Bravo Sue - great photos. How fun to relive some of the moments. I'll add some of mine tomorrow - they are not as clear as yours but still capture the flavor. You are right on about it being one of the highlights of the year.

Mary

Thanks Sue for sharing your photos. Beautiful garden and V's home is fabulous (words aren't coming easily...everything sounds so trite).

T.

Sue, I can tell we walked together at the Botanic Gardens as you have many of the same shots that I have. Tonight Rick asked me to burn a CD of my pictures so he could take it to work. I think he may have had a good time ;o) A good sign for making it to IU4.
By the way my containers survived my going to IU3 quite well. The timer worked and they got a daily drink and are looking full and lush.

Michelle

Thanks Sue for starting this! I will be saving lots of pictures since my memory card went bad! :-( When it rains it pours...my connection here is bad too and don't know how long I'll be connected so if you guys don't hear from me for a few days, you'll know why!

Looks like you guys had a blast...I'm so sorry I missed the botanic gardens. I'll have to make the effort to get out there this year.

Ei

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Mary and Taryn enjoying the English walled garden...I really loved the lead cistern next to them. If only we could have been served tea and crumpets; )
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~Babs

Here is a link that might be useful: CBG

I was probably the first to get in Thurs. While waiting for everyone to arrive for dinner, I snapped these photos of V's quaint and lovingly restored park in the center of the Town Square.

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Jailhouse -- note the cobblestone streets

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Some of the group ate lunch here Sat.

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Incredible restoration of the Opera House:

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Beautifully restored buildings with quaint little shops all around the Town Square:

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This is where we had a yummy dinner Thurs. nite:

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Whoo Hoo! Thanks for sharing everyone. Vs house and town look so welcoming. Looks like everyone had a good time. Sue I agree about the beam planting. I really like that combination. Babs,I really enjoyed your lake shot. Honey thanks for showing us the quaint Town. By the way you sure are looking thin. Congrats on that.
V, I love your house. I always wanted a log home but decided the upkeep would be to much. Although every house has plenty of that.

Didn't get to tell you yesterday Sue,that I really liked your pics-in particular that shot of the fountains among the cannas is quite eye-catching. I wish I had gotten there sooner so I could have seen more there.

Michelle that's so neat that Rick is showing interest in the pics. I'm so glad we finally got to meet both of you!

Honey-nice to have pics from the square...that place will never be the same after the idyll invasion lol. I wonder if V was the center of town gossip: ) It really was a quaint place to go.
Norma-Honey looks fantastic and is as cheerful as ever!

~Babs

I only have one pic from the garden center we visited after the CBG...we came upon this greyhound(or is it a Whippet?) and thought of Cynthia. Maybe she'll peek in and say hi. We think you need this in your garden: )
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~B

Honey, great idea to take pictures of the town square. Babs, do I need to click your link to see the missing pictures of Mary admiring the local flora and fauna...lol.

Sue

Honey...thanks for sharing those pics...isn't V's town the most charming place? I fell in love instantly! :-)

Is that a Liquidamber, Babs? Do you grow that one at home? :-) Love your last pic too of the greyhound...I love the colors!

Ei

IÂm glad you guys liked the pix of the town. I wasnÂt sure how big the farmerÂs mkt would be Sat and thot it might obscure the town square. V told me that they pipe in the classical music b/c the kids had taken over the square so others couldnÂt enjoy it. Once they added the music, the kids left, families and oldsters returned. I thot that was an ingenious solution.

Thanks, Norma, for noticing IÂm a few lbs. less! When I see myself in pix I still hear my DBÂs from when I was a kid, "Tubby, Tubby 2x4" etc. Babs, thanks to you too. What a nice thing for you to say! You guys are giving me the inspiration I really need to stay on the wagon and continue with improved eating habits. But OMG, the chips, pizza and margaritas tasted SOOOOOO GOOD, didnÂt they?!.

Sue, IÂm so glad you got that shot of the arbor. ThatÂs one I really wanted that didnÂt come out for me. I was so impressed with it.

I'm going to write CBG and ask them what that gorgeous lemon colored daylily is on the path to the trial gardens. The tag sad it was "Lady Eva", but that was't for the lemon colored one. I realy liked it for the color, the huge blooms, ruffled edges and thick texture.

Great photos, ladies!! My own humble offerings wont surpass any of these that's for sure.

Honey, check out the CBG website re the daylily - they have a listing of things blooming currently but I don't remember what garden/walk those lovely yellow ones were on.

Here's a shot I like from the CBG:

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Also, does this one count towards record quantity of "bum" shots? LOL:

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here's link to my Day 1 photos of CBG - I think I was in such awe of V's place somehow I didnt take any photos.....:

Here is a link that might be useful: Chloehoover's CBG shots

Great shots Sue, Babs, Honey and Cindy!

Love that ÂLa Petite Creperie photo Honey-the food there was fantastique, magnifiqueÂ

Here are a few photos, but most of you have already covered most of the ones I took, a benefit to posting later in the week LOL

Chicago Botanic Garden:
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Drema, Mary, Taryn & Babs
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Down the flowered hillside pathÂ
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Goldfinch perched on a coneflower
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Fields of Persicaria amplexicaulis ÂFiretailÂ-one of my favorite perennials
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V next to the largest Coleus IÂve ever seen
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Mystic & Sunrise frolicking
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Surprising sunset views LOL (Sunrise decided to invade my photo op of VÂs DH-sorry)
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Oh Monique that pic of the hillside path is GREAT-I love the two little boys grinning for the camera and just the whole compositiion of that shot: )Nice!
Great pics of all...yes,even Sunrise lol.

I probably have too many echinacea in my garden at home but seeing finches perched on the blooms is the coolest thing so I keep them!

~B

Monique, I love the picture of all the coneflowers. It shows how a common, simple flower planted in a mass can be so striking.

Poor Sunrise, is nothing sacred? LOL

Michelle

Sunrise's photo brings a whole new meaning to 'bum shot'. ;o)

I'm enjoying seeing all the photos! Thank you to everyone for taking the time to upload their photos!

T.

Gorgeous shots everyone!

Cindy I especially love the one with the liatris and perovskia...the bum shot isn't bad either...LOL! :-) Oh and those beautiful pond shots...yumm!

I see you and Monique were similarly taken with the pond...beautiful pics Monique. That Echinacea one is so artistic! Lovely! I love that persicaria too and have been thinking about using it out front. Is it terribly aggressive and do you think it would do well in an open northern exposure? Love to know what the girls were laughing about...that Bab's she such a cutie! :-)

Thanks everyone for sharing all these. My photoalbums is getting pretty full...but please keep them coming! :-)
Ei