This garden was inspired by my recent trip to Williams, Arizona - specifically an attraction called Bearizona.
This brown buffalo represents those we saw at Bearizona, both brown and white. I've never seen white buffalo before so it was surprising.
Here is a family of bears.
I purchased this piece during my time in Williams. All other animals in this garden were purchased either on my trip to Yellowstone, Alaska or locally.
These two black bears are sitting on a log.
This brown bear came from Alaska, carved from wood, and caught salmon in his mouth.
This black bear is pushing the baby bear on a swing.
While in Williams, Arizona, I visited a popular local attraction - Bearizona! There were many animals here, most that can be found naturally in Arizona. If you're planning a trip to Arizona and will be near Williams, I suggest stopping by this place, especially if you really like seeing animals in a natural setting.
This picture was taken during the driving portion of the entertainment. I'm so impressed with this great picture of a snoozing bear, enjoying the Summer day.
There are plenty of signs posted along the driving trail, letting you know what animals you are approaching and reminding you of the safety rules. Never open your door or window when driving near wild animals - remember, you're in their home, invading their privacy so be respectful.
This beaver is happily enjoying an afternoon meal which provided the perfect photo opportunity.
We took the opportunity for a photoshoot with the festive decorations.
Over the Summer, I took a trip with my husband to Williams, Arizona to visit one of My Fairy Folks. During our time there we stayed at a place called Railside RV Ranch & Cabin Rental. I took a few pictures and videos to give you all a taste of my vacation. This post is the first of a series covering this trip, including fairy gardens inspired by Williams, AZ.
This photos resides in the main office. I wanted to show you all the miniature golf cart and railroad spike paper weight. The cart could be a nice addition to a miniature garden, but I haven't found one yet. It represents the golf cart the staff uses to check on guests throughout the RV Park. The spike is a nice touch of history since the park is located right next to a train track - the train takes guests directly to the Grand Canyon.
This miniature garden was in the main office and is so adorable! It inspired me to create my own miniature garden based on this trip.
In the Covered Wagon Spa, guests can relax in a hot spa. Days in Arizona are hot but nights can get very cold and a hot spa is very relaxing.
Oh my goodness, it's time to celebrate another year already! As of tomorrow (July 9), this blog is turning 3 years old! Can you believe it? Last year's review mentioned Wikipedia's anniversary flowers - I remember looking at the list and being excited for this year because the third anniversary flower is my favorite; the Sunflower! Here's one of my beautiful sunflowers from last year's bloom since I don't have any blooming yet this year, but you bet your bottom that they're in the ground, working their magic.
Now, lets get to the progress we've made in the last year here at Grandma's Enchanted Fairy Garden. My Google+ followers haven't gone up much (and I still can't figure out how to see my Google+ views), but my YouTube views have increased by 1,979 in the last year to bring me to a total of 3,126. This means that I more than doubled my YouTube views in the last year. That's wonderful! I know that wouldn't be possible without My Fairy Folks sharing my videos with friends and family, so thank you very much! I am just shy of 70 videos uploaded to my channel.
Speaking of My Fairy Followers, I want to thank those of you who have shared your own creations. Lets look back at all of them.
Again, thank you to all of my followers. I appreciate every one of you, even if you haven't sent in any pictures or made any comments; just knowing there are eyes on my blog and YouTube (represented by views) keeps me going. There are so many of you all over the world. Some of you might even hail from the following locations, represented in my vacation series of fairy gardens.
These two vacation-inspired gardens, Ensenada and Hawaii, were created within the last year and helped me achieve one of the goals I set for myself in last year's review. There are also a few more that I have planned and that you can look forward to in the future including Yellowstone, Alaska, Williams Arizona and Cabo San Lucas.
I have made many posts about Fairy Garden Classes, a few that took place in public but the majority being just tutorials. Some were based on a holiday theme or a monetary goal. I want to expand these tutorials to include child specific activities and make this blog even more family-friendly.
With all the successes we've had in the past year, there is one that slipped through our fingers and that would be the Gnome wedding. Things in the real world got in the way of making this event come out in November (which was what last year's review slated it for). It was decided that we would just move the date forward another year. Between you and I (and the rest of the internet), the pictures were all taken and in the system but my granddaughter's (who helps me write this blog) wedding was a priority.
With that being said, I had time to do some thinking about the goals for the next year of our blog. One thing that really popped out to me was a contest. There's only been one contest here and the product of that was the name My Fairy Folks. In that same vein, I want to continue to celebrate My Fairy Folks, their creativity and promote my blog. With all that being said, we have plans here to start our own miniature garden contest that will last a whole year! You will be allowed to enter with multiple miniature gardens (maybe one for each season!) and have your friends and family help by voting. Prizes aren't decided yet and neither is a start date, but I will keep you updated. I really want to make sure there are at least two winning categories - people's choice and best of show. I'm very excited about this and hope you are too!
(L to R) Ivy, Julip, Simone and Bridget enjoy the beachside campfire of this Ensenada-inspired container garden.
Ensenada is a popular tourist destination, often via cruise line, but this inspired scene for me represents my time in this city with my family in my early 20s. My father was a dirt bike enthusiast and would haul his family and his bike down to Ensenada to race. He would rent two trailers for the week and we'd settle in on top of a cliff near the beach, he and my mother in one trailer which allowed my sister and I to share the second. We would walk down the cliff to get to the beach and practically had the place to ourselves, listening to the waves crashing. I remember strolling through town checking out the little shops, enjoying the authentic food (which my sister refused to eat - my father would joke that it made our trips less expensive) for a lovely family vacation.
I eventually settled down and got married, starting a family of my own, all while my father continued to race well into his 60s. Unfortunately, after a broken arm during a race, his health declined and within a month took his last breath. It's good to know that he was able to do what he loved for so long.
If you have memories of Ensenada, feel free to share them in the comments below.
