A Day out,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Yesterday we went out for the day. Dan (who lives with us) Laura (my daughter and Dan's ex wife) Reina and Tristen...........we set out quite early for us, about 9.30 and went and picked up Laura and Reina at their house. Robert (her hubby) stayed home and cleaned the basement. Well we set off on the scenic route to Crystal Gardens. That is a really nice garden center out in Benzie county. Check out the link.

It's not just a garden center. Although it has a wonderful selection of just about any plants you need as well as plants that are natural to this area. There is a great gift shop, well garden shop with ornaments, globes and so on. I was very good. I did resist. One reason we like to take the kids there is because they have a Butterfly house. There is a garden with a pond and fish and turtles. Other animals that they show now and then, we have never been there at the right time for that but we enjoy looking around on our own. Finches fly free and so do white doves. There are toads and chipmunks and a display with Peacocks. They sell Peacocks. If I had acreage I would buy some.

The finches just fly around but its a job to catch them sitting still.

One of the turtles


I will just post a few more pictures from Crystal Gardens. There is an Antique shop called The Barn Swallow. Its awesome but we dare not look too much this time because the kids were rowdy. You have to enter the bird house/butterfly place through there though so its tempting


There were hardly any butterfly's as yet.........I certainly have seen none in my garden either. bummer




They have even opened a Rock shop and so I got some sandpaper to buff Petoskey stones.
After that we walked around the garden area where they have a nice stream and ponds and displays of all kinds of flowers. Its fun to get ideas and see the plants growing in a garden setting.

This frog was hiding in a bush but we saw him


After that we went to lunch in Frankfort. Lunch was on Dan. The kids were wound up so after lunch we let them run at the park to get their ya ya's out.



The next place to stop was the Alpaca farm. Oh how sweet they are. Unfortunatley it was so hot they all went in the barn. One cutie was the designated greeter though and was in the shade under a tree. How soft they are. The shop had some wonderful things in there. May go back before Christmas. Nice gifts,'

Its was so hot we didnt stay long but we stopped up the road at Gwen Frostic's place and I did a post about her on Bluebell Woods blog

We did stop one more time at another garden center. Alas I broke down and bought some flowers. I also asked Dan next time he's out in the county to stop and get me some Queen Annes Lace and Golden Rod. Don't get caught though. We cant pick wild flowers. Shame as they get mowed down by the grass cutters along the road edges.


Just had to show this picture. Got a good shot of a fly


Well it is pretty close up.

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