Dreary Saturday

Late fall, early winter weather settled in Saturday; not ice and snow but overcast and rainy. Not to fall victim to the elements, Linda called and asked about the botanical center. I liked the sound of that and, surprise, grabbed my camera. She swung by and we were rolling.

On the way, we passed the outdoor skating rink that Eric and I had seen full of people on a colder but clearer day. This time, there were only a handful; not bad considering it was cold and rainy. We figured that these folks had plans or promises to keep and, if there was ice, they were going to be skating.

The Botanical Center was still decked out in holiday style. Poinsettias were much more abundant than usual and there were Christmas lights and balls accenting certain areas. A sculptor also had several pieces on display intermingled with the plants.

Attendance in general was good as we could always see people doing this or that; several of them also had their cameras out as well.

One mother / son pair were doing some very good educational work. The mother had prepared for the visit and had a small book with at least a map of the United States that I saw. The two of them were mapping where certain plants were located in the center and referencing the map to see where that plant was more commonly found. More than once, we heard the woman instruct the boy to go to a particular plant and she'd meet him there.

Linda was pleased with her introduction to another Des Moines landmark and we called it a day.