WINTER WALK OF LIGHTS - MEADOWLARK GARDENS - PART 4

 This is the last of the Winter Walk of Lights from our favorite botanical garden.  

Here we see more views of the blue trees.  I don't normally go for colors other than the usual Christmas ones that I have known my whole life, the reds and the greens, the golds and the silvers.  However, there was something about these blue trees that I truly loved.  The one below shows the gazebo all lit up to the right of center.  It reminds me of a child's spinning top toy, because of its reflection in the lake.

Another follows of a close up I tried of the lake and those reflections.  I used my phone for all photos at the garden.  Sometimes when I try to 'get closer' by using the zoom, they blur considerably, some worse than others.  This one is a little out of focus but I thought it was charming, and it's a memory of how I took to those swans.  Another bird I am enamored with because I get to see them so rarely.

The Heron's beak is pointing in the direction of the gazebo.    

The frog was nearby and you can see the video below of it 'jumping'.

So, next we went onto where the insects hang out!

 I think the spider would be a great decoration for October 31st, but it was doing a great job here too!  

Even the cicadas made it into the mix.

Nature is represented in every way.

The Gnomes were taking care of everyone also.  

You can see more of them at this post, when I was here in November.  

The garden staff had been hard at work putting these lights up.

We stayed away from the skunks and admired them from afar.

Every part of the walk delighted the eyes.

"I 'toadly' love these lights!"  

Yes, that's a bit of a groaner.

But he 'toadly' does love these lights!

You practically needed sunglasses.  No, not really!

Photos don't really give these displays the justice they deserve.  

'Toadly' love it!  Okay I'll stop now.

The flowers and mushrooms glowed beautifully!

Coming to the end of my post, there are only four photos left to share.  

Such a happy atmosphere!  Everyone was glad to be out and about, little kids and big kids. 

There was even a place where you could get a cup of hot chocolate or coffee.  If you wanted a tasty treat there were S'mores, candy, snacks and more.  We didn't stop for those as we were tired and headed back for the car. 

Even the moon was joining in.  It couldn't have been a more perfect evening, and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously. 

For those of us who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas!  I wish you the happiest time with your Loved Ones.

To blogging friends who are of other Faiths with your own special celebrations, here in the U.S. and around the world, I wish you the same.  

And may we all experience peace, joy and love in good health and kindness in 2022.

(I will be taking a blogging break but will be back next week sometime.)

WINTER WALK OF LIGHTS - MEADOWLARK GARDENS - PART 3

I am very happy the videos worked yesterday.  Thank you for all the nice comments.  I am sharing photos today.  The first is of a house just up the road from the garden.  They had their own private light show going on.  It was beautiful!  Unfortunately, my photo came out a bit blurry, but I think it is okay enough to give you an idea.Here we are on the grounds of the garden.  The next photo shows all those tree-hugging lights through the fence.  We were near the visitor center and were about to go in.The light show concentrates on nature for the most part.  They had a few people like these carol singers...dancers, and a figure of a girl pulling a sleigh, and I may have missed a few, but I was happy that there was a greater concentration on...flowers...animals... birds...

insects... 

reptiles

and other beautiful creatures, great and small!

The view down to the lake and beyond was stunning.  The paths were roped off and we couldn't walk down to the water's edge like we usually do.  The organizers were probably taking precautions to prevent anyone falling into the water.  Even my Sweet Other Half looked at me when I said something to the effect, and laughed.  I don't know why he was looking so knowingly in my direction!

I have more photos to share but as I want to get this out for tomorrow and I am running late, I will end here.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  

Have a great day!

WINTER WALK OF LIGHTS - MEADOWLARK GARDENS - PART 2

 After leaving the Fairy Garden we stopped off at the tree.  It changed to many colors in the few minutes we were standing there.

Today I concentrated on downloading the videos, which was an easier task than I had first thought.  

Perhaps you can let me know in the comments if they worked for you?  Hopefully you will find them enjoyable.  I have to keep telling myself to slow down as I scan a scene.  A couple I have left out as you would have been on a rollercoaster ride!  I will keep practicing.

Thanks you for stopping by,

 and I hope your day is a great one!

WINTER WALK OF LIGHTS - MEADOWLARK GARDENS - PART 1

 Last night we decided to go down to Meadowlark Gardens.  We were there when they were starting to put up all the lights in late October.  You can see my posts here and here.  

I am very happy we were there at the very beginning, as it made me appreciate all the hard work that goes into making this event possible.  Thank you to Meadowlark and all its staff for making this a very happy evening for us, and no doubt for everyone who attended. 

We start off in the Fairy Garden.  

I overheard a lady saying that this fairy garden was "enchanting".  Couldn't agree more!  

Apparently this is their ninth year for the event, and there are between 75,000 to 80,000 visitors who attend. The tickets go on sale in early October, and we purchased our timed-tickets for 6.00 p.m. online at this link.  

The walk is open nightly Thursday, November 11th, 2021, through Sunday, January 2nd, 2022, including all holidays.   

If you are in this area and would like to visit, for more information their website has all that you need.  After purchasing online you are sent a ticket on your phone, which you show a person who scans the bar code.  We found a lady sitting inside the visitor center and there was no line, we just walked onthrough: https://www.novaparks.com/events/winter-walk-of-lights

The night was chilly but not so cold that I needed my gloves.  I was glad for my coat but by the time we reached the car at the end of the evening, I took my coat off.  It was a perfect night for walking.  

I just had a thought, we purchased our tickets that morning but if you do get them in advance, you may have to deal with bad weather.  That being the case, I read that though the tickets are non-refundable, you can transfer them to another night.

Throughout the garden the regular, cross-over paths are roped off so that people are guided in one direction.  With the number of people visiting even with a timed ticket, I thought this was a very good idea.  We are also asked to stay on the path and not walk on the grass, for obvious reasons, electrical connections and lights, etc.

Thanks for looking today.

I hope your day is a great one!