Magical Afternoon

Beatrice and I headed to the Florence Griswold museum in Old Lyme, CT, about an hour away down near the shore.  I'd always wanted to go, and heard that this month they had a Wizard of Oz/fairy display that was well-worth the trip.  This was the last weekend, so today was the day.  It didn't hurt that the weather was spectacular, showcasing the last of the fall colors and gardens:

We watched the Wizard of Oz movie last night in preparation.  I was amazed at how NOT scared she was!  That witch still does me in...

The field of poppies was breathtaking:

Beatrice hoped some snow would start to fall to "wake us up", but no luck today!

There were 24 miniature fairy displays in the trees and on the grounds, and this lover of little collectibles and doodads was in heaven checking out the arrangements:

The grounds are right along the river and it was breathtaking:

See the witch's legs under that house???

Yup, I burst out into show tunes and belted out "Follow the Yellow Brick Road...."

We got to see the inner workings of a scarecrow making factory:

And here's the tin man's red heart that was left out:

Did you know in the original story the Munchkins' homes were all blue?

Couldn't stay away from those poppies!

What a Wizard of Oz display without some flying monkeys?

And trees that come to life and try to grab you!

The last scene was "back at home" in Kansas, safe and sound once again:

This fairy was available for photo-ops:

She put some green glitter in her hand and told her to make a wish:

I wonder what it was?

In the craft barn, we made this fairy headband:

and stood near Vince Van Scare Goh:

When does the time come when it's no longer possible to slip on a fairy costume over your t-shirt and shorts and head out the door?  

Inside the museum, we went to the permanent exhibit and my daughter tap-danced around the sculptures, declaring "art is boring."  Gasp.  So says the girl who visited the gift shop and walked right by magnet sets, games, dolls, fairy everything, and wanted a Moleskin sketchbook and colored pencils.....