Breathtaking Bricks of Lego

Sunday was forecast to be interrupted all day with showers, but after a Saturday of house cleaning, patio clearing and running errands I wanted to be out of the house and relax. The night before I spotted an advert for The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester which was just opening a LEGO exhibit so I drove towards that. My brother and I grew up loving these bricks although we constantly felt we never had enough, and even now if I see a pile it's hard to resist the temptation to start clamping them together.
With dark clouds looming above me and small raindrops splatting on the windscreen I made the 45 minute drive, having stashed an umbrella and a raincoat in the car. I was determined to take photos regardless, assuming that the miserable weather would detract families with children, and hoping thus I'd have the place mostly to myself.
As I got closer the heavens opened, walls of rain thrashing against the car and hammering on the roof, but amazingly as I got close to the museum the rain petered off, the sun valiantly pushing its way through the clouds. Pulling into the parking lot, there was only a handful of vehicles present and for a brief panicky moment I wondered if the museum had closed the gardens due to the inclement weather. But I spotted a lady inside the gate kiosk so walked towards her, leaving my jacket and umbrella in the car since it was actually now quite warm and clammy outside, and I guessed if the rain started then I'd just have to dash inside a building.
Beyond the gates I smiled at the peaceful tranquility the rain showers had brought. The branches dripped and the lush grass glittered, loaded with raindrops. There were hardly any people here. The hugest blue heron I've ever seen sauntered slowly alongside a gushing creek while 3 Muscovy ducks were obviously enjoying the rushing water. As I stood quietly watching them, they sped down the creek, then climbed to the bank, wings flapping furiously as they battled against the strong current to get out. The group then walked back up alongside the water to where a pond gushed over a wall of rocks into the creek below. They all climbed on to the rocks and then plopped back into the rapids for another go at Nature's thrill ride. It was like watching kids enjoying the water rides at an amusement park, these ducks were evidently having great fun. It was also interesting to note that a group of mallards close by took no notice of the Muscovy ducks' antics, preferring instead to nap on the banks with heads tucked under their wings. I stood watching this for a good 10 minutes before the Muscovy ducks had finally had enough and bobbed peacefully in the upper pond, to get their breaths back no doubt.

After snapping a lot of photos I started to concentrate on the amazing Lego structures that were scattered around the gardens. They were incredible. Built by Brooklyn artist, Sean Kenney, over 400,000 bricks have been used. The exhibit, called Nature Connects, is vibrantly colorful and surprisingly lifelike. I peered closely at the peacock and monarch butterfly, really enjoying the lack of crowds so I could get close to appreciate them better. But then as I peered through my viewfinder I discovered a little pop up notice, tiny at the top, stating 'no memory card'. I'd done it again. It seems I am incapable of checking that the card is in my camera before I use it and I had failed to bring a spare. But since I had only myself to blame, I resolutely pulled out my iPhone and used that instead. I was miffed that I'd not got any shots of the Muscovy ducks enjoying the water but at least I had enjoyed the moment and had the memories.

It was lovely to see some bluebells in the garden. I'd only been thinking a few days before that I missed the English bluebells so was delighted to see this huge bed of blooms. They weren't English bluebells but Spanish. More upright than the English variety and lacking the intoxicating perfume, but pretty nonetheless. I was happy to see them.

The Lego exhibits were fabulous and I wished there was information on how long each had taken to build, it must have been days on each one. The corn spider was actually quite chilling to look up at. Although not realistic, it was somewhat daunting to have a spider of that size hanging so close above my head.
Still enjoying the solitude, with only a gardener and a small group of older adults walking around, I strolled over to the Asian gardens.

These are so pretty, with sculptures and Asian touches wherever you look, even huge bamboo plants flanking the walls. The little creek was rushing through a little faster than usual and some of the flagstones were a little slippery but I pottered about, enjoying the peace. Usually this little tucked away area is bustling with visitors. As I walked back up the hill, a gentleman came in and leaned against a railing, obviously enjoying the quietness too. I left so he could have it completely to himself.

The gardens were alive with fresh green shoots, young plants spurting upwards, ready to put on their summer show. There were still plenty of spring blooms but the rain had taken its toll. Heavy flower heads bowing over after the rainstorm, huge water droplets hanging on their petals, looked in need of a shake to lighten their load so I helped a few, enjoying watching them bounce upwards again.

This was my favorite Lego display. I stood for some time scrutinizing the details in the figures, checking from every angle to see how the artist had placed the bricks. There was even water in the watering can.

This is a much photographed walkway throughout the year. Although the arches weren't yet covered there were yellow jasmine plants spiraling up each post. The plants were young and only just beginning to take off but their scent was intoxicating. I wandered up and down a couple of time, simply sniffing.

These deers were fabulous too, nearly 100,000 bricks used. Every exhibit piece was incredibly lifelike, I was very impressed. I had arrived assuming that the display would be geared more towards children but it was definitely enjoyable for adults also.I had to backtrack round a few places to recapture some of the photos I'd 'taken' on my camera. There were a few more people entering the gardens now. The rain clouds had passed and the sun breaking through glistened and twinkled on the water droplets that clung to flowers, leaves and grass. My boots were quite soggy but I was pleased I'd come. I'm not sure I'll ever look at Legos in the same light again. What had once always been a child's toy were very obviously now fair game to anyone with a creative flair. Maybe I should attempt a sculpture for the patio?