Monday, April 30, 2012

Springtime in the Conservatory


by Jennifer AlLee

Before moving to Las Vegas, my only interaction with a conservatory had been when Professor Plum did it in the Conservatory with the lead pipe. (Clue, anyone?) But now, a twenty minute drive gets me to the lovely conservatory at the Bellagio. Famous for its dancing fountains, the Bellagio also has an ever-changing seasonal display of floral delights. Today, just for fun, I'd like to give you a tour of the latest Springtime sensation. This way, please...

Wooden shoes the size of a Mini-Cooper!

What a lovely windmill

Pretty sure this mama swan is about five feet tall.

No riding this carousel... it's just for looking at.

I do not like bees.... but I'll make an exception this once.

I really should have noted what kind of flowers these are.
Aren't they pretty?
  
Tulips in the back, hyacinth in the front.

More pretty tulips... makes me want to go out and buy some bulbs.
 I hope you enjoyed our mini-tour through the conservatory. It's a place I love to take my friends. How about you? Are there any special places you like to go to celebrate Spring?


JENNIFER ALLEE believes the most important thing a woman can do is find her identity in God – a theme that carries throughout her novels. A professional writer for over twenty years, she's done extensive freelance work for Concordia Publishing House, including skits, Bible activity pages, and over 100 contributions to their popular My Devotions series. Her novels include The Love of His Brother (Five Star, 11/07), The Pastor’s Wife (Abingdon Press, 2/10), The Mother Road (Abingdon Press, 4/12) and the upcoming A Wild Goose Chase Christmas (Abingdon Press, 11/12). She's a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Christian Authors Network, and the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance.
Visit Jennifer's website at www.jenniferallee.com/

14 comments:

  1. oh so lovely.
    After 10 years or so, my tulips are much fewer in number this year. I have bright red and purple ones. Spectacular! But I need to replant this fall.

    My favorite springtime walk is my mini shade garden and the woodland and spring flowers there. Like... Dutchman's Breeches, Heliobores, Bleeding hearts, goatsbeard,...They are always a little treat.

    It must smell delicious inside the conservatory, Jen! Thanks for sharing. What an oasis in the desert!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, I do believe those picture were so vibrant and lifelike that they made me sneeze. LOL. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dina, it's even more impressive in person. Truly amazing what they do in a relatively small space. And yes, Deb, the fragrance in there is amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lovely, Jen! Great photos.

    I visited the Bellagio conservatory last July, and oh, what a fabulous patriotic display it was. Red, white, and blue, of course, but there were also glass balloons, water fountains, a small aviary, and an enormous Liberty Bell hanging overhead. If I lived closer, I'd visit there every month.

    There was also a store right off of it that sold Mackenzie Childs stuff. I get their catalogs and fantasize about being a multi-zillionaire and having a sun-room decked out in their furniture.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lovely pictures. Are you sure those unidentified flowers aren't just more tulips, only fully opened?

    Oddly enough, I was just looking up tulips in the vernacular of the language of flowers. for what it's worth, tulips in general signify fame. The red tulip is a declaration of love. The variegated tulip means "pretty eyes." And the poor yellow tulip is the symbol of unfortunate love.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ah yes, Mackenzie Childs.

    I need to hit their factory seconds sale some day (still too pricey, I'm sure), but at least I can tell Susie what I saw.

    I love how Barb is into the meaning of flowers and we'll all get to benefit soon.

    thanks Jen. I imagine that place gets plenty warm inside and depends on air conditioning or big fans. They are hot enough up north!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gorgeous photos, Jen. Thank you for showing us. It makes me miss Ottawa because every year, Holland sends the capital city of Canada hundreds of thousands of tulips as they still express their gratitude for their WW2 liberation. I know other countries were involved in that war, but because the Canadians were the ones given the assignment to go in to the Netherlands, the Dutch bless us every year with one of their national treasures - tulips. :)

    Barb, I'm with you on that one. I also believe they are the frilly - or parrot tulip and a variety which opens more than the others.

    I'm only guessing of course, but when we lived near Ottawa, which has a gardening zone equal to Northern California, I grew all sorts of plants I can't grow out here. My springtime garden bloomed with over a dozen varieties of tulips, daffodils and other bulbs like Allium and Scilla as well as they hyacinth. A highlight was the spring garden show where I took my flowers to exhibit just like I did with my flowers and vegetables for the fall fair. I absolutely loved gardening in southeastern Ontario.

    Thanks again for the pics.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Barb, you could be right that those flowers are fully opened tulips. Whatever they are, they were even prettier in person.

    Susie, I don't go to the conservatory nearly as often as I should. What I need to do is find the schedule of when they change the display. That would help!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ooooh, lovely pictures!

    Thanks for sharing them. :D

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ooooh, Jen! I love the swan and bridge. I love the bees. I love... everything. Thanks for sharing. When I am lucky enough to visit Las Vegas, will you take me there? Pretty please?

    I actually saw the Bellagio fountains on TV once and they are stunningly gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I forgot to add... I was too embarrassed to say what TV show I saw the fountains on, but it involves accepting a rose. (blush)

    ReplyDelete
  12. so THATs what a conservatory is...

    Miss Scarlett with the knife in the Conservatory... (love that game)

    beautiful pictures and a nice "stroll" to boot. thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  13. LOL... Suzie, the next time you're in Vegas, we'll definitely go to the Conservatory. We can check out the fountains, too. Ooo, and the Venitian, where they have strolling singers, living statues, and gondolier rides (you have to pay for the ride, but it's free to look at the canal). Lots of fun, pretty, free stuff here if you know where to look :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Having only made one trip to Las Vegas in my life (2 years ago) I was most impressed by the outstanding display of creativity and imagination in the various resorts and casinos. I keep thinking about going back because it was the only place I've ever felt like I was actually "on vacation" for the whole time I was there because it's like a giant amusement park!

    ReplyDelete

Share This Post

How Our Giveaways Work: The Official Rules

We, the ladies of Inkwell Inspirations, would love to give free stuff to everybody. Since we can't, we will often have a giveaway in conjunction with a specific post. Unless otherwise stated, one winner will be drawn from comments left on that post between the date it was published and the end of the giveaway as determined in the post. Entries must be accompanied by a valid email address. This address is used only to contact the commenter in the event that he/she is the winner, and will not be sold, distributed, or used in any other fashion. The odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. NO PURCHASE, PLEDGE, OR DONATION NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

Pinterest