My birthday! I have a friend, Richard, who lives in Wellington, New Zealand. I met him at a concert in Austin and showed him the stadium, the farm and other bits of Austin. I’m always so intrigued by world travelers. He visited a few different times and it was always fascinating to hear about the other side of the world. So, a few years later, I was across the world with my family and Richard met us at the terminal and showed us where he lives and works. We went to lunch together and swapped travel stories. 
It should be a requirement for everyone to house swap, couch surf or visit somewhere across the world. It's incredible to view life around the world with a local friend as a guide. It makes the experience so much more meaningful. I hope to continue meeting people all over to see what the world has to offer. It really opens you up to a new perspective of life.
While Richard went to work, Mama, Granny, Wayne and I took a trolly up to the look out point and botanical gardens of Wellington. What a stunning view. The water glistened like a blanket of sequins.
The garden was lush, with a variety of plant life. Granny and Mama have the green thumbs in the family. I do hope to have beautiful yards like they do. They both shared about the different types of plants. My favorite flowers were the begonias. We sauntered slowly through a green house filled with a wide variety of large, vibrant begonias. 
I was stunned at the size of the curly pedals. Someday, I want to have a green house or conservatory. Mama will have to help me get it set up. She is so savvy on these things. We both have a dream to build one some day. In our conservatory, there will be benches for lounging, reading and enjoying a spot of tea. And we must have some type of water feature, like a fountain, because Carolyn loves the sound of trickling water.
Mama, Granny and I bonded over our shared love of plants. I’m sure Wayne was a little irritated with our sluggish pace. But he indulged us, taking pictures and continuing agreeably. He seemed to enjoy the succulent and cactus gardens. I can’t wait to see his high quality pictures. He is quite the photographer. When we walked through the forest, the light would shine through the leaves in such a spectacular way- It was a ray of hope.
We were walking through our very own secret garden.
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| Botanical Gardens |
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| Richard, our local tour guide |
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| Wayne's cactus and succulent garden |
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