Yes, I wrote haikus at the Albuquerque Biopark on Tuesday, July 5, 2022. Lin and I thought we’d get there on the 4th of July, specifically to see the Botanical Garden, but we didn’t make it. We have annual passes we don’t use enough, so we went on the 5th.
To provide enough time to see everything, we arrived about 9:45 AM and found the Biopark was not too busy. We hadn’t been there in a couple years, so naive, we went in the first place we saw. At first, it didn’t seem right, then pretty quickly, we realized we had mistakenly entered the Aquarium, so we continued and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Biopark’s Aquarium
As a teacher, we took our students to the Aquarium, but that was fifteen years ago. What changes they have made! First, I missed the stingray pool when you first enter and then when you’re down below; I remember eels in the enclosure that goes over your head. That used to freak me out!
Going down under, we enjoyed the big tank where we saw sharks, stingrays, and a variety of fish. It felt like a life-size aquarium. They provide seating—I could sit there for hours!
Lunch Break
When we finished at the Biopark’s Aquarium, we decided on an early lunch or a late breakfast at the Shark Reef Café. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast burrito smothered in green chili. As we sat and watched a variety of fish swim in front of us, the haikus started.
Are you suspended?
Floating in the water now
Supported by God!
A Stingray swims by
looking like he smiles, but
it’s his underside.
In the form of a
fish, my God swims by smiling.
HIs eyes reveal joy!
Biopark’s Botanical Garden
After finishing that scrumptious burrito, we felt rejuvenated and entered the Botanical Garden, our original destination. Lin has a gorgeous garden, so he had been expecting new discoveries on this trip.
A cacophony
Of fish, flowers and people.
God’s celebration!
The Botanical Garden has thirteen sections:
- Old World Walled Gardens
- Mediterranean Conservatory
- Desert Conservatory
- Camino de Colores
- Rio Grande Heritage Farm
- Sasebo Japanese Garden
- Curandera Garden
- Butterfly Pavilion
- Railroad Garden
- Children’s Fantasy Garden
- Dragonfly Sanctuary Pond
- Cottonwood Gallery
- BUGarium
Because of my battle with post-herpetic neuralgia after shingles, I still don’t have my regular stamina, so Lin went to the Rio Grande Heritage Farm, and I sat and wrote:
I sit and wait in
A cool spot. Fatigue comes soon.
Neuralgia remains.
I am not old yet.
Shingles changed my life so much.
Now I watch, silent.
Children grace this place.
A little girl sings her song.
Inspired by God!
Butterfly Pavilion
One of my favorite sections, the Butterfly Pavilion, featured one of my favorite creatures. We saw beautiful butterflies flying around and enjoying the delicious nectar of a variety of plants. Lin and I circled the whole enclosure and visited with the butterfly expert there. Lin asked about a butterfly I photographed in his garden during the week, and he identified it for us, a swallowtail. Then I asked about the coloring of a monarch. Next, the expert whipped out his well-worn book and showed us the monarch.
Then I had an unusual experience. A monarch landed on the brim of my hat in the front. The expert exclaimed, “That’s a good omen!” As soon as he said that, another butterfly, but not a monarch, landed on my brim in the back. Lin photographed the monarch on the front, but the butterfly in the back flew off before he caught it.
A monarch landed
On my hat. Good omen!
Sheer joy I couldn’t see!
Normally,
I take lots of pictures anywhere I go, but I took limited photos this time—the ones featured in this blog like this amazing brightly colored insect attached to a piece of grass.
Instead of taking tons of pictures, I wrote haikus! How can you not write a haiku after seeing the Aquarium or the Botanical Garden?
Also, here’s a suggestion when you go to the Albuquerque Biopark’s Botanical Garden or any botanical garden anywhere. Lin had an app on his iPhone named PictureThis which has a yearly subscription, but he had some issues with it. So, he switched to Seek by iNaturalist, and he reminded me I told him about it. It’s free. I had a blast using Seek on different plants to identify them—it was so easy!
Finally,
The Aquarium, Botanical Garden and Zoo make up the Biopark in Albuquerque. We have plans to visit the zoo this Thursday. Do you regularly visit your zoo, botanical garden or aquarium in your city? Tell me about yours and your experience!
~WATCH MY NEW INTERVIEW on Chat & Spin Radio, from Friday, June 24, 2022. Join us for a lively description of all my books!
~MY FIRST AUDIOBOOK IS AVAILABLE: Go to Audible to buy my first audiobook, Let Me Tell You a Story. I’m working on Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? but have gotten stalled with shingles.
~Do you listen to podcasts? Here are three podcasts with interviews about my new book & some Flippo stories:
- Book Talk–June 3, 2022 –
- Live on Purpose Podcast–March 17, 2022 –
- Zbooks.com–January 19, 2022
- Apostrophes, A Writers Series with Double DD–January 10, 2022
- The On Purpose Podcast–January 10, 2022
~Have you bought a copy of Flippo’s biography yet? Believe it or not—it’s been two years. Go here for your hardback or paperback: https://www.laradasbooks.com or at Amazon.
~For me, it’s Christmas all year long! Here’s a variety of Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When It’s Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A
~What happened to you in 2020-2021 during the coronavirus pandemic? Do you care? Are you on a spiritual path? Do you want to heal from the horrible effects of the pandemic of 2020? Visit my website to find out about my new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? and my other five books and three cookbooks: https://laradasbooks.com