Guest Garden in D.C.

So, who dashes off to Washington (the D.C. one) without charging her camera?  Apparently ... I do!

We took advantage of a Groupon to hop a train to D.C. on Saturday to see the decorations and just get away for a few minutes.  Having lived there many years ago, it is still one of our favorite cities - and we know how to get around!  We like to go a couple of times a year - if we can - to see what's new in the museums.

This time we targeted the U.S. Botanic Garden, which we had never visited.  I thought it would be a nice, quiet oasis in the winter.  And, I was partly right.

I loved this pale pink one that was growing "wild" - not part of the display of potted varieties.

The poinsettias were abundant and wonderful, as were the orchids, but that was all that was naturally blooming.  My favorite part was actually a display of giant aluminum flowers and plants.  Clearly designed for the children, there was no good explanation of what the "meaning" of the exhibit was, but they had gathered herbs and spices at kid-level to demonstrate natural flavorings and smells, and we enjoyed it a lot.

 

There was also a train exhibit that had attracted hundreds of parents and children - so much for the quiet part of our plan.  We did not stand in line for the trains, but did enjoy the miniature replicas of many government buildings.

The best thing of all, tho, was a huge bed of yellow iris in full bloom - on December 15th.  Did I mention that I forgot to charge my camera?  You'll have to use your imagination!