A few short weeks after walking on his own, this is how my son waits at the train show, total anticipation and full body enthusiasm. The first couple of times a train came around the bend, he’d cry out in frustration after it chugged by, though he soon learned it would come around again if he just waited, ever so patiently. Good thing, or we would have been laughing at him all afternoon. There’s a metaphor in there somewhere, but that is not what this post is about.

I absolutely love The New York Botanical Garden. We are members so we get to go all the time. Dug likes it too, but I hear him cracking jokes to people that we go once a week, like he has to apologize before they tell us we’re strange.  It’s an amazing place for a photographer because there are so many spectacular moments and it’s always changing. It’s a great place for a parent because there’s so much space to explore without any overwhelming commercial junk. And it’s a great place for a person, because there’s peace, and beauty, and talent, and science… I could go on and on. You get the idea.

We’ve taken the Little One to the train show twice this year* and he was on fire with excitement. Me too! All I can say is if I had known I could make Architectural Botany a career, I very well might be building little Rockefeller Centers right now. I have such job envy!

Speaking of Rockefeller Center and that time I almost got ejected from The NY Botanical Garden…  The Little One was such an incredibly well behaved toddler through the whole experience! It must be so difficult not to touch when everything is just right there and so interesting! I knew it was too good to be true. It seemed like such a good idea to get a picture of him in front of iconic New York in all it’s holiday splendor. A Christmas card photo, right? Well, that’s what I was thinking as I watched him turn to smile for my camera and his relaxed lean onto the tiny fence sent him tumbling backward into the heralding angels all flailing feet and tears.

It was appalling. I wanted to melt into the ground as we were hoisting him out and staking angels back into the display. The display I was not supposed to be touching. I was waiting for men in uniform to come and drag me away, never to be allowed back into one of my favorite places for vandalism and bad parenting.

I did not get that picture. But thankfully, the angels did survive our visit. Here they are in all their glory.

*Full disclosure: We also went for a date to Bar Car night prior to bringing the spawn, so I could sip cocktails and stroll around in heels without having to make sure a freshly walking toddler wasn’t trying to mount the exhibits. So that’s 3 times total. #sorrynotsorry And if it had worked out this week, Dug wanted to make a fourth visit for Thomas the Train, Live. So clearly, no matter what he tells you, he’s not sorry either.