Voir Visits the Botanic Garden

This morning I announced that I was going 

to go to the Botanic Garden for a few hours. 

Ella groaned, "Not again!". 

Amaya was busy playing with the gecko who went to Florida with her.

Voir spoke up. 

"I arrived on Monday, and I have only been out once this week. 

I thought I was going to go out and do fun things! 

I will go see flowers with you!" 

The entrance area of the Botanic Garden

has the most flowers.

Voir enjoyed them all!

Since we arrived shortly after it opened,

some of the plants had just been watered.

This snail crept out in a shaded are.

Voir found him to be quite fascinating.

"Look! It is a snail! Can I keep him for a pet?" 

ADAD A Pet

"No, but you can enjoy watching it creep back into the plants."

Then, there were more flowers!

Small flowers! Big Flowers!

Flowers with bees or other bugs on them!
"I am not going near the bees!!!"

Some areas were very landscaped.

Some areas looked more like yards 

or undeveloped land here in New Mexico.

When we arrived at the main pond,

we watched the train go by.

I pointed out the Butterfly Pavilion on the opposite side

of the pond.

Voir was more interested in the ducks and geese in the pond.

A large pot had potted flowers just her size!

"Don't I look pretty with the flowers?!!!"

On the other side of the potted flowers

was an area with the natural trees and plants in New Mexico,

including cactus!

I started getting hotter after our short walk around,

so I hurried to the secret of the Botanic Garden.

The adobe farmhouse has bathrooms and running water,

and has an air system turned on during the summer.

My inner teacher and educational guide also joined us.
After all, Voir is a visitor.
As a visitor, she would want to learn about where she was visiting!

Heritage Farm is an exhibit area representing Albuquerque

farm life in the 1920's and 1930's.
It has an adobe farm house, a barn with livestock,

a produce barn used to turn apples into cider in the fall,

and several orchard areas.

It is a working farm that contributes its produce to the zoo,

which is a part of the larger Bio Park organization.

Yes, time to cool off!!!!

Voir was interested in the animals in the barn.

She saw the sheep eating near the barn.

She was astounded by how big the cow is.

The goat was hanging out with the cow.

Maybe it needed more room to roam than its own pen.

Maybe the cow and the goat had become friends.

An area behind the barn shows how big an acre is.

There is also a display of old farm equipment and wagons.

To the side of the barn was the orchard.

Apples and some kind of peach or apricot grew in the orchard.

Voir found the vineyard to be more fascinating.

"Do they make wine with the grapes?"

I don't know, but they have a variety of grapes and could

be making wine, or could be feeding the grapes to zoo animals.

We looped back toward the adobe house.

Another exhibit area demonstrated that clothes were once

washed by hand.

Voir found posing in the jean pocket to be much more fun

and comfortable than sitting on top of the clothes line and hanging

onto the clothes pin!

I told Voir that I really was getting hot and thirsty,

and it was time to head back toward the entrance.

We paused to enjoy the flowers near the adobe house again.

I captured a butterfly!

Before leaving, Voir insisted that we see the model trains.
I agreed. Mostly because they are under the trees.

She watched a faster, modern train speed by.

She was most interested in the more old fashioned looking train.

At one point, we watched the two trains pass each other.

There is the older train again!

Voir thanked me for bringing her to such a fun and beautiful place.

"..but wait...can I watch it again before we leave?"

Voir, we are leaving!!!

"Okay, okay...."