Enjoying the great outdoors

I've mentioned Secrest Arboretum before. It's on the campus of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster where I work, and it's where I took the lovely crabapple pictures, stopped to smell the roses with my Sissy, and enjoyed their old-fashioned fragrant blooms. It's such a great (and free!) place to get out and enjoy the great outdoors with the kids.

With nearly 90 acres and 3,000 cultivars of plants, something is almost always in bloom.

There's a lovely outdoor ampitheater...perfect for weddings, special events, and more...

Or for little boys who want to be a star...

Or who just love the feeling of being on stage...

There are plenty of benches for resting and enjoying the sounds of nature...

Or for just hanging out...

Or waiting for a friend...

Or even playing as you enjoy the butterfly garden..

 There are wonders to behold...

And every thing is labeled...just in case you want to know what it is for your home landscape (or you're keeping notes for when your kidders are inevitably assigned a leaf collection project)...

And who doesn't love water on a hot summer day?

A cool drink hits the spot...

And the new Discovery Pavilion is chock-full of information on biological calendars (and it aligns perfectly with major solar and lunar events).

Plus is provides some shade for play time...

It's built entirely of native Ohio woods...

And you can always dream of having a house overlook a garden like this one...