October 3 & 4 –
We enjoyed a lovely day at the International Garden Exhibition in the community of Marzahn on October 3. They were exhibiting special displays of organic and sustainable living choices—not to mention the acres and acres of plantings and landscaping that are there year-round. The area had really imaginative play areas for children, a display of a water reclamation and cleaning project that used African catfish (which have a lung!!) to get munge out of water, leaving it good for human consumption.
The best display, however, was one all about the use of bamboo—a fast-growing, renewable, and versatile plant—for construction projects, especially in third world countries, but not exclusively there. It was quite fascinating.
Another display showed how trash, especially plastic trash, can be re-used as a building material, especially on rooftops for waterproofing.
In addition there were garden styles (Japanese, Chinese, English, etc.) and plant-focused gardens (rhododendron, mushroom, rose, herb, etc.). We wandered a long time, and even had to take refuge in a display when the rain came down with serious force for a little while. But generally, the day was bright and lovely in between showers, and it was a marvelous walk-about.
Near the exit was an enormous greenhouse with tropical plants from all over the Southern Hemisphere growing lushly in pots and in the ground. The orchids were legion.
On Wednesday, October 4, we didn’t do much of anything except read, catch up with correspondence, plan our week, and rest. During our walk at the gardens, Jack’s cold seemed to either relapse or he caught another one, so giving him a rest day was much appreciated and we all enjoyed the downtime.
peregrinations 