Butchart Gardens

When my family's vacation took them to Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, Victoria, British Columbia (Canada) back in 1978, I'll be the first to admit I was thrilled that I had just started my first "real" job and couldn't take time off work to go. Silly, immature 17 year-old me! *Add this to the list of regrets from my childhood! I'm pretty sure I never would have appreciated it like I did today. This place was AH-mazing! Each garden was more impressive than the one before it! Here's me to Ron: Ooh! I want to transform our backyard into an English garden, with rose covered arches!

then,"Ooh! I want to transform our backyard into a Japanese Zen garden, with a Pagoda water feature!

then, Ooh! I want to transform our backyard into an Italian garden with window flower boxes and naked statuary!

then, Ooh! I want to transform our backyard into a gravel pit, then transform it into a gigantic world famous garden that people come from miles and miles to see and pay tons of money to feel sad that their backyards mostly grow moss and mushrooms!

Yep, it was pretty darn cool! Thanks Honey, for taking this bratty 17 year old (just a few years removed) to the "gardens". My mom was right, I loved it!