Amanda and I took the girls to look at garden features at Springdale Water Gardens today.
We've wanted to build some kind of water feature ever since we moved in, but we've never quite been ready.
The gardens are about 45 minutes away, short enough to make it seem a quick journey, but long enough for the girls to ask "are we there yet?" There were two focal points at the garden center, one is the exhibit waterfall and pond as you drive in, and the other is a big old barn that serves as the showroom for all sorts of water features.
Amanda and I weren't entirely sure what we were looking for. As we walked among pots of varied size and colors looking for inspiration, the girls became distracted by the indoor fish tanks. The owner of the garden center was in the fish tank building giving a seminar on constructing a waterfall, and he assured us he would keep an eye on the girls while we continued our search.
Sure enough, about 10 minutes later, as Amanda and I started forming a good idea of what we wanted, we looked over at the group of adults in the seminar to discover that Louise and Cora had joined their group.
It was a really nice moment to see the girls off exploring their own interests.
The staff at the garden center were very helpful, and took their time to point out various pitfalls we should avoid when we make our water feature.
We eventually left with two happy girls, and the basic components of our future water feature. We've yet to figure out the precise details, but it looks set to be an enjoyable project. Hopefully one the girls will remember for a long time.
t: maybe you can install a water feature that flows at a constant icy-cold temperature (complete with ice-cubes?) so visitors to your home who are struck with the urge to donate to als research/wet t-shirt contest can do an ice-bucket challenge right there by your front door? super convenient! although i'm waiting until mid-January to do mine i think. much more dramatic if there are icicles dangling from my nostrils afterward. but seriously, if you need help getting said water feature installed, i have some experience but i also know some other more-experienced folks who could probably help get it flowin' perfectly for ya. and of course, the people at springdale are the real experts! glad you had a fun outing! more to come i hope! love, ruth
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