This has been an
unbelievable past six months with parent health & medical issues – with no end
in sight. But since this blog is about travels, I won’t go into all of that here.
Suffice it to say that I was in dire need of a day away from it all. Yesterday
was a rare day where I was at home & neither of us had any other plans or
responsibilities. I wanted to go somewhere fun.
Lou suggested that we take a
ride to Micke Grove
Park near Lodi. It’s pronounced “Mickey” as in Mickey
Mouse. We packed a picnic lunch & headed on down the road. It turned out to
be a great choice on a beautiful day.
Our first stop was the Japanese Gardens. Initially we had the place to
ourselves which was a welcome respite. A little more quiet meditation time would have been nice but the
school buses descended & soon the constant buzz of school children filled
the gardens.
 |
| The ponds & stepping stones meander all through the Japanese Gardens in Micke Grove Park. |
 |
A Japanese Maple tree & brightly colored azaleas added some color to the grounds of the gardens.
|
 |
| My balance pretty much sucks & at one point the path ended at these stepping stones. Lou walked across then had to come back & hold my hand from stone to stone. I could literally see myself falling in the water but just looked down at each stone, put one foot in front of the other & maintained a death grip on Lou's hand. I made it! Whew! |
 |
I love bridges & gardens. This brought back memories of our trip to France a few years ago when I visited Claude Monet's Japanese Bridge & Gardens in Giverny.
|
 |
| Lou doing his Karate Kid imitation. |
 |
| Taking a moment to reflect. |
After lunch we strolled past the Micke Grove Zoo & the Funtown Amusement Park but decided to save those for a time when Charley was with us. Our next stop was the Rose Garden. Many of the flowers were past their prime in blooming but it was still gorgeous.
 |
| One of the lovely roses in the Micke Grove Rose Garden. |
 |
| Smaller cluster roses covering the wooden fence post. |
The park houses the San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum, a collection of eight exhibit buildings, two homes, a schoolhouse & numerous other displays.
Our AAA book said to allow two hours & they were right! There are all sorts
of attractions & activities for kids.
 |
| An old time kitchen diorama in the San Joaquin County Historical Museum. |
 |
| This was part of "one of the largest collections of hand & foot-powered tools" in any museum. I loved the sign here on the barbed wire display. |
 |
My grandfather was a trucker in the Central Valley who hauled wooden crates of fruit & vegetables. This must have been the precursor to his truck.
|
 |
| The Julia Weber House, built in 1892, is currently being restored to its 1901 appearance & is not open to the public at this time. |
 |
The Captain Charles Weber Cottage, built in 1847, is the oldest wood frame building in San Joaquin County. Charles Weber was the founder of the city of Stockton.
|
