OH THE PLACES WE WILL GO - ALDRIDGE GARDENS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A TWO YEAR OLD

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

It is gloomy outside today, but we don’t want to stay in the house, even though G-Ma has begun her spring decorating and I like all the bunnies and flowers.  We’ve already hidden eggs and played with the bunnies and eaten robin's egg candy and peeps and taken a walk outside to G-Ma’s pretty plumb tree that is all white and blooming to listen to the “tweet-tweets sing.”  

What else can we do G-Ma?

Okay……it might rain on us, but we will take the chance.  

Let’s load up the stroller and drive over to Aldridge Gardens.  

"Yea!  That would be grand!"

So we hop in my car seat in G-Ma's car and drive out to Hoover, Alabama.

When we first arrived it was sprinkling rain.  We were not too sure about getting out of the car, but we grabbed our bag of bread for the ducks, put the top up on my stroller and headed out anyway. 

A kind man with a BIG umbrella came to meet us at the car.  He began walking us to the guest house thinking we were here for the wedding party.  

He laughed when G-Ma asked if he was going to walk around the lake with us! 

By the time he figured out we were not with the wedding party, the sky had cleared and we were not getting wet anyway.  

I let the top down on the stroller, and I decided I mostly wanted to walk on my own.  

I told G-Ma to look after my vehicle while I explored this awesome place.

The first thing we saw was this.  G-Ma told me it was a sun-dial.  I still am not so sure what that means.

It is so pretty here!  

Even at the end of winter, the little spring flowers are starting to bloom and there are petals scattered all over the sidewalks where the wind has blown us a carpet of them to walk through.  Nice welcome before looking up to see two BIG bunnies and a friendly turtle.

They like me!  I think I’ll visit with them awhile.  

These are not interested in my bread.  I wonder why G-Ma insisted that we bring it along.  I think I'll just nibble on it myself!

They are close to where the wedding reception chairs are being placed, we skirted around that area and went to see the pretty little waterfall.

Look at the lake!  It is so pretty!  See the trees in the lake!

Look!  There are some ducks swimming in this water!

I will feed them my bread!  Come here little ducks!

This is fun!  They like me!  

Here is a wooden bridge.  Let's walk over it and see what is on the other side.

Wow!  This place is really cool.  I think I know why G-Ma likes to come here so much.

We walk down to the lakeside where wedding chairs are waiting for their occupants.  Oh!  The ducks are having their own private ceremony.  How convenient!  Shhhhhh……don’t frighten them.  “Quack-quack” but in a whisper.

Look!  There is a boat house.  I see people there, maybe I can make some friends today.

Can we go inside????  Pleeeeese!!!!!

It is easy to make friends when you are the only one with bread.  

Look!   The fish and turtles swim right up to our feet!  

How exciting can things get around here?  New kids, fish, turtles and water.  Nothing is better than this!

So sorry fish and turtles.  I'm all out of bread!  I gave it all away to my new friends and I fed you all the rest.  The ducks got some you know!

Goodbye little fishes and turtles!

Just one last look at the pretty water from the boat house.

Okay G-Ma......I'm coming.

Lot's more of the park to see.  We will probably not be able to see it all today, if we walked around the lake it might pour down rain on us.  Something to do on another more sunny day.

Oh!  A goose comes up to us!  “Honk Honk…..I want some bread!”  I discover that my grandmother can speak goose!  “Honk-Honk” she says back. I try it too.  "Honk-Honk!!!  Honk-Honk!!!"

Well, it was fun, but we have to be moving on if we are going by Toys-R-Us and stopping for Ice Cream at Brewster”s today.

Okay…..but look!  More friends!!!!!

We pause to greet more park lovers before strolling back to the gate.  

We stop by the funny man’s head  (I'm not sure about him)  and the other sculptures people put into the wood along the pathway.  I’m sure no one would appreciate them in quite the same way that I did.  G-Ma says Art is in my blood. 

As we go back toward the gate I  think the yellow flowers are the prettiest!

Good bye pretty gardens . 

And we are off to get ice cream and look at toys.  

I’m sure they could never be as entertaining as walking in this lovely garden during the sprinkling rain.