The kids showed up for child care today and it almost made the weekend seem like a dream. Last Friday at 6:30 AM I took off for Chicago, arriving there at 2 PM. Why would anyone fly over 2000 miles just for the weekend? I wanted to meet other garden bloggers, whom I have only known through their written words. The chance to get to meet them was too great a temptation to resist, so for only about the 5th time in 26 years I closed the child care Friday to give myself what was most definitely a whirlwind weekend! I arrived too late for the beginning events but visited 5 different gardens ranging from the private garden of television chef Rick Bayless
to the beautiful Lurie Garden in Millennium Park
to Ginko Organic Gardens, a community production garden that serves Uptown area homeless and low-income people. We also were welcomed by Carolyn Gail of Sweet Home and Garden Chicago and I have been coveting the idea of her rain chain ever since! The Garfield Park Conservatory was a wonderful maze of rooms including the Fern Room, Palm House, Desert House and more. Cindy of My Corner Of Katy and I enjoyed seeing "greenhouse" plants that we grow outside...a nice example of the different climates in which we all garden.But enough of the garden talk! I love a good garden visit as much as the next plantaholic but my main interest was to visit gardeners. I know I will read many of my favorite blogs with a changed ear now that I've heard the literal voices of their writers. I've long enjoyed hearing authors of my favorite books speak for that same reason...you get to know the cadence and tone of their voice and how you approach their work changes. I'm excited to see how this works out in the coming days...and I'm excited to add new blogs to my Google Reader. The garden blogging world is expanding so much that it's difficult to keep up. But there are several blogs that will be going on the reader because I so enjoyed meeting their authors this weekend...authors whose literal voices I now know. I only wish it had been possible to meet more of the bloggers but I suppose then I'd never catch up on my reading!
Here I am with some of the bloggers whose voices I now know...Elizabeth of Gardening While Intoxicated and Garden Rant, Carol of May Dreams Gardens and Cindy of My Corner Of Katy.
The top photo is one of an orchid in the Orchid Room that Rose of Ramble On Rose wanted to photograph just as her battery went dead...maybe this will suffice.
13 comments:
Yes, it was a whirlwind of a weekend and great to me you in person! I woke up this morning and headed into work and it did seem like a dream. But I have pictures to prove I was there!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Fun to read Leslie and so nice to meet you too. I felt like I already knew you. It was nice to give you a hug in Chicago. I'm glad you flew all that way. Too bad it's all over.~~Dee
Yeah, Les, I felt like we were old pals but it was good to get a real warm hug and to see that great smile of yours. I feel better already. Love the photos!
I am glad you got to do this...and happy you shared the photo, as I now have a face to associate with your blog. :-)
I'm so glad I finally got to meet you! I just wish I had thought to ask someone to talk a photo of you, me & Rose together as the Little Italian contingent.
Leslie, I was so pleased to meet you and to have a chance to have some conversations! It sure was busy and like you I loved the gardens but 'hanging' with the bloggers was the best time...it's why I arrived early and stayed late!
Isn't that just the way it is after a vacation...back to our real life!
Gail
It will be fun to have the voices of the bloggers in my head as I read their posts now. So true! It was great to meet you, even though we're practically neighbors... :D
Leslie, I miss hanging with y'all already ... thanks so much for making the trip! We look good against the backdrop of the Lurie, don't we???!!!
I hear the voices too, Leslie. (Sounds scary, doesn't it?) It was wonderful to meet you. And thanks for being so patient as I photographed your bag. I only wish I could have captured a good shot of you with it, but the contrast was too great. :-)
So glad you made it to Chicago Leslie! I can hardly believe how fast the weekend flew by. I'm enjoying getting around and seeing everyone's SF posts. It's hard to keep up with them, but fun trying.
I so enjoyed meeting you all! Everyone, near and far , seems close now. I love it!
Hearing the other bloggers voices when you read their words is what happened after Austin's Spring fling, too, Leslie. It's fun to see you having fun and it's wonderful that you got to go to all those wonderful places.
Hope to meet you someday!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Hi Annie! If there were one thing that could have made the weekend even better it would have been to have you there. I also hope to meet you some day...we'll have to hope for it to happen!
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