Lovely Mother's Day. Got a Skype call from son, Mike, who's now in London with Paula, looking for a house to rent. It was great fun to see his room at the Savoy, an historic hotel I've read about. They'll move there in July and boy, I'm packing my bags for a long visit.
Arrived up north about 1:00, then we left for Sayen Gardens. What a beautiful place! It had been a private estate, but was taken over by the county or township a few years ago. It was crowded--a lot of people had the idea of taking their mothers there--but so festive and fun. Filled with gorgeous azaleas in bloom, other flowers, and a huge variety of trees, it has paths, fountains, and gazebos, as well. There's a house that can be rented out for parties, too; here's a link to some good photos of it: http://www.pbase.com/reflectionsbyruth/sayengardens
Besides the natural--and manufactured--beauty of the place, yesterday there were stands for vendors in a separate area, and entertainment here and there. Different combos and musical groups performed and we stopped and listened to many of them. The Sayen house is not a mansion--more like what's called a Craftsman's Cottage--but it was exquisite, all decked out with party themes and with a harpist on the porch.
We left there to have dinner with my son-in-law's mother and brother. Really enjoyed it, especially hearing her stories of her early life in Iowa.
Later, saw J., N., and the little boys on the web cam and after I got home, darling daughter, Ellen, too. Got a call from my brother, Larry, who tells me three more of his family have signed up for the cruise--wow, we're practically taking up the whole ship!