Not a drop to spare

Chicago Botanic Gardens are not located in Chicago. They are in Northbrook, IL. When I was there July 5th and 6th, they had a fairly good downpour in the late afternoon hours of July 5th. So I assume there is not a water shortage in that area, as they have had rain off and on all summer. The point is they can water the gardens, and this little pond/waterfall in the Japanese Garden is still full.

I have always heard that looking at a body of water has a calming effect on people, and have found that to be true on a personal level. I took this shot at around 8:30 am, drenched in sweat, kneeling in the shade. And then I just sat down to gaze out at the beauty. I was calm but slightly delirious when I considered jumping into the pond. Good sense prevailed: I want to return to the gardens when the weather is not so blazing.

Indiana's water restrictions are growing. Scary stuff.
Linda

Chicago Botanic Gardens

There is nothing quite like early morning light for taking photographs of flowers. All of these were taken between 7 and 8am. The gardeners were out watering the flower beds, so some of the shots I took have water droplets on the petals. Black Eyed Susans are the last shot: are they not stunning? Thinking I need some of those for next year.

Enjoy your day.
Linda

What not to do in the heat

Pat and I took a 3 day break from being pet moms (yes, that requires a vacation every once in awhile), and stayed in a very nice hotel in Northbrook, IL. We wanted to visit the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

If you have never been, please consider going. The gardens are beautiful and you can easily spend an entire day wandering around taking photographs. We have done this in the past. But not when the official temperature in the Chicago metropolitan area was 105. I left 105 degrees in Indianapolis, sure wasn't looking forward to revisiting it in Chicago. Big sigh. The Gardens open at 7am, so that is when we pulled into the parking lot, getting a spot very close to the main entrance.

By 9am, we were done. More than done. Cooked, fried, dripping sweat, and looking at one another to make sure neither of us was going to collapse. We threaded our way back to the air conditioned cafeteria for a cup of coffee, shopped in the gift shop, and left for an air conditioned mall.

It's only July 10th. Traditionally, the hot weather lasts in the Midwest until mid to late September. Oh, boy. With no rain in central Indiana and intense heat, it has developed into a serious condition. The entire area is on water restriction. I fully understand the need for this, because there are some people more concerned about a green lawn than conserving water. I stopped water my grass over a month ago. It is now brown and dormant. I am very worried about my trees. Just don't want to lose them.

So if you know someone in this area and they have a birthday, anniversary, whatever, a very nice present would be a tanker full of water.

Thank you. Thank you very much.
Linda