poor guy is of normal size and

appears to be starving for attention as he's just around the corner

 from the fabulous attention grabbing bronze celebrity horse.

Sad isn't it?

Thanks for the photos sis.. and

thanks for taking care of mom..

Sideline Grandma