olbrich gardens

one of the things i will miss the most about living in madison is olbrich gardens. it is one of my favorite places to go. it is free, which is a definite bonus. it is peaceful. and it is beautiful. since the saying goes " a picture is worth a thousand words," i don't think i need to write much here.


















spring is always my favorite time to go here. not that it isn't pretty at other times of the year. but i have a special appreciation for their spring flowers.














maybe because it finally is getting nice. and the world is becoming a little more colorful again. maybe because i love tulips & daisies.
maybe because i like the simple flowers best. don't get me wrong i love roses and all that too, but spring flowers always seem a little easier & simpler & more me.














this year i learned how to achieve bokeh in some of my pictures. i love reading http://thepioneerwoman.com/. she is funny & gives lots of great tips on photography. check out this link to learn more about her obsession with bokeh. another one of my favorite posts of hers that i've actually tried is a cooking one. roasted garlic mashed potatoes. has absolutely nothing to do with this post. but holly & my parents were big fans of my attempt with this.














finally. this is maybe the main reason i love olbrich gardens. this spot. right here. this very bench. this is the meadow garden. this is my spot. i took holly to the gardens once and showed her this and then she proceeded to go find her own spot. this is my favorite spot in the entire gardens. and it its best seen in spring. like in this picture. this picture is a couple years old, but it gives you a pretty good idea of what it looks like. of course in a picture you can't feel the warmth of the sun. or the smell of the flowers and grass. but you get an idea.

i've had some of my best quiet times here. i first discovered it three years ago. wow. really? three years? yup, i guess so. it was an interesting time of my life and i had come to madison to start scoping out some apartments. i took a break to check this place out and found this bench. and proceed to have a three hour quiet time with the Lord. it was great. i guess, in summer project terms, this would be my sanctuary.














and so, moral of the story, i love flowers and i love olbrich gardens.

p.s. to spare you all, i only picked a few pictures. trust me, if i would have put up all my flower pictures, you never would have made it this far. ;)