A Horticultural Experience

Every year, the Edmonton Horticultural Society (http://www.edmontonhort.com/home/homepage.asp) has a tour of some award winning gardens.

Until late this week, I'd wasn't even aware that Edmonton had a horticultural society. Fortunately, I have a friend who is much better informed then I. She invited me to participate in the garden tour and we went to several of the featured properties. They were incredible! The amount of time and resources that people dedicate to their gardens is impressive. Naturally, there was an amazing diversity in the flowers and shrubs used. I loved all of the colours - one place must have had 15 variets of day lilies. Another place had calla lilies - I didn't even know that those grew in Alberta!

In additon to the flowers and shrubs, there were some spectacular water features, winding paths, gazebos and more. One person even had a chess board in a corner of the garden. Wow.

One of the most impressive things we saw was the grass at our first stop. I know it sounds silly but this was the most lush, perfect grass I have ever had the pleasure to step on. Seriously, it was actually softer than most carpets.

And while I may not be prepared to dedicate my life and backyard to gardening, I think that there will be a few more flowers in my garden next summer.

I took a few photos today so I'll try and post them soon!

The perfect treat for a road trip...

Can you guess? You may be thinking fruit, energy bars, or baggies full of pre-cut veggies. However, over the past few days of travel, I have discovered the perfect treat to enjoy while driving...Nibs. That's right, the licorice.
I made this important discovery after a visit to the famous Clareshom 7-11. While buying a bottle of water and a small Slurpee I impulsively grabbed a bag of Nibs. Mmmmm. That delicious, low fat, fruity flavoured (and therefore not altogether bad for me) licorice was most enjoyable. As I contemplated the wonder that licorice is during my drive - I had a lot of time -and compared it to the alternatives. Chocolate is always a favorite but can be quite messy, especially if some happens to drop on your seat, then you get it all over your pants...you can imagine. Ice cream is not much better, plus it is awkward to eat. Fruit is yummy, but if you aren't able to cut it up ahead of time, there is always the issue of the core, or pits or peel. Granola bars and pretty much any decent carb will just leave a mess all over.
So, what is a girl with 1500 kilometers of driving ahead of her to do? By some Nibs. The good tasting, non-messy, somewhat healthy treat! Enjoy!