Elizabeth's Secret Garden

Going to Downtown Chicago three times during my stay in Illonois, made the trip feel like three trips rolled into one. I’m a more nature minded kind of girl, but big cities fascinate me. For the final visit to Chicago before flying on home, I got the best of both worlds. Seeing Lake Michigan was like a huge bonus. It wasn’t on my radar, so when I realized we were going to get to go along the famous lake shore coast line, I was very happy. The Greatest Challenge… Hands down is parking and so if you haven’t opted for the public transit, then check out https://en.parkopedia.com/ . Each time you park it can cost about $22 for just a couple hours and once you go through, even if you make a mistake, you’ve got to pay the price. I speak from experience. The lady though was kind enough to refund us, but don’t risk it! Do a search on your location and see which places are cheapest. If you’re planning to go to Navy Pier, the Lakefront Trail is a popular and well-known route. Just be prep...

I thrive on adventure, going places, meeting new people. I’ve said yes to eating the hottest pepper in the world and going out on a piece of glass (the skydeck) to look straight down at the Chicago city below. The competition to the Sky Deck, meet the Chicago 360. It’s home is the John Hancock Center, a 100-story, 1,228-foot building. That’s a lot of floors! Designed by Brue Graham and engineered by Fazlur Khan, this building was brought to a completion on May 6, 1968. It was at the time the second tallest building in the word. It now holds the title of the eighth-tallest building in the US. The views are remarkable. You get to look out to an all around view of the city, see up to four states, and look a distance of 80 miles out. Some may say that facing your fears is the best way to cure them and I find it to be true. I have a “slight” dislike of heights and figured that going on the Chicago 360 and then the Sky Deck (a jump up from the 360) was a great way to cure those feelings. I c...

If I could use two words to describe Shedd Aquarium, they would be, magnificant and mesmerizing. It’s not every day you get to hear balooga whales make sqeaking noises or watch a large sting ray glide by right in front of your face. Mind you, it’s $40 dollars for an adult ticket, but worth every cent. So here is a word of advice, when choosing to drive your car, park in the planetarium parking which is in walking distance of the aquarium. If you get there before 9:30 am, you get the early bird price which is $11 as of the time of this posting. Just be sure it’s not on the day of an event because when we came back to see the plantarium, parking was $49! For obvious reasons, we passed this up and called it a day. These are all the little things they don’t tell you in the tourist websites. Website: http://www.sheddaquarium.org/   Shedd Aquarium opened on May 30, 1930 and for awhile was the largest indoor aquarium containing 5,000,000 US gallons of water! That’s far greater than you...

  As the weather increases in warmth, gardens are coming alive with activity. Before the heat really sets in, my family has been visiting as many local gardens and nature parks as possible. The best time to go to gardens are early morning. If your schedule permits, week days are best. We’ve done exceedingly well at finding the free ones and who wouldn’t go for that? Whether you want a nice morning stroll, want to spend quality time with family, or exerise your photography skills, there are so many options. It was well work the 45 minute drive out to UNC Chapel Hill. It is very well kept and tended for. You won’t be disappointed!! Website for North Carolina Botanical Gardens at UNC Chapel Hill: http://ncbg.unc.edu/visit/   Visiting hours: Tuesday – Saturday 9 am – 5 pm Sunday: 1 pm – 5 pm Closed Mondays and University Holidays. A spot you won’t want to miss is The Mercer Reeves Hubbard Herb Garden. There is said to be 500 species and cultivars. An important addition to th...

  Stepping foot in the North Carolina State Capitol is like entering a whole other era as it is so well preserved with the originality firmly entact. It was completed in the year 1840 with a Greek Revival style of architecture. The Capitol housed the General Assembly until 1963 which they moved into the Legislative Building, but the office of the Governor and Secretary of State have remained. The Capitol proudly holds the title of Raleigh Historic Landmark and sits in the center of Capitol Square. If you desire to visit you can join the 100,000 visitors that come each year. You can be part of public tours at designated times or take a self-guided tour which is especially nice if you like to take your time with photographs and observing. Capitol tour: http://nchistoricsites.org/capitol/STAT_CAP/Tour.htm   The Rotunda is a key focal point of the Capitol. Upon entering, you will see the 1970 copy of the George Washington statue by Antonio Canova. As you can see, my visit too...

  In late afternoon, I began a road trip with a group of friends with our destination being none other than Pilot Mountain. The sun was beginning to set as the Hybrid we drove struggled to reach the top. We followed the road as it took us on curves and closer to our goal. The air grew thinner, but the excitement thickened. The mountain before us was a white quartzite monadnock. Pilot Mountain is part of the A.V.A Yadkin mountain. It rises up to 2,421 feet above sea level and expands across 3,703 acres! A combination of hours in the car, tiredness, but a feeling of amazement washed over me as I gazed at the valley directly below us.  If you look out and beyond, you can see some pristine, untouched forest along with homes resting in the valley. It looks so peaceful and almost undisturbed. Further out you might even catch a glimpse of Hanging Rocks State Park which we conquered the following day.

  It is that time of year when the heat of the summer is upon us, but it is also the time when flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, and butterflies are beginning to emerge. This year, I’ve got squash, large tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, and butterfly plants in my garden. The chocolate mint has really been a sensation this year. News of it has been spreading around the preschool that I work at and my dad has been drying it to distill. Other exciting happenings, are that my hollyhocks (picture below) are blooming with it being their second year and my native Common Milkweed is getting flowers. I’ve been waiting two years to see them bloom. Hollyhocks getting ready to open. A bumble bee enjoying lavender. Yarrow which is a herb used for fevers. Penta The squash and zucchini have started producing. I’ve got an entire row for them, though it looks like the squash borers might soon steal my family’s feast. With gardening, you’ve got to get used to the fact that you will ha...