Strawberry Fields Forever

• Strawberries are the only fruit with the seeds on the outside.
  
• The average strawberry has 200 seeds.


• Strawberries are a member of the Rose family.


• There is a strawberry museum in Belgium.


• Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the Spring.


• The average Amercian consumes 3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries each year.

I am quite above average. Strawberries are my favorite. They are a great snack. Side dish. Dessert. Food to eat all the time. For me anyway. Love 'em. So...when our local strawberry fields open for picking...I'm there. We usually pick two buckets of berries...and can easily polish them off in a week...and then be back at the fields for another picking session.

On Friday, I took Katie and her friend Diana to Washington Farms to pick berries.

You have to be careful when picking the berries - and be sure to not bother the flowers. They will eventually ripen into more berries. You can see the berry forming in the center of the white flower - and the berries forming in other buds in these photos.

After a little time, sun, and water...we find succulent red berries on the vine.

Folklore states that if you split a double strawberry in half, and share with a member of the opposite sex, you will soon fall in love. We found TONS of berries on the vine...and very quickly filled our buckets. It's a good thing that they didn't weigh us before and after we started picking.

Georgia Aquarium

My cousin Jennifer and her daughter Liv arrived on Friday afternoon to spend Easter weekend with us. We had a great time visiting and catching up...and the girls had lots of fun playing with their cousin. She really wore out the girls who felt compelled to follow Liv wherever she went...and Liv is a busy, busy girl! Madalyn even came into the house at one point to complain that Liv would not stay with them...that she kept wandering back to the house...then back out to the swings...repeat. I told Madalyn that this is what it's like to be the big sister...and she informed us that she didn't like having a big sister...and she didn't like being the big sister. Ah...dreams of being an only child!

On Saturday, the six of us went downtown to the Georgia Aquarium. I had Michael look online to see if there were any street closings (due to the tornado that went through last weekend) - and none of the roads we would need to take were blocked. Here is a picture though of the Westin Peachtree Plaza hotel downtown - and you can see all the glass out - but on the other side - that we could see from the highway on the way in - the damage is even more apparent! Lots of roads are closed due to falling glass and the clean up process is quite extensive.

We had 9am reservations for the aquarium...and when we got there...it was empty!

We decided to go to the Whale shark exhibit first - and it was full of divers cleaning the tank. What a fun volunteer job! Saturday seemed to be the day for cleaning at the aquarium as divers were in almost all the tanks we visited. It was pretty neat going through the tunnel...but the glass really distorts the size of things in the tank. The whale sharks are about 20 feet long...and they just don't seem that big!

My favorite exhibit is the beluga whales. There was docent at this tank talking about how friendly beluga whales are - but that sperm whales can actually be quite hostile. He said that if you get a chance to swim with sperm whales, don't. Then someone asked him if the Georgia Aquarium had sperm whales. He replied that the aquarium does not because "you'd need a tank about 12,000 feet deep. Home Depot gives the aquarium a lot of money...but not that much!"
Here are some of my other favorite shots of the day:

Ten on Tuesday

I was searching the web trying to find an easy definition for the word "meme" when I found this site just full of cool ideas for blog topics. Because I don't have enough fodder in my daily life. So...today, let's do "10 on Tuesday." Today's topic is the 10 places you would take a tourist to see in your hometown. Well...we live in suburbia...so we'll just pretend that the entire metro Atlanta area is my hometown:

1. Georgia Aquarium - we are actually going here on Saturday! My cousin Jennifer and her daughter Liv are visiting for Easter weekend and they are really looking forward to checking it out. Texas Cindy and family are visiting this summer...and we plan to go there with them as well. It's a pretty amazing place. I think the biggest draw is the whale sharks...but for me, I could sit and watch the beluga whales all day.

2. Zoo Atlanta - I have not been in forever! I am not a big fan of crowds - and with the birth of a baby panda, the crowd factor increases exponentially. But now that Mei Lan is getting bigger, maybe we'll head out there without tourists in tow. If you check out the website, they have a "panda cam" so that you can watch all the time!

3. Stone Mountain Park - Again...it's in my own back yard, but we don't go very often. They have a great children's playground...and there are always cool things going on from the Yellow Daisy Festival, Japan Fest, Highland Games, Chili Cookoff, Purina Incredible Dog show - and they are quite well known for the laser shows on the front of the mountain during the summertime.

4. Braves or Thrashers game I think that hockey games are a lot of fun. It's like going to a rock concert - and there is always something to see or do. We took the kids to see a minor league (is that what it's called for Hockey?) game - and I was telling them about how much fun it would be. I was telling them about how much the crowd loves it when there is a fight - but they were both so disappointed that there was not one. I had no idea the girls could be so bloodthirsty! Michael likes to take them to Braves games. They like it...he likes it...I get alone time (it's too hot!)....everyone wins!

5. CNN tour Another thing I have not done in forever. Actually...I have only done it once...during the 1996 Olympics. They had such a large group that they split us up...and somehow my group of 5 got a private tour. Chuck Roberts was wondering around before his shift started, so he was chatting with us and walking along with our group.

6. Atlanta Botanical Gardens This is my favorite membership that we have. The gardens are beautiful - they have a wonderful children's garden and play yard - and in the summer the kids love to play in the fountain.

7. To see the play "Peachtree Battle" This is the longest running play in Atlanta history - and it's hysterical. It's about this wealthy "Buckhead" family whose favorite son has decided to marry a black Hooters waitress.

8. BAPS Hindu temple Here is one that I have never been to - but the only one on this list that is actually in my town. I have driven by - I watched it being built - now I need to get myself over there and check it out.

9. American Girl store You all know I have been here - and been here recently. It's just a fun place to see and and a great place to spend your retirement money (weather you were looking to spend it or not)

10. High Museum of Art I just got a membership here. This year they have antiquities from the Louvre - so we'll be there when we cycle back to ancients in history next year.

A pilgrimage of sorts

It all started in December. Somehow in the past 3 months, I have been to the American Girl store in Atlanta three times. Our first visit was on December 23 for a birthday party. Being in a mall on the 23rd of December was interesting. I am sure that you can guess the percentage of male shoppers in the mall that day. Now, in the American Girl store…there were all the moms and their girls with ginormous bows in their hair…and the poor (emphasis on poor) hapless dads and brothers that were obviously dragged into this haven of feminity. After witnessing one grandfather tell a tiny girl that she could pick out whatever she wanted…I am so curious to know what the store brought in that day. Why oh why did I not invent The Pleasant company?

After the party…Katie decided that she needed an American Girl doll. She had always loved the books, but had never shown an interest in the dolls. Neither of my girls has ever been interested in dolls. They like stuffed animals, but barbies, babies and dolls have been outside of their preferences. Until now. My mom decided that she would let Katie pick out a doll for her birthday (which is on New Year’s Eve). I tried to make reservations to have lunch while we were there – but they were booked. Ahhh…all those poor dads and brothers.

We headed for the mall on that cold, last day of December. Madalyn was cautioned in advance that it was NOT her birthday…but she did have some Christmas money to spend. Katie picked out Kirsten and a few outfits. Madalyn got a mini Addy with her money. On the way home Madalyn quizzed my mom on when exactly she would get her own doll. Answer: on her birthday if that is still what she wanted.

So…yesterday we made the pilgrimage once again - bringing Katie's friend Audrey with us. Madalyn’s birthday is not until April…but Madalyn wanted to have her doll to bring with us on our cruise over Spring Break. So…because schools were out here yesterday for a teacher workday, it seemed like a good time (meaning less crowded) to go. Madalyn has been vacillating between several dolls – first it was Josephina, then Addy, then Felicity…and I think it changed four more times in the car on the way. When we got there, we rounded the circuit…and then Madalyn settled on Felicity. Oh, wait, nope…it’s Elizabeth.


Madalyn picked out a few outfits…Katie picked out another outfit for Kirsten...we found back packs to store the dolls...I plunked down their college savings…and then we had an American girl fashion show.

Now we are all worn out, and a quick repast at the bistro seems to be the ticket.

The dolls had a challenge picking out what they wanted for lunch.

Get a load of that chocolate milk. Don't think we make it quite like that at home.

Here Madalyn is carbo loading just in case she decides to run a marathon later in the day.


We had a lovely pilgrimage...now we just need to head to New York or Chicago where they have stores, restaurants, and theatres...right after we get that second mortgage on the house...