saturday outing part 2: fairies in the garden

After our picnic at Calvert Cliffs State Park, we headed down the road to visit the Annmarie Sculpture Garden. This was our third year checking out their annual fairy house exhibit. Anyone can make and submit a fairy house to be displayed in the sculpture garden. The kids have so much fun running through the woods, looking for the next fairy house. They are all very different with fun details to discover.

In addition to the fairy houses, they have an amazing woodland fairy play area with a stage, play houses, and teepees. Pretty much a dream backyard for Amelia and Elsa. We spent a long time here, relaxing under the teepees and watching the kids perform on the stage. I think we'll have to make a return visit this summer.

 

 

Cicadas had taken over the gardens! We spotted one and were excited to finally see one of the famed creatures, and then quickly realized they were EVERYWHERE. Oliver kept picking them up and carrying them around.

(I think this time-lapse video about the life cycle of cicadas is amazing.)

They have an area dedicated to constructing your own fairy house with bins full of sticks, pine cones, shells, and other materials. Amelia filled a shell with water to use as the bathtub in her fairy house.

Botanic Gardens: Season's Greenings

One of our favorite Christmas displays every year is at the U.S. Botanic Garden and my mom joined us this year. The conservatory is always very festive filled with wreaths, garlands, poinsettias, and living ornaments. There are also beautiful replicas of historic D.C. buildings made out of plant material. There is really never anything Christmas-y about the Garden Railway exhibit (other than the fact that trains are involved) but it's always our favorite part. The exhibit used to just showcase the trains but now they create a completely magical forest each year. This year had fairies again (which thrilled the girls) and all kinds of interesting creatures and dwellings made out of plant material. I loved the creativity and the extensive details. We could have examined the displays even longer but a Saturday morning crowd isn't too conducive to intense pondering.

 

They had these really fun holes in the trees that you could peak in. The details inside were amazing.

A fairy playing an organ? A unicorn pulling a wagon? This is how I picture Amelia's imagination to work.

This fairy had a praying mantis on a leash. Perfect.

 An enchanted forest wouldn't be complete without a big ugly troll.

Oliver liked it.

 Amelia stared at this mermaid for a long time. Definitely her favorite.