A very good friend called me with an idea to pack our children in the car for a day trip to Maymont in Richmond, Virginia. I thought it could be a lot to have all five kids in the car for the drive, but I was up for it if my friend was.
Maymont is one of those amazing places with a historic mansion, a formal Italian garden, a Japanese garden, a wildlife center and nature walk. It has something for everyone, and it is free, with donations accepted to support the ongoing operations. Now, I thought my 10-year-old son was going to love the eagles and bears the most, but to my amazement it was the Japanese garden that blew him away. Imagine an insanely active boy coming to a stop, slowly sitting down on a stone, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. He sat there for a minute or two and then opened his eyes, looked around, smiled at me and said that this was his favorite place. He asked me if we can have a Japanese garden at our house. While that’s not really a possibility, I have told him we can certainly go back to visit Maymont’s garden any time he wants.
