One of the Many Sculptures in the Park
One of the Many Sculptures in the Park

I can’t decide if I like the Frederik Meijer Gardens more at Christmas or in the summer. What I can say is that it’s a beautiful place to visit any time of day, and any time of year. If you’re still looking for that perfect Christmas present, they have a gift shop with reasonably priced gifts that are unique and special.

The Night Was Perfect
The Night Was Perfect

It was one of those nights when everything seemed perfect. I took a photo of this couple from a rooftop in Grand Rapids after the Celebration on The Grand fireworks display. One of the great things about Grand Rapids is that you get a big city feeling, yet without most of the hassle.

Grand Rapids Condo Living
Grand Rapids Condo Living

There has been a surge of people seeking condos in downtown Grand Rapids and it’s easy to see why when you spend some time in one of them. A lot of the condos have rooftop common areas where residents can enjoy the cityscape like I did on this warm summer night.

Lotus flower in full bloom
As a yoga lover, I’ve always been fascinated with lotus flowers. This year I finally built a lotus bog and here’s my the first bloom.

By the way, thanks everyone who came out to see me at the Reed’s Lake Fine Art Show today in East Grand Rapids. It was a great show and I was honored to be included with all the wonderful artists there.

Rachle Finan, Flame Thrower

Rachle Finan of the Super Happy Funtime Burlesque performed a fire dance tonight at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center Avenue for the Arts event. I’d never seen a fire dance before, it was really interesting, especially with Rachle. She has a lot of energy and enthusiasm… my son calls her “Sexy Pochahontas.”

Awesome Old Barn Along Route
I took this photo of an old, old barn on my mid Michigan road trip. Usually when I’m going somewhere, I just want to blast over there in the straightest, fastest route possible. But, ever since Captain Cutie Pie gave me a Garmon GPS, I try to take some extra time and choose the scenic route on the back roads. Why? It’s more fun and now I know I won’t get lost.

Here’s a great drive that I discovered on my way up North, there’s lots of old barns, and beautiful, beautiful farmland. I highly recommend it. Take a look at this Google map I made special for you, it shows the drive, I stopped about 1/2 way up 66, but you just might want to keep going. And for you guys up north, take the drive down to see us here in lower Michigan! More pics of my trip coming next week.

Water Sculture at Frederik Meijer Gardens
I never get tired of the Frederik Meijer Gardens, as I’m sure you can tell if you look at my blog long enough! This is a sculture that you can walk inside and once there, it has water flowing through a steel link screen. It makes you feel kind of off balance when you look at it.

Butterfly sitting on a green leaf
When I went to the Butterfly exhibit at Frederik Meijer Gardens, it made me think of how wonderful children are and how important it is to take them to events like this. The children were absolutely delighted with the butterflies and it was as much fun watching their responses to all the awesome butterflies as it was to see the main attraction.