The Perfect Day

Two days ago the weather was perfect and beautiful. It was especially fine because there had been about a week of grey, gloomy skies, making me want to stay indoors and be lazy. I was looking out the window admiring the morning sunshine, trees and bushes in beautiful fall colors, when a friend walked by with her dog. Since I had not talked with her for about a week, I ran outside to chat. We marveled at the beauty of the day saying we wanted to get out and enjoy the warm temperature and the beauty surrounding us. This was somewhat of a casual conversation but the more we talked the more we decided we needed to do something.

My friend told me that her daughter had given her information some time ago about a Sculpture Park in Loveland that she thought we should visit. On the way is a little town called Hygiene that I wanted to see again. I had discovered it many years ago when I was exploring my new state and wondered how it had changed. We took off with these destinations in mind but somewhere I missed a turn and we did not find Hygiene. I kept driving and we did saw a sign telling us Loveland was ahead. As we drove we saw green fields in which horses or llamas grazed, as well as fields of corn and a tree farm no longer in business.  The fences were white and the houses we saw were fairly large. It felt as if we were out in the country. There were no business parks or large apartment complexes and not much in the way of traffic. Since I wasn't exactly sure where we were  so it was  a relief to see that we were entering Loveland. Immediately we saw a sign that said "Benson Sculpture Park". We followed the signs and found the park. It was quite large with wide sidewalks, big trees, and beautifully cared for lawns. There are wildflowers, shrubs and trees that have been planted in memory of a loved one. Many of the concrete benches scattered throughout the park have been similarly dedicated.  On one end of the park is a wetlands area, home to many birds and wildlife (the only wildlife we saw were the sculptures). As beautiful as it is, the highlight of the park are the 154 sculptures scattered throughout. Most of the sculptures are bronze, but there are some that are marble or metal. There are a variety of subjects depicted; animals, people, amphibians, several abstract pieces, some quite serious and others were whimsical depictions.  It is quite impossible to pick a favorite. Each sculpture has a placque that gives the name of the piece and the artist who created it. In addition the information is written in braille.

Amazingly the park has no entrance fee, except during the once a year art show and sale. Just find a place to park on the streets surrounding the park and start walking. We weren't able to walk around the whole grounds and are excited to tell two other friends in hopes they will want to visit with us and we can walk the part that we missed. Winter is approaching so it will have to be soon!

As we got in the car and went in search of a late lunch we again marveled at what a perfect day it had been!