I love living in Arlington. We are right in between Dallas and Fort Worth and all the amazing opportunities and entertainment they have to offer. One benefit of living in the Metroplex is having double the fun from which to choose; two zoos, two botanical gardens, more museums than you can count, sports teams galore, and every very small town has its own festival or trademark event that they promote throughout the year. Everyone wants to attract attention and attendees, so often times things are free or admission prices are reduced! Yay for us!
In January, Drew and I checked out the Dallas Zoo during "Penguin Days" (not sure why I didn't write a post about it). Since January and February are cooler months and people are less likely to think of spending a day at the zoo, tickets are only $5.00! It was a great visit and the weather was perfect on the day we went. At the other end of the spectrum, August is quite hot and so the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Gardens hosts Dollar Days. So, for $14.16, my friend and I were able to pay for parking, admission, and two smoothies!
We arrived early on the last Saturday of the event, expecting the place to be packed; it was busy, but not as crowded as I anticipated. The sky was cloudy and the air was a bit humid, but the fog burned off and the sun was blazing by the time we left. We only planned to stay for about two hours, but we could have been there all day! If you like walking slowly and taking macro photos, the arboretum is the place to be. I can't wait to take Drew - he'll go camera crazy! Plus, the plants are all labeled, which will make him very happy, because he believes it should be the law to display the names of flowers and plants in public places. We'll have to go back to research what types of flowers to plant come springtime. Part of me wishes I had brought one of my fancier cameras with me, but I am honestly astounded at how well my pocket-sized point and shoot performed. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures I took!
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| This butterfly bush was covered with bees! I think the trick to avoiding bees and wasps at home will be to have lots of flowers. Those insects didn't even care that we were there. |
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| These purple gnomes are just like the ones in our front yard. I am glad that ours look as good as the arboretum's! |
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| There are 4 conditions that make spiders an acceptable part of my life. 1) They must be outside, 2) They must be far away from my house, 3) They must be small and cute, 4) They must pose for pictures. |
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| The only thing missing from this pond was frogs on the lily pads. |
