Butterflies Are Free
The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix is "not your garden-variety garden." We spent 3 hours walking the various garden paths surrounded by native desert plantings. I wish we'd gone a little earlier in the season to see more blooms, but I got a lot of great pictures.
The prize pix of the day is the Zebra Longwing below. One of the exhibits is the Butterfly Pavilion where thousands of butterflies are housed in a screened in building with flowering trees, shrubs, water, and flowers. It is an amazing place and overflowed with people and kids...spring break! The little kids were just in awe as butterflies came and sat on their hands. The entrance to the pavilion has a door with an air curtain to prevent the little creatures from getting out. When you exit, a volunteer brushes you off with a feather duster to assure no little creatures excape. I was snapping away pictures and suddenly realized that all the butterflies want is to be free! Then I didn't want to be in there anymore.
I've been thinking a lot about freedom, as we have so much of it....I mean Jim and I have so few constraints on our life. I listen to all the political ads and hear people arguing about who is the best candidate. Isn't it all about freedom? I keep hearing the words to Lee Greenwood's song in my head and finally had to capture them off the internet..
"I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died and gave their lives for me...."
Watching "Band of Brothers" and seeing soldiers in Iraq interviewed on TV, hearing them describe how they feel about fighting for the freedom of others...It's all about freedom.
