Debora's Dialogue: Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

I went to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens yesterday. There was a deal on Groupon a couple of weeks back that I had purchased and with surgery coming up, I decided it would be best to use it now rather than wait until after and then not get to fit the visit in for some unforeseen reason. Even though I was a little hesitant to go primarily because of the hot Texas weather and knowing I wouldn’t be arriving until noonish, I proceeded to head that way.

I took my time, a lot of time, leisurely walking through the gardens looking at what had been created out of greenery and blooms, attempting to capture the beauty of the gardens on my camera. I actually stunned myself, I spent almost 3 hours enjoying the very warm yet breezy weather, simply taking in flowers and insects. Even though I did get hot and my hair curled from the sweat and humidity, I continued to take my time. If I had known anything about horticulture and plants, I’m sure I would have been there longer. I even took a break getting some cold refreshing water and a frozen lemonade and people watched as I cooled down in the nice breezy shade.

In addition to wonderful gardens, Chihuly, an exhibit of blown glass pieces, was displayed beautifully throughout. I don’t usually allow myself to be taken aback by things but I was very impressed at the unique pieces of glass stationed in the beds and the small falls as I continued to enjoy my visit. There were several displays that I thought “Wow. Simply, beautiful.” Some of the displays were uncomplicated in their artistry but some of the others had very unique idiosyncrasies in their form or shape. The Woman’s Garden was my absolute favorite area in all that I saw yesterday. It seemed to display the most pieces of Chihuly in one central location at the arboretum. Not only that, while in the Woman’s Garden, you can look out across the way and see White Rock Lake as the backdrop to the garden. Visually stunning.

Amazingly, it was very therapeutic. I’ve had quite a bit on my mind as of late and rather than those thoughts distracting me, I focused on being present in the moments at the arboretum, being present in my surroundings, and optically indulging in what it had to show me. I came away feeling very relaxed and as if it was time well spent. Actually, it was the best time spent doing basically nothing in a very long time.

As I stated above, I do have several snapshots (about 150). I’ll add them later when I have time and as soon as I can figure out a way to add them as a gallery, I will. But I think that’s going to require some tweaking and/or some researching about the best way to post photos as an album. I’d rather not do a link in a blog just as I'm unsure that I want a bunch of pictures dominating a blog post. And then another option, I’m not too sure about PWA. As soon as I can invest a little time in seeing what works best for me then I’ll add them. I'm also open to suggestions too. So, for now a few of my favorites below: