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Our 45th Wedding Anniversary Trip - 2013

Marking a special event in life does not always translate to an extended trip. And so it is with our 45th Wedding Anniversary. Since Dan works on August 2nd, we decided to take time on August 1st for a day of something other than home projects. We saw a movie in the afternoon, early dinner, and then a trip to Central Gardens in Clear Lake, IA.

Central Gardens Moon Arch

We have lived in the Mason City area for over 20-years and this was our first trip to visit the garden that was established in 2000. Both of us enjoy flower gardens and this site really is such a beautiful place to visit. We entered through the south gate and found this fountain tucked in the SW corner with the new Fire Station diagonally across the street.

Fountain at Central Gardens

Our first attempt to see the garden earlier in the afternoon was interrupted by a thunderstorm so we returned after 6:00 PM and managed to walk the entire garden (nearly 3-acres) before the sprinkles returned. All the paths are paved making it an easy walk and no wet feet!

Paved walkways

The garden is filled with great theme gardens, lots of seating for taking a break, and some wide open spaces to enjoy the beauty of the garden. The pond area features a couple water falls along with streams that wind through the garden. The moon arch in the background is the center of the area used for wedding ceremonies.

Water feature and Moon Arch

We took lots of pictures of the flowers but selected this one as one of our favorites.

White Asiatic Lily

We enjoyed the visit to Central Gardens and will make it a regular visit in the future.

Sandy & Dan's 45th

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