A Longwood Afternoon
I took my youngest son today to Longwood Garden in Kennett Square, PA. We went after his morning pottery class with three primary goals in mind: 1, to get him some pizza from the outdoor cafeteria that he loves, 2, to play some more Pikmin Bloom and, 3, for me to take some pictures.
We had better luck in some of those than others.
For those unfamiliar with the game, Pikmin Bloom is an Augmented Reality game which essentially rewards its players for getting out and walking. It is very similar to Pokemon Go. My son, being infatuated with all things Pikmin, loves the game. I like the fact that it encourages an otherwise sedentary child to get up and move.
The GPS component of the game encourages the players to locate flower sprouts on the map and, by planting virtual seeds, to have that sprout burst into a flower. Just like this one:
Ultimately we were able to get 4 sprouts to blossom into flowers today, and it took only about 7,000 steps. We both have the game on our respective phones so we are able to play it together. Here is another one that we had blossom, just beside one of the treehouses in the Garden.
Incidentally, this particular treehouse lookout was looking out over this cosplayer who was here for a photoshoot. Her costume was absolutely fantastic.
This treehouse also has these sousaphone type things. I honestly don't know the purpose behind them other than to amplify children's voices.
So, I was looking forward to taking some pictures, and I've always liked the large field in the garden full of wildflowers and bordered by trees. The house that is far off in the distance in the next picture is actually a museum that I once visited. It's small and quaint and, one day, I'll likely go back.
A new feature at the garden is the addition of a model train display. Now this really speaks to the kid in me - I love trains. My son, not so much, but I love them, and I was really impressed by the display.
And, of course, there were flowers. It's a garden, after all. What would a garden be without a flower, right @dswigle?
(c) All images and photographs, unless otherwise specified, are created and owned by me.
(c) Victor Wiebe
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Love all the photos @wwwiebe, and Longwood Garden looks like an awesome place to visit but by far my favorite shots are of the trains! Seeing those just totally made my day, especially since my late father was a huge fan of model trains, and he's been on my mind as of late. At one time we had tons of boxes of mismatched train tracks & such sitting in the attic of the house I grew up in (I believe my dad ended up throwing them all away when the house sold). If you ever happen to go back and decide to do an entire post about the train display (hint, hint 😂), please be sure to shout out - I'd love to see it!
And thanks for joining in with the #HiveBloPoMo challenge!
Thanks @traciyork ! Undoubtedly I will be back. I have a membership for the Garden and they're going to have a over-the-top Christmas display before too long.
I've got some trains kicking around the house here, too, which I don't bring out that much because of all the animals. Maybe I can set something up for Christmas though. Christmas and trains always seem to be a good combination.
Fun and I gotta check that Pikmin game out!
Drop me a note if you do! There is no in game chat, but friends can send postcards back and forth.
I did download that game after your other post when you mentioned it but then forgot about it maybe I will try it out when I get out for a walk this afternoon
I think it’s great that it motivates kids to be outdoors and active wonder if my grandkids would give it a go I think it’s worth a try
That cosplay outfit is so well done
What beautiful park for a walk
Have a super Sunday
It is a beautiful place, for sure. What's amazing is that it used to be a private residence. Can you imagine?
Let me know if you do get the game up and running. Friends can be added remotely. There's no in game chat, but friends can send postcards with pictures of where they are upon reaching a certain level; I know my son would love to have another person to share postcards with.
There are a few trails and at least one gardens open to the public here that used to be private residences I think it’s great when they do that
I went through the initial setup of the game just now and I hope to get out fir a walk later and will give it a go